Content
Hoffmann, intoxicated with wine and his passionate love for Stella, the dancer, tells the stories of his three great loves:
Olympia
The tempter, assuming the identity of Coppélius, embroils Hoffmann in a love affair with Olympia, who is, in fact, an ingeniously made automaton. To Hoffmann, viewing her through magic glasses, she is the most enchanting living being he has ever seen. But the moment the glasses break, the magic vanishes and Coppélius destroys the illusion formed by Olympia.
Giulietta
In Venice, the tempter, now in the form of Dapertutto, uses Giulietta, the most famous courtesan, to steal her lover’s soul. In the case of Schlémil, the pledge is his shadow, in Hoffmann’s it is his reflection. Hoffmann kills his rival Schlémil in a duel in order to obtain the key to Giulietta’s apartment. But when he fails to find his beloved, he hurls the key at the blank mirror, smashing it and breaking the evil spell.
Antonia
Hoffmann loves Antonia, a beautiful woman gifted with a divine voice, who is held prisoner by her father. He forbids her to sing because he is afraid that as a consumptive she will suffer the same fate as her dead mother, a famous singer. The tempter, now assuming the form of Dr. Miracle, feigns the voice of Antonia’s mother in order to persuade her to sing. Her voice joins that of her dead mother in a ghostly duet: Antonia collapses and dies.
TALES OF HO FFMANN is a fanciful and romantic mixture of cinema and opera based Jacques Offenbach’s famous opera. Three tragic loves influenced the life of the poet Hoffmann. In flashbacks, he sees how each inspired him and the ways that each broke his heart. This unique marvel of wonderful music, perfectly choreographed dance, opulent sets and impressive camera work won the Silver Bear at the first film festival in Berlin in 1951 and was nominated for the Grand Prize at Cannes as well as at the Oscars for Best Camera and Best Costume Design. Now star directors, a young Scorsese and a young Romero were avid admirers of the film, both renting the same 16mm copy from a New York film rental.
Gallery
Credits
- Production company
- The Archers; Vega Film Productions
- Original title
- Tales Of Hoffmann