An average movie

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger and since it was available on Netflix, I was quite eager to check it out. Well, even though it might not belong to their famous movies, it was still probably one of their most ambitious productions. However, even if I really did admire the work done, I have to admit that I had an incredibly hard time to connect with the damned thing though. In fact, it wasn’t the first movie adaptation of an opera I have seen. Indeed, I have also seen ‘The Magic Flute’ which was directed by Kenneth Branagh, even if it was a seriously obscure movie which was never even released in the US. Anyway, basically, I have never been a huge fan of musicals in general and operas are basically musicals, except that the performers are singing constantly very loudly and the stories are borderline impossible to follow. Sure, I have to admit that this description might be slightly too reductive, especially if you really love the genre, but, I’m really sorry, with all respect, this genre is borderline unwatchable for me. Seriously, for most of the duration, I was wondering what the hell it was really about. As a result, it seems that Powell and Pressburger delivered here their most baroque and super-charged feature ever. At least, it was definitely a feast for the eyes and, on top of that, the ballet dancing and singing were all top-notch (it’s interesting to note that, except for Robert Rounseville and Ann Ayars, all the actors were actually dubbed by some opera singers). Anyway, to conclude, even if I never really worked for me, it was still an interesting watch and it is worth a look, especially if you like the genre.