Grand Fantasmagoria: A Review of "The Opera!"

The viewer is invited into a bold reimagining of the ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. On their wedding day, Eurydice falls victim to a tragic fate. Unwilling to accept her loss, Orpheus embarks on a perilous journey to the realm of the dead to reclaim his beloved. Guided by the enigmatic taxi driver Charon (played by Vincent Cassel), Orpheus arrives at the grand "Hades Hotel," where he must navigate a series of trials, unravel the mysteries of life and death, and ultimately discover whether he can bring Eurydice back to the world of the living.

This timeless tale is presented with a distinctive flair: the filmmakers have masterfully fused cinema, opera, and high fashion. Every costume in the film is a creation of the renowned Dolce & Gabbana fashion house, transforming the visual landscape into a celebration of aesthetic splendor. The result is a cinematic hymn to beauty, seamlessly interwoven with some of the world’s most iconic operatic arias.

At its core, "Opera!" is a film that unfolds with the dynamic pacing of cinema while embodying the soul of a theatrical musical performance. The creators have crafted a timeless universe—a realm where past, present, and future converge, where the living mingle with the dead, and reality blurs into fantasy.

The underworld of Hades is envisioned as a lavish 1930s-style hotel, inhabited by eccentric characters who guide Orpheus through the cosmic laws of existence. The film’s narrative is intricately woven from a vibrant tapestry of operatic compositions—arias by Verdi, Puccini, and Handel—forming a dazzling musical mosaic.

The climax, as envisioned by directors Livermore and Gukko, sees Orpheus performing Puccini’s "Nessun Dorma" from "Turandot." His rendition, charged with the weight of his love, becomes the key to saving Eurydice. Yet, what "salvation" means in this enigmatic context remains a tantalizing mystery, unveiled only in the film’s final moments.

This fusion of theater and cinema pays homage to a growing European trend, where theatrical productions are increasingly gracing cinema screens. "The Opera!" stands as both a response to and a culmination of this movement, poised to herald a new genre of artistic expression.