As with most operetta, the story is not one of Der Zarewitsch's best virtues. It is still a serviceable one though and has its sense of charm and fun, Lehar's best and most popular operetta is The Merry Widow but Der Zarewitsch is hardly one to be faded into obscurity. This is a great film production of Der Zarewitsch, and a good introduction to it. The lip-synching is a little sloppy at times especially in the case of Wieslaw Ochman which had a tendency to be a beat behind. And some of the supporting roles resort to mugging, which make a couple of the comic scenes limp rather than funny. It is visually striking with skillful and unobtrusive photography, lovingly rendered and evocative costumes and colourful evergreen scenery, very like an opulent Russian fairy tale. Lehar's music is delightful with some of his loveliest tunes, the orchestra perform it elegantly and the conducting is controlled and allows the drama and fun to come out as well as complimenting it. The spoken dialogue is funny and witty and delivered with a good amount of energy, the staging is intelligent with most of the comic scenes still funny enough and the story always engages. The use of traditional Russian dancing added some authenticity and was a delight to see. The best thing about the film is the performance of Teresa Stratas, she looks stunning here(the camera certainly seems to love her), sings beautifully and her acting is completely natural. It is remarkable at how at home she looks and sounds in operetta roles, when also taking on lyric roles like Mimi and Liu as well as heavier dramatic roles like Lulu and Salome and just as successfully. Wieslaw Ochman is suitably smug and dashing with a touch of smarminess in the title role, a little stolid at times perhaps, and he has a very nice lyrical tenor voice. Harald Juhnke as Ivan and the lovely Birke Bruck as Masha are very amusing. To conclude, Stratas makes this Der Zarewitsch well worth seeing and as a film it's colourful and charming with some good entertainment value. Only the lip synching and some instances of mugging disappoint. 9/10 Bethany Cox
