CanadianRonin This isn't as good as most stage versions I've seen, and the 1920's version of the film is far superior (I know many people won't like it because it's so old), but this is still a good film. The story is so good it still works even when it's not a perfectly told version. Acting is good.

benjweil I was excited to watch this film on PBS after an early holiday dinner. It certainly didn't get off to a good start, with the young Bohemian roommates overacting and over-singing, about nothing at all. Apparently, director Robert Dornhelm had no idea how to play that down. Or else he didn't bother; I don't know. Rolando Villazón should have been encouraged to start off in a more subtle way, with less volume and less mugging. And the makeup artists surely could have done something to make him appear less lugubrious.It was disappointing to see Anna Netrebko, a riveting actress and singer, so ill-used. Again, there must have been some way to make her appear both more attractive and more interesting; on stage, she is gorgeous and completely unique. The split-screen technique made no sense and added nothing to the drama, while scenes that featured people singing off-screen were confusing and boring.I'm sure this is not entirely the director's fault. Grand opera fares best on the stage, and often appears stiff and overblown in film versions. Probably the best idea would simply have been to film the singers performing on stage in front of an audience. We would have gotten the benefit of verisimilitude, and the dramatic gestures and heroic singing that opera demands would have seemed much more fitting.Oh, well!

swamiharinanda Some things were really excellent about this movie. The production and mimicry of Paris was superb. All scenes in the movie beautifully constructed, giving a correct pacing for the actors to have enough space to create their roles.The colour superb.Netrebko as always fine, but lacking in the bloom of her voice. I have heard her many times before on DVD, and it seems to me the sound engineer put a hard edge on her voice. Her acting is superb and it was finally nice to see the role interpreted as though Mimi was a mature woman and not some girlish female fingering her clothing is some coy way as Georghiu does in the met DVD production. Both woman I mention in this paragraph are stunning. Netrebko comes off tops because of her portrayal.Villazon's voice , and he is not to blame loses its line because of a faulty sound engineers inability to keep the voice in focus and at the right forte, as in the example of his top C in Che Gelida Manina, where it seems to drop off in volume and tone. He also does not sing his mezza voce where it is called for in the score. As usual his acting is contrived and over the top, with flailing arms and hands touching his face and head in place of honest acting. He is not a very pleasant looking singer to watch in the way he has been trained to use his mouth.The other men are fine actors and the behind the scene voices were admirable.Musetta was fabulous and a real scene stealer in the café scene. She looked good. Her acting was great, and her voice was very fine for the role. I really liked her.On the whole I will not watch this production again, as for me, in opera it is the voice which is the most important. Here I blame the sound engineer.When I listen to La Boheme again, it will be the Met production with Vargas and Ghiorghiu - or the earlier recording of Teresa Stratas and Jose Carreras. Now this is a Mimi and Rudolpho, and although an older recording, you see and hear two artists in their prime.

lou-238 I loved this Boheme and I would have given it the full marks apart from two unforgivable problems. The direction dramatises the opera while never fully straying from the original staging; however the audience, instead of being fixed are taken onto, and around the stage. This opens the drama to subtle interpretations and allows the directions to expand, as in O Soave Fancuilla where there is considerable action outside the apartment. For the most part this worked beautifully. Where it worked to some effect was in allowing Netrebko to display her considerable talents.Now I have two rules regarding Puccini. Firstly, his soprano must be believable although she is larger than life. If she is not a diva, she is a homicidal nut case, or an utter bitch. In Boheme she is the girl you just cannot help falling in love with- just forget it -you are smitten. The second rule is that the singers must be Puccini singers they must have a strong vocal line so they can simply surf the waves of his glorious melodies. Netrebko brings the whole package and more, If you do not love this Mimi I am sorry for you. She sings beautifully, her line is strong, not powerful as in say De los Angeles. She also is aware of the production in that her singing is quite intimate. She is singing for the audience alongside her not up in the gods. The performance is correct for the medium she is in. Quite simply she is a star, a treasure. The Director took a little risk in Marcello,Colline, and Shaunard in that he hired actors to perform and they mimed the voices of the singers. Don't look for a Merrill or a Warren here, but what you do get is the most believable bunch of mates I've ever seen in Boheme. Nicole Cabell is Musetta, I personally found her more than adequate and along side Netrebko that must be good. I don't know where she found her inspiration for this role, but it must be a small world because I know this character. I did not like Villazon in this role which is a shame because his acting was good I didn't even mind his lapses into Mr Bean because it seemed to fit into his place in the company of his mates. His voice is good it has a warm colour to it; it isn't powerful but it should be more than adequate, unfortunately it seems to lack strength, in Che gelida manina he is fine until l'anima millionaria and from there, strength, not power is required; the line must hold the melody. Netrebko shows how it is done in her following aria; the line follows the melody with vowels, consonants and colour being applied with lightest of touches. He is good in the second act and again in the third until Dunque proprio finita and then again not enough strength to hold the line.One star lost for the tenor; the other lost star baffles me, This is an Opera, not just any opera, most peoples favourite, I possess six versions. I want to hear the music and the singing there is no excuse for putting out an opera with sound faults, I tried changing amplifiers, speakers, and finally a different system, all gave the same sound break-up so I thought I had a rubbish DVD until I find others have the same problem. So there it is two stars lost and nearly a point off a third - what in the name of god is that thing on Marcellos easel, its supposed to be his masterpiece which he flogs as an inn sign when money is short. I spite of everything I loved this, the production works wonderfully and it has Netrebko and that should be enough for you to want this.