Cast
Francesca Comencini — Scenography
Barbara Hendricks — Mimi
Luca Canonici — Rodolfo, actor
José Carreras — Rodolfo, voice
Angela Maria Blasi — Musetta
Program notes
In 1988, Luigi Comencini adapted the beloved Puccini opera La Bohème for the silver screen, a masterful work which was to be one of his last films.
Composed in four tableaux, this opera is often described as one of Puccini’s greatest scores. The forward-looking work unites elements of musical romanticism with the verismo genre, demonstrating perfect orchestral mastery, harmonic innovation and a theatrical language all his own.
With over a century of unwavering success, La Bohème has become a classic. In his film adaptation, Luigi Comencini sets the story in a fully-reconstructed early twentieth century studio, and succeeds in blurring the lines between filmed opera and opera film.
The story:
Paris, 1910. Three friends: Rodolphe the poet, Marcel the painter and Colline the philosopher live on a pittance in an attic room. Mimi, a young neighbour, joins them. Rudolphe falls for her. Soon, the girl, who is sick, begins to complain about Rodolphe’s jealousy.
