Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		5.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

The Tales of Hoffmann Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 31, 2022

For anyone who grew up under the sway of, or who perhaps later became enamored of, the work of one of the most legendary hit songwriters of the 20th century (and beyond), namely (no pun intended, considering what's about to come) Burt Bacharach, it may have struck you, as it has me, how kind of cool it is that one of the most legendary "hit songwriters" of all time had a surname which is nicely subsumed within Burt's own last name (that's Bach, in case anyone is wondering). Perhaps that same "cool quotient" awareness struck fans of Jacques Offenbach, since Offenbach had a few "hit tunes" of his own back in the 19th century, including this one which any lover of Looney Tunes or countless other uses can affirm. Nonetheless, Offenbach has probably not penetrated to the general public consciousness in the same way that either Bach or frankly Bacharach have, and in fact he was kind of derided for being flashy on the style side of things and empty on the substance side of things even back in his own time, let alone by any even more jaded modern day assessments. That might make Offenbach's uncompleted (at least in terms of finishing touches like orchestration if not actual composition) opera The Tales of Hoffmann a very odd choice for a "blockbuster musical" by the already celebrated duo of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, who despite their general fame and fortune at the particular time of the production of this film may have been nursing a few intermediary wounds from less than successful outings after having come off of the major triumph of The Red Shoes. And in fact as any lover of trivia and/or listener to the great commentary by Bruce Eder and Martin Scorsese will know, The Tales of Hoffmann has a number of outright tethers to the 1948 ballet opus, as if to suggest Powell and Pressburger were returning to something that felt "comfortable", including stars Moira Shearer and Robert Helpmann, glorious Technicolor cinematography, and a story that is intrinsically bound up with both music and dance.

Since it's arguable that The Tales of Hoffmann in its original stage formulation is neither well known nor frankly well beloved enough for people to be concerned about its adaptation to film, there probably doesn't need to be a detailed examination of how the film departs from the original libretto and score, because what is so remarkable about this film is how it basically reinvents the opera as a kind of "meta" film experience. Some of the supplements make the case that this was the first real film adaptation of an opera, rather than a filming of a stage version of an opera, and Powell and Pressburger's adaptive prowess is on tap from the get go, with a visually audacious approach that none other than Martin Scorsese (a major fan of the film and one instrumental in its rediscovery and restoration) mentions explicitly in his commentary should surprise most viewers, since there are whole hosts of unexpected things, both in terms of the narrative but more importantly perhaps in more technical matters like framings, segues and production design.

The basic outline here follows Offenbach's relatively closely, with the piece's hero being the original author, E.T.A. Hoffmann (standing for Ernst Theodor Amadeus), portrayed by noted (no pun intended) operatic tenor Robert Rounseville, who never really had much of a film career but who would go on to play Mr. Snow in the film version of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Carousel (trivia lovers will know he was also one of the celebrated stars of the original Broadway mounting of Leonard Bernstein's Candide). Hoffmann pines for prima ballerina Stella (Moira Shearer), and while Stella returns the favor, her "love letter" to Hoffmann is intercepted by the film's villain, the imperious Lindorf (Robert Helpmann).

That then gives way to the film's central artifice, as Hoffmann supposedly engages in some Grimm like fairy tale weaving, wherein both Shearer and Helpmann get to play various roles. There's a certain static quality here that can't be denied, something that is perhaps unexpected due to the incessant movement of both the performers and the camera, and it will probably also be the experience of many viewers that there's little to no actual emotional engagement, probably because of the intentional but still rampant artificiality of everything. That said, this is a visually stunning piece of filmmaking that has a number of fascinating elements, including virtually no real dialogue, and long moments that are told almost exclusively through movement, with underscoring.

The Tales of Hoffmann Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Tales of Hoffmann is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of The Criterion Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. In lieu of an insert booklet, Criterion provides a kind of accordion foldout leaflet that includes the following information on the restoration:

The Tales of Hoffmann is presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1. The film was restored by The Film Foundation and the BFI National Archive, in association with StudioCanal. The 4K digital restoration was undertaken at Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging in Burbank, California, from the 35 mm original nitrate three strip Technicolor negatives and, for previously deleted sequences, the 35 mm separation master positives, curated by the BFI National Archive.

Color references included a 35 mm nitrate dye transfer print from 1951 and a 35 mm safety print made from the British Film Institute's 1985 photochemical restoration of the film.

Scenes from act 3 and a never before seen curtain call sequence, missing from previously released versions of The Tales of Hoffmann, were discovered and included in this restoration.

The original monaural soundtrack was restored by John Polito at Audio Mechanics in Burbank from a 35 mm soundtrack positive.

There's nothing quite like "real" Technicolor, and the glories of that technology are fully on display in this transfer, with a beautifully robust and gorgeously modulated palette. Just take a look at not only the incredibly vivid primaries in some of the screenshots I've uploaded to accompany this review, but also all of the jewel like purples, teals and other intermediary tones. Detail levels are also typically excellent throughout, as again can be clearly seen in many of the screenshots, with nice precise renderings of the incredibly opulent costumes and props. There are are a few minor signs of damage that made it through the restoration gauntlet (look at Shearer's eyelid in screenshot 18), and there is probably a slight falloff in quality in terms of the brief new additions that were evidently discovered and reinserted in this version, but given the overall beauty of this transfer, it seems curmudgeonly to dwell on them. Grain looks natural and I noticed no compression issues.

The Tales of Hoffmann Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Tales of Hoffmann features an LPCM Mono track that should suffice perfectly well for those who, unlike your intrepid reviewer, don't turn things "up to 11". The track has nice fluidity and a warm, full bodied tone that supports both the instrumental forces and the singers quite well, but if you push that volume, you can begin to just make out some slight faltering in the upper midrange (you can hear it especially in some of Rounseville's more florid tenor stylings). It's minor and probably not going to be an issue for anyone other than overly analytical audiophiles, and you know who(m) you are. Optional English subtitles are available. My score is 3.75.

The Tales of Hoffmann Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features Martin Scorsese and Bruce Eder, and includes the original 1992 commentary featuring both, along with additional 2022 comments from Eder accompanying newly discovered footage.


• George O. Romero (HD; 18:02) simply confirms what I'm sure many Romero fans already suspected, that he is a major fan of this film (this is said with tongue planted firmly in cheek, lest it not be clear). As odd as this may sound on its face, this 2005 interview is really quite sweet and insightful.


• Stills Gallery (HD) features Stills and Posters subsections culled from a variety of sources, including Canal+Image UK, Ltd., the British Film Institute, and the personal collections of Martin Scorsese and the late Michael Powell.


• Hein Heckroth Gallery (HD) offers design sketches and paintings Heckroth created for the film's production design.


• The Sorcerer's Apprentice (HD; 13:33) is a fascinating short by Michael Powellfrom 1955, reuniting him with several of the key production personnel from The Tales of Hoffmann. This is especially interesting given some of the supplements' emphases on how much Disney influenced the famed Powell - Pressburger collaboration.


• Trailer (HD; 3:02)

A fold out insert includes an essay by Ian Christie.

The Tales of Hoffmann Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Some elements in The Tales of Hoffmann may well remind musical fans of later entries, including a "living doll" scene which I'm sure will bring to mind a well remembered sequence featuring Sally Ann Howes in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but of course that may only help to point out how clearly influential this film has been, despite the fact that it's weirdly lesser known than some other Powell and Pressburger efforts. This is not going to win any fans from the "integrated book" department, and it has the kind of silliness that is often associated with operetta rather than opera, but it is so visually alluring that it hardly matters in the long run. Technical merits are generally solid, and as usual with Criterion offerings, the supplements very enjoyable. Recommended.