6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
Ten of the world's most creative and celebrated directors were each asked to choose a piece of opera music and then present a visual interpretation of that music with complete artistic freedom. The music features some of the world's best opera singers, including a priceless recording of the legendary Enrico Caruso.
Starring: Theresa Russell, Arthur Cox, Paul Brightwell, Frank Baker (III), Christopher Hunter (III)Drama | 100% |
Music | 14% |
Comedy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1
Music: LPCM 2.0
None
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 1.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
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).
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".
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.
- 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)
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.
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