For me the best Lucia Di Lammermoor productions are the ones from 1983 with Sutherland and Kraus and 1982 with Ricciarelli and Carreras, with June Anderson having the most effective Mad scene. And I love the 1971 recording with Sutherland and Pavarotti. This Lucia on film is good, but for me not among the best.
My problems with the film were with the sound, which at times was static and muffled, the picture quality which was rather grainy and some of the acting particularly with Edgardo is stolid with the Sextet perhaps needing more conflict and pathos, it shows in the singing but not so much in the acting.
That said, it is photographed well, the locations are grand and very effective especially the castle and the costumes are stunning. The music is magnificent no problem there, the orchestra play with power and the conducting suitably stylish and genteel.
Anna Moffo is great as Lucia. Her voice is wonderful, she is beautiful and very photogenic and although her dubbing is not always consistent she is a good actress. The Mad scene is perhaps lacking the eerie sleepwalking quality I have seen with Sutherland and especially Anderson, but I have to give credit and say that Moffo as always sings and acts it very well with the psychological troubles, vulnerability and anguish definitely evident.
Lajos Kozma is suitably ardent and dashing. While he is sometimes stolid and starts off rather tight and nasal, he warms up significantly as the film progresses and his final scene is very touching.Guilio Fiorovanti is for me the best actor in the film, and as the scheming albeit sympathetic Enrico he sings powerfully. Paolo Washington is good as Raimondo.
All in all, good if not quite the ultimate Lucia. 7/10 Bethany Cox
