Pavarotti

When it comes to opera singers, there aren't many household names that people know or actually talk about, with the exception of one person, Luciano Pavarotti. Few documentaries make it all the way to the cinema, not to mention having a premier screening, so I was curious about what made this one so special.

I knew who Pavarotti was before watching this film and I have heard his performances, but I had no idea what kind of man he was and how people loved him for his voice, charisma, generosity and his big joyful smile. Ron Howard seamlessly blended the footage of Luciano's life to make it flow like a regular film while accentuating on the musical parts that left me in awe of how talented and impactful he was, specially hearing it through Dolby Surround system.

This film is more than just a documentary about a singer; it is a story of a man who worked tirelessly to achieve worldwide fame and yet not once did he lose himself in the process and that is how he will be remembered. He loved life, he loved the ones around him and he loved helping others. Luciano is one of those people whom I would love to meet just to bask in his grandeur and absorb some of his happiness, positivity and energy that he radiated.

I am not an opera fan (to put it mildly). I have always had respect for Pavarotti, but knew little about him. This movie takes the viewer on a journey, and the more I've been wathcing, the more I got sucked into the world of Pavarotti. It is long, but felt suprisingly short, and I kind of felt sad when it was over....though also felt that i have learnt a lot. It is an inspiring story, perhaps even more so because it is true...and it's not a pink-clouded nostalgic fairytale either: it shows the flaws and exposes the weeknesses of the man too, yet somehow these just made him all more likeable and more...human. I was in awe by the end of film, and was so glad that I've decided to give it a go (not being an opera fan and all): i think that is time very well spent, with lasting impressions and inspiration.

This year's big doc may be Ron Howard's "Pavarotti," a love letter about the great tenor. More than any opera singer since Enrico Caruso a century before, Pavarotti made opera cool in the latter part of the 20th century. With his larger-than-life personality and crystal-clear voice, he became a worldwide sensation, performing everywhere from rural outposts to massive stadiums to outdoor parks.

Howard manages to piece together decades of film --- often grainy and amateurish - with deeply personal interviews with the Maestro's ex-wives, former mistress, daughters, peers (Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, and several sopranos), and admirers. He weaves biography with taped performances from the time Pavarotti was a promising young singer through his waning years.

In fact, Howard presents Pavarotti's life as opera. A man of great passion - for opera, for women, for food, for children - Pavarotti lived large. And he died painfully. Howard manages to make the audience feel the highs and the lows of Pavarotti's personal and professional lives.

But the film is long. It proves that even great directors can fall in love with their own films. Howard could have spent less time in the run-up to stardom to get us to the fantastic success of his middle years and the explosive teaming with Domingo and Carreras as The Three Tenors. His death is handled beautifully as is Pavarotti's heartfelt charitable endeavors in concert with Princess Diana, Bono and many others.

Even if you don't love opera, you will enjoy this stunning documentary.

He was a famous tenor who helped make opera popular with the general public. I knew about him and his music, but this documentary opened my eyes to so much more. The viewer gets to meet his family, his managers, his celebrity friends. It was lovely to see the late Princess Diana during happier times, and awesome to hear the thoughts of Bono who appeared in concert with Pavarotti. Born during the War and following an early brush with death, Pavarotti grew up embracing life with a zest that rubbed off on many who crossed his paths. You don't have to be an opera lover or a Pavarotti fan to enjoy this film, but you will come away knowing a lot more about this fascinating larger-than-life human being and appreciating his outsized talent. And getting to hear him sing and see him perform on the big screen is a treat that i cannot recommend enough.

My Review- Pavarotti

My rating 8:10

This film directed and produced by Ron Howard is a labour of love and quality documentary making.

Luciano Pavarotti reached millions of different audiences and crossed generation gaps at times slapping the snobby opera cliques in their face with his pop / opera fusion . This happened late in his life after he had attained equal fame to the previous King of Opera Enrico Caruso.

Ron Howard's film celebrates his fame and glorious voice but at the same time reveals his inner demons and insecurities and infidelities.

The most impressive part of the film for me was Pavarotti's sheer joy of life and his generosity to important and needy charitable causes .

There's an iconic image of tenor Luciano Pavarotti and Diana, Princess of Wales: he looking fresh and invigorated after an open-air performance in Hyde Park, she looking absolutely soaked through with rain because she'd been watching said performance.

She looks absolutely charmed, no doubt because the legendary tenor had just dedicated a Puccini aria to her in front of hundreds of thousands of people: They became great friends and he joined her in her charitable quest for the elimination of land mines world wide.

After the war in Bosnia, he financed and established the Pavarotti Music Centre in the southern city of Mostar to offer Bosnia's artists the opportunity to develop their skills. For these contributions, the city of Sarajevo named him an honorary citizen in 2006.

His foundation continues today to contribute millions of dollars and each year in his hometown of Modena Italy he is honoured for supporting refugee causes all over the world.

In 2001, Pavarotti received the Nansen Medal from the UN High Commission for Refugees for his efforts raising money on behalf of refugees worldwide. Through benefit concerts and volunteer work, he has raised more than any other individual.

A great documentary about a great man.