Director
Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard, Franc Roddam, Derek Jarman, Nicolas Roeg, Charles Sturridge, Ken Russell, Julien Temple
Cast
John Hurt, Theresa Russell, Stephanie Lane
90'
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1987
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Drama, Comedy
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Format:
DCP
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Dialogue:
German, Italian, French, English
In 1980, British producer Don Boyd invited ten film directors to each choose a beloved opera piece and create visuals for it with complete artistic freedom. Alongside contributions from, among others, Altman, Godard, and Jarman, Roeg concocted a historical fantasy set to music from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera (1859), with Theresa Russell in the rol of Albanian monarch King Zog.
In 1980, British producer Don Boyd invited ten film directors to each choose a beloved opera piece and create visuals for it with complete artistic freedom. Nicolas Roeg took on the first segment, a historical fantasy set to music from Verdi's Un ballo in maschera (1859). In Roeg's interpretation, King Zog of Albania attends a performance of the popular opera in Vienna in 1931, and thwarts an assassination attempt as he leaves the theatre. Roeg cleverly heightens the ambiguity by casting his then-wife and muse, Theresa Russell, in the role of the monarch—perfectly in line with his ongoing fascination with the deceptive nature and fluidity of gender. What makes this collection of ten operatic short films particularly compelling is the extent to which each director imprints their own stylistic signature on the project, despite (or thanks to) the constraints of the assignment. Among them, Nicolas Roeg, Robert Altman, Jean-Luc Godard, Derek Jarman, and Ken Russell deliver the most striking contributions.
Image gallery
Credits
Directors
Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard, Franc Roddam, Derek Jarman, Nicolas Roeg, Charles Sturridge, Ken Russell, Julien Temple
Cast
John Hurt, Theresa Russell, Stephanie Lane
Scenario
Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, Don Boyd
Director of Photography
Gabriel Beristain, Caroline Champetier, Frederick Elmes, Harvey Harrison
Editors
Neil Abramson, Robert Altman, Jennifer Augé, Marie-Therese Boiché
Production studios
Lightyear Entertainment, Virgin Vision, A Don Boyd Production
Distributor
Screenbound International Pictures
More info
Dialogue
German, Italian, French, English
Countries of production
United Kingdom
Year
1987
Filmography
Robert Altman
Modern Football (short, 1951), The Sound of Bells (short, 1952), King Basketball (short, 1952), The Last Mile (short, 1953), How to Run a Filling Station (short, 1953), The Dirty Look (short, 1954), The Builders (short, 1954), Better Football (short, 1954), The Perfect Crime (short, 1955), The Magic Bond (short, 1956), The James Dean Story (1957), The Delinquents (1957), The Party (short, 1964), The Katherine Reed Story (short, 1965), The Happening (1967), Countdown (1967), Pot au feu (short, 1967), That Cold Day in the Park (1969), M*A*S*H (1970), Brewster McCloud (1970), McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971), Images (1972), The Long Goobye (1973), Thieves Like Us (1974), California Split (1974), Nashville (1975), Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull's History Lesson (1976), 3 Women (1977), A Wedding (1978), Quintet (1979), A Perfect Couple (1979), HealtH (1980), Popeye (1980), Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean (1982), Streamers (1983), Secret Honor (1984), Fool for Love (1985), O.C. and Stiggs (1985), Beyond Therapy (1987), Aria (1987), Vincent & Theo (1990), The Player (1992), Short Cuts (1993), Ready to Wear (1994), Kansas City (1996), The Gingerbread Man (1998), Cookie's Fortune (1999), Dr. T & the Women (2000), Gosford Park (2001), The Company (2003), A Prairie Home Companion (2006)
Technical Specs
Format
DCP
