Watch at Home 04.23.2019

Farinelli

Directed by Gerard Corbiau
Film Movement Classics
1994
111 Minutes
France, Italy, Belgium
French, Italian
Drama, Music, Biography, Classics
R
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In the 18th century during Handel's time, no man was more famous or more celebrated than the castrato, Farinelli. The incredible, true story of the world famous opera singer - who was castrated during childhood in order to preserve his voice - comes to life in this Oscar-nominated drama of high notes and even higher passions.

Director & Cast

  • Director: Gerard Corbiau
  • Starring: Stefano Dionisi
  • Starring: Enrico Lo Verso
  • Starring: Elsa Zylberstein
  • Starring: Caroline Cellier
  • Starring: Jeroen Krabbé

Where to Watch

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Trailer

Photos

Reviews

  • "Stops you in your tracks and transports you to a phantasmagorical world where music, mystery and magic hold sway."
    Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
  • "For all its emotional extravagance and sheer Baroque lushness, "Farinelli" is actually a triumph of taut control and superb structuring. "
    Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
  • "Farinelli is great fun and sufficiently thoughtful and complex to give food for continuing thought."
    Arthur Lazere, Culture Vulture
  • "Exquisite-looking, well-acted and impeccably staged, the film is best watched as a juicy, gossipy guilty pleasure with the added cache of a “serious” subject (i.e., opera). There’s an excellent hi-def transfer; extras include a making-of featurette and on-set interviews."
    Kevin Filipski, Static Multimedia
  • "The Blu-ray transfer in 2K helps preserve a truly splendid piece of moviemaking about a subject of which we've seen far too little. And don't miss the nearly hour-long Bonus Feature, Nostalgia for a Lost Voice, which details how so much of this amazing movie was researched and filmed -- with special attention to the way in which Farinelli's unusual voice was recreated, using the voices of two different singers, a female soprano and male counter-tenor, then seamlessly joining the two in the sound studio. Fascinating!"
    James van Maanen, TrustMovies
  • "...a film that apparently takes some major liberties with Farinelli’s life and times but still functions as a pungent chronicle of the era."
    Andy Dursin , The Aisle Seat
  • "The movie will appeal to fans of opera as well as those who enjoy lush period pieces."
    Bob Bloom, The Film Yap
  • "The film is a sumptuous, extraordinarily moving and beautifully produced costume drama biopic...It’s another musical masterwork from Belgian director Gérard Corbiau."
    Amos Lassen, Reviews by Amos Lassen
  • "The story is a richly dramatic one that's well-acted and impeccably rendered, with fine costumes and locations including some of the grandest opera houses in Europe"
    Porfle Popnecker, HK and Cult Film News
  • "FARINELLI is both a visual and aural confection and a dramatic delight that one can indulge in like a rich dessert. And like any sumptuous treat, I didn't want it to end."
    Porfle Popnecker, HK and Cult Film News
  • "Mix the plot of Milos Forman’s Amadeus with that of Robert Altman’s Vincent & Theo — and add a splash of David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers for the kinkiness factor — and you’ll have a fair approximation of the events transpiring in this Belgian import that’s loosely based on a true story"
    Matt Brunson, The Film Frenzy
  • "Mix the plot of Milos Forman’s Amadeus with that of Robert Altman’s Vincent & Theo— and add a splash of David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers for the kinkiness factor — and you’ll have a fair approximation of the events transpiring in this Belgian import that’s loosely based on a true story"
    Matt Brunson, Film Frenzy
Nominated
Best Foreign Language Film
Academy Awards
Winner
Best Foreign Language Film
Golden Globes
Winner
NBR Award
National Board Of Review
Winner
Audience Award
Palm Springs Int'l. Film Festival
Winner
Best Costume Design
Cesar Awards
Winner
Best Sound
Cesar Awards
Winner Best Costume Design
David di Donatello Awards