Così fan tutte

I love Mozart and opera, so naturally I was eager to see this film version of Cosi Fan Tutte. And I loved it, as far as these Jean-Pierre Ponnelle opera films go I do prefer Le Nozze Di Figaro(1975), Rigoletto(1982) and Der Barbier Von Sevilla(1973), but this Cosi Fan Tutte is still excellent.

Visually and musically, Cosi Fan Tutte cannot be faulted at all. The sets are beautifully constructed and the costumes are suitably sumptuous. The photography captures this perfectly, nothing too dizzying or hackneyed here, and Ponnelle's direction is impeccable.

Mozart's music is sublime from start to finish, the standout for me always being the "soave sia il vento" trio, which is still one of my favourite Mozart moments. The story still maintains its sense of fun and freshness and the characters especially Despina are all endearing.

There is some stylish orchestral playing and well judged conducting that doesn't plod too much during the recitatives. When it comes to the acting and singing, there is not a weak link with Dolores Ziegler charming, Luis Lima and Ferruccio Furlanetto an amusing pair of lovers and Paolo Mantarsolo his usual characterful self, but a very funny Teresa Stratas and a vocally flexible Edita Gruberova stand out in particular.

Overall, a wonderful opera film. 9/10 Bethany Cox

These operatic films of Jean-Pierre Ponnelle really are really first rate musically. In this his last film he seems to have rid himself of the irritating habit of doing some of the arias in voice-over. In this film everyone is seen to be singing (although they aren't of course). This is particularly important in Cosi, perhap the most sublime of all operas, because of the large number of quartets, quintets and sextets where you really need to see who is singing what. The cast is, to me, not so well-known as the casts in some of his earlier films such as Le Nozze di Figaro. The divine Teresa Stratas in the role of the maid Despina upstages the rest of the cast in singing, acting and sheer sexiness. The sets, costumes and direction are rather unimaginitive compared with Ponnelle's earlier films. Ponnelle makes the two female leads look like identical twins and the two male leads spend most of the film with their faces covered with yashmaks. This is most confusing in a plot that revolves around partner swapping. Bizarrely, in the wedding scene, the men abandon their masks so the two sisters can quite clearly see that they are marrying each other's lover. Incidentally, if you want to see the definitive version of Cosi on film, try to catch Eteri Gvazava's recent performance, filmed at the Teatro Piccolo in Milan.