Zerlina
DON GIOVANNI, a young, arrogant, sexually promiscuous nobleman, abuses and outrages everyone else in the cast, until he encounters something he cannot kill, beat up, dodge, or outwit. This legendary production starring Cesare Siepi in the title role with Wilhelm Furtwängler conducting was filmed in Salzburg’s open-air Felsenreitschule theatre during the 1954 Salzburg Festival. Although the production is clearly dated, it remains a must-see for lovers of the opera, both as a historical document of a vintage, all-star production and simply as an excellent way to experience Mozart’s masterpiece.
Soprano
After her husband dies, a German woman who gave up her infant for adoption to emigrate to America returns to Germany, discovering that her child is being raised by a married orchestra conductor.
Violetta
Ave Maria was the second film-starring vehicle for legendary operatic tenor Beniamino Gigli. Mourning the loss of the only woman he ever loved, concert singer Tino Dossi (Gigli) is temporarily shaken from his doldrums by vivacious Montmartre entertainer Claudette (Kaethe Von Nagy). Dossi doesn't realize that Claudette is merely using him to advance her own singing career. Ultimately won over by Dossi's sincerity and courtesy, Claudette falls in love with him for real, only to suffer the pangs of conscience as a result. About to kill herself, she decides instead to return to Dossi's arms, vowing never to confess her original mercenary intentions.
