Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		2.5

Aria Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman April 8, 2017

Decades ago, when I was at the beginning of what turned out to be a virtually lifelong fascination with cult actress Frances Farmer, I attended an art house screening of one of her best known films, Come and Get It, and was gobsmacked when the credits listed not one but two of the most iconic names from the Golden Age of Hollywood as having directed it, Howard Hawks and William Wyler. This was definitely in the pre-internet era, so it took some actual research (like, tracking down sources at libraries and things like that) to discover that Hawks had been fired by producer Samuel Goldwyn when the film was virtually complete, with Wyler coming on to rejigger some elements and finish the shoot (for those interested in doing some research of their own, there are some hilarious anecdotes about Wyler’s fracases with Farmer, who evidently was less than pleased with this directorial change, at one point reportedly chasing Wyler around the set with a fly swatter). Anyone looking at the credits listing for Aria, a little remembered portmanteau from 1987, might be similarly stunned, since its list of directors is truly awe inspiring: Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard, Derek Jarman, Franc Roddam, Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Charles Sturridge and Julien Temple. Unfortunately, that very list is probably one of the most salient clues as to what ails Aria, namely that it’s a hodgepodge of styles and approaches, all built around the supposedly linking concept of short films based on famous operatic pieces. Producer Don Boyd had a rather fascinating history of his own, and was responsible for some interesting if flawed British films like 1979’s The Tempest , and 1980’s The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle and Look Back in Anger (some featuring collaborations with directors and stars he’d utilize for Aria), but it’s perhaps a little difficult to discern what target audience Boyd thought he was aiming for with this odd combination of high falutin’ music and sometimes anachronistic visuals. Aria managed to get a Palme d’Or nomination at Cannes the year it was released, but its critical legacy is mixed at best, and the film seems nothing more or less than an oddity, a potential trivia question to stump devoted cineastes with such conundrums as, “Name a film where Jean-Luc Godard and Ken Russell collaborated” (which of course is kind of cheating, since, like Hawks and Wyler, they never actually worked together despite sharing directing credits).

Summaries for the ten short films are listed below, though they need to be read with an understanding that what is on the screen is often only tangentially related to any “description”, let alone a connection to whatever operatic aria is included.

Un ballo in maschera is directed by Nicolas Roeg and features the music of Verdi. This is based on a real life assassination attempt against the improbably named King Zog (portrayed by Theresa Russell for whatever reason), who evidently was actually attending a performance of Pagliacci when the crime occurred.

La forza del destino is directed by Charles Sturridge and features the music of Verdi. Some young London street toughs steal a car and mayhem ensues (in black and white).

Armide is directed by Jean-Luc Godard and features music by Lully. Some nubile women attempt to get attention from some (narcissistic) “pump you up” gym rats.

Rigoletto is directed by Julien Temple and features music by Verdi. Probably the most traditionally structured piece in the film, this is a short bedroom farce (with some dialogue) featuring Buck Henry, Beverly D’Angelo and Anita Morris.

Die Tote Stadt is directed by Bruce Beresford and features the music of Korngold. This is a kind of interesting piece from a visual standpoint, contrasting scenes of a deserted Bruges with a passionate love duet.

Les Boréades is directed by Robert Altman and features the music of Rameau. A quasi-historical recreation of an opening night for the opera, that is if the audience was filled with outcasts from Marat / Sade.

Tristan und Isolde is directed by Franc Roddam and features the music of Wagner. Bridget Fonda and James Mathers play lovers who want to leave Las Vegas in a dramatic fashion.

Turandot is directed by Ken Russell and features the music of Puccini. This typically hallucinatory piece from Russell may remind some of the concert that’s a highlight of The Fifth Element.

Louise is directed by Derek Jarman and features the music of Charpentier. An aging performer gives her final performance, while old home movies of her in her youth appear interstitially (look for a very young Tilda Swinton in this one).

I Pagliacci is directed by Bill Bryden and features the music of Leoncavallo. John Hurt is on hand as the immortal clown, a character who wafts through the film at other intervals, supposedly providing some kind of linking mechanism which is never very clear.

Aria Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Aria is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lightyear Entertainment with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. This is a somewhat variable looking transfer, with several segments popping quite nicely, especially in brighter lighting situations, with good reproduction of the palette and some decent amounts of fine detail. But grain is all over the place here, as is compression, perhaps partially the result of different directors using different stocks. The Altman sequence is really gritty looking and suffers from some compression hurdles that add some chroma anomalies to the grain structure. Other segments, notably the Roeg, look pretty soft quite a bit of the time. There's some noticeable wobble during the opening credits as well as quite a bit of speckling on display, both of which may indicate either an old (or at least an unrestored) master, despite this bearing the sobriquet "30th Anniversary Edition".

Aria Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

All of the audio on Aria was culled from older RCA recordings, and as such the LPCM 2.0 tracks are dependent upon the sources. Stereo separation is quite lively at times, and fidelity is generally very good, though some archival recordings sound a bit boxy and some sequences, notably the last, have additional "distressing" sounds added to make them sound even more vintage.

Aria Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Photo Galleries

  1. Nicolas Roeg — Photos by Lord Snowden/Nico Roeg (1080p; 2:22)

  2. Charles Sturridge — Photos by John Swannell/Katya Grenfell (1080p; 1:22)

  3. Jean-Luc Godard — Photos by Diana Miller/Jonathan Lenard (1080p; 1:47) (someone didn't proofread how to spell Godard's name)

  4. Julien Temple — Photos by Greg Gorman (1080p; 1:42)

  5. Bruce Beresford — Photos by Bob Carlos Clarke/Clare Muller (1080p; 1:42)

  6. Robert Altman — Photos by David Bailey/Diana Miller (1080p; 2:37)

  7. Franc Roddam — Photos by Annie Liebovitz (1080p; 2:12)

  8. Ken Russell — Photos by Terry O'Neill/Clare Muller (1080p; 1:42)

  9. Derek Jarman — Photos by Angus McBain/Katya Grenfell (1080p; 1:27)

  10. Bill Bryden — Photos by Malcolm Haywood/Koo Stark (1080p; 2:57)

• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:16)

Aria Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Aria is a really interesting idea, but one which just doesn't flourish as either film or performance art. It's a fascinating experiment and may well appeal to opera lovers, but even those intrigued by the combination of directorial talents on hand here may have a hard time sitting through this. Technical merits are generally very good for those considering a purchase.