Farinelli - A kasztrált

Farinelli was a real historical figure, a singer who had been castrated, giving his voice a colour that men are otherwise incapable of. A singer whose performances made women swoon. An extraordinary voice and an extraordinary costume drama that can only be recommended. By the way, Farinelli's voice in the film was created by digitally mixing a female and a male operatic voice to achieve the desired result. (2002.09.03)

“Without him you nothing but... silence." Brotherly love preventing the unleashing of exceptional talent. Unrecognized genius, Georg Friedrich Händel, knows the situation well. That’s right, this has very little to do with reality. Probably about as much as Forman’s adaptation of Mozart’s life and times. Which changes nothing about the cinematic qualities of Farinelli. But this entire picture suffers rather in the shadow of Amadeus. Although Farinelli was made ten years later, it has the same template. And it still works outstandingly. Just on a slightly lower level. The reason for this is neither the screenplay, nor the actors nor production design and certainly not the music, but simply the absence of unforgettable scenes. It is “only" darn good, but it would have to be unforgettable to be an exceptional work. (2007.11.13)

I have to admit that I enjoyed Corbiau's film The King Is Dancing a lot more, both in terms of my tastes and mood. While Farinelli is able to offer the elegance of aristocrats in period costumes, the baroque splendor of palaces, and the luxury of residences from that time, it somehow fails to offer a captivating story worthy of Forman's Amadeus. It's more of a case of aesthetic boredom that longs for some festival excitement. Fans of classical music and opera singing may give it an extra star, but I must once again mention Amadeus which managed to present classical music to today's audience much more effectively. Overall impression: 50%. (2014.04.17)

One of the best music movies there is. There's the great theme of the star castrato, and precise execution with a sense for theatrical detail. There is a beautiful drama between the Broschi brothers and Friedrich Händel. Those who want to will learn a lot (not only about theater practice, but also about human nature), those who do not want to can just let themselves be carried away by music and passion. The chapters from the London stage Opera of the Nobility were particularly interesting. The solar eclipse observed at the Spanish royal court was enchantingly magical (and apparently inspiring a similar scene in the movie Mademoiselle Paradis, 2017). Of course, the highlight remained the trips around Italian stages. A delightful experience. (2022.11.20)