hasko Reviews

Aida (1985 TV Movie)

Balance between music and pageant

[5/10 · 4 March 2004]

This version of Verdi's Aida was performed on stage, and was never meant to be a movie, actually I don't think a full movie version of this opera was ever produced. But a stage production and a movie are different in many ways. Things that one can get away with in a stage production will show up clearly in a movie, for the camera will bring the spectator much closer to the set. There is nothing wrong with the music in this production, but the pageant is somewhat strange. This story was meant to be set in Ancient Egypt, but Radames looks more like a Viking warlord, and the priests look as if they have escaped from the temple in Jerusalem. I have a long standing problem with Italian costume designers, and this production has not improved matters, the Metropolitan version of Aida was much better in this respect.

One has to consider why one wants to watch opera, personally I like an even mix, and I am prepared to sacrifice some of the quality of the music in order to get a better pageant. Pavarotti is unequalled as a tenor, but as an actor, impersonating a tombstone is about as good as it gets. And as soon as Dimitrova appears on stage, one will immediately understand why Radames tries to flee into the arms of Aida. Finally, why those poor slaves had to drag those statues around all the time, and how g-string little boys fitted in, I haven't figured out yet. This version is probably ideal for flamboyant people. Personally I like a more historically accurate approach.

The Mission (1986)

Condensed history

[9/10 · 13 June 2002]

While at college I was given the assignment of producing a 30 minute talk on the 'Guarana Republic' which is off course the subject matter of this movie. Hailing from the Protestant part of Europe I had never even heard about this aspect of Jesuit missionary work before, but as I researched the matter I became fascinated. So when I heard that a movie had been made about this topic I went to see it as soon as possible. Knowing how the film industry tended to treat historical events I was somewhat suspicious, but I was pleasantly surprised. This movie instantly became one of my all time favourites. I think the subject matter is handled sensitively and sensibly and the cinematography is stunning. What also impressed me was the clever way in which this story, which in reality spanned several generations, was compressed into a period of about ten years without becoming unbelievable. Even in a two hour movie there is a limit on what one can touch on, but I think that a good balance between dialogue, adventure, action, and character development, was struck. Even so if the movie would have lasted another hour I would still have been happy (perhaps even happier).