This page excerpted from the book and CDROM "Opera on Screen"

MARRIAGE OF FIGARO, THE

1786 opera by Mozart

Le Nozze di Figaro is very nearly the perfect opera with memorable music, wonderful characterizations, entertaining plot and amazing ensembles. Lorenzo Da Ponte's delightful libretto is based on an excellent play by Beaumarchais. Figaro and Susanna make plans to marry but have to counter the Count's designs on her. They get help from the Countess and the page Cherubino and eventually succeed after many close calls. The opera has been popular with filmmakers

1933 Le Barbier de Seville

This French film, though titled Le Barbier de Seville, is actually a combination of the Rossini and Mozart Beaumarchais operas and uses the story and music of both. The second half of the film is based around the Mozart opera. Josette Day is Susanna, André Baugé is Figaro, Jean Galland is the Count, Hélène Robert is the Countess, Monique Rolland is Cherubino and Yvonne Yma is Marceline and Pierre Juvenet is Bartholo. Marcel Lucine was the cinematographer and L. Masson conducted the music. Pierre Maudru wrote the screenplay and Hubert Bourlon and Jean Kemm directed. Vega Production. Black and white. In French. 93 minutes. Video Yesteryear (52-minute version).

1948 Rome Opera film

Piero Brasini stars as Figaro in this highlights film shot on stage at the Rome Opera House by George Richfield. Gianna Perea Zabia sings Susanna acted by Pina Malgharini, Gabriella Gatti sings the Countess acted by Lidia Melasei, Luciano Neroni sings the Count acted by Giulio Tomei who sings Bartolo acted by Gino Conti and Cleo Elmo is Cherubino. Angelo Questa leads the Rome Opera House Orchestra and Chorus and Olin Downes explains the story in English. This film was originally part of a feature called the First Opera Film Festival. Black and white. In Italian. 23 minutes. Video Yesteryear.

1949 Georg Wildhagen film

Georg Wildhagen directed Figaros Hochzeit, a film of the opera sung in German with spoken dialogue. Willi Domgraf-Fassbaender portrays Figaro, Mathieu Ahlersmeyer plays the Count, Erna Berger sings the role of Susanna acted by Angelika Hauff, Tiana Lemnitz sings the Countess acted by Sabine Peters, Anneliese Muller sings Cherubino acted by Willi Puhlmann, Eugen Fuchs sings Bartolo acted by Victor Jansen, Paul Schmidtmann sings Basilio acted by Alfred Dalthoff and Margarete Klose sings Marcellina acted by Elsa Wagner. Arthur Rother conducted the Berlin State Chamber Orchestra. DEFA. Black and white. In German. 105 minutes. Lyric video/Japanese laser.

1954 NBC Opera Theatre

Ralph Herbert portrays Figaro with Virginia Haskins as Susanna in this NBC Opera Theater production by Samuel Chotzinoff. Laurel Hurley plays the Countess, William Shriner is the Count, Ann Crowley is Cherubino, Emile Renan is Bartolo, Ruth Kobart is Marcellina, John McCollum is Basilio and Paul Ukena is Antonio. The opera was directed by Charles Polacheck and designed by William Monyneux with the English translation made by Edward Eager. Peter Herman Adler conducted the Symphony of the Air orchestra. Kirk Browning directed two 90-minute live telecasts in February 1954 on successive Saturdays. Black and white. In English. 180 minutes. Video at MTR.

1954 Vienna State Opera film

Unsterblicher Mozart (Immortal Mozart) is an Austrian film featuring a highlights version of The Marriage of Figaro performed in German on stage by the Mozart Ensemble of the Vienna State Opera. Emmy Loose portrays Susanna, Erich Kunz is Figaro, Paul Schöffler is the Count, Hilde Gueden is Cherubino, Hilde Zadek is the Countess and Peter Klein is Basilio. There are also scenes from The Abduction from the Seraglio and Don Giovanni. Alfred Stöger directed the film and Rudolf Moralt conducted the Vienna Philharmonic. Color. In German. 95 minutes. Taurus (Germany) video.

1967 Rolf Liebermann film

Rolf Liebermann produced this Die Hochzeit des Figaro, a German-language film based on a Hamburg State Opera production. Heinz Blankenburg sings Figaro, Edith Mathis is Susanna, Tom Krause is the Count, Arlene Saunders is the Countess, Elisabeth Steiner is Cherubino, Noël Mangin is Bartolo, Maria von Hosvay is Marcellina, Natalie Usselmann is Barbarina and Kurt Marschner is Basilio. Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt conducts the Hamburg State Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Hannes Schindler was the cinematographer and Joachim Hess directed. The film was shown theatrically in the U.S. Color. In German. 189 minutes.

1973 Glyndebourne Festival

Peter Hall assembled a starry cast for this excellent Glyndebourne Festival production. Kiri Te Kanawa portrays the Countess, Ileana Cotrubas is Susanna, Frederica von Stade is Cherubino, Benjamin Luxon is the Count, Knut Skram is Figaro, Marius Rintzler is Bartolo, John Fryatt is Basilio, Elizabeth Gale is Barbarina and Nucci Condo is Marcellina. John Bury designed the sets and John Pritchard conducted the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Chorus. Humphrey Burton produced and Dave Heather directed the video for Southern Television. Color. In Italian with English subtitles. 169 minutes. VAI video.

1976 Jean-Pierre Ponnelle film

Jean-Pierre Ponnelle designed and directed a strong cast in this superb film of the opera, a virtual continuation of his earlier Barber of Seville shot on a sound stage. Hermann Prey again portrays Figaro and Paolo Montarsolo is again Bartolo. Mirella Freni is Susanna, Kiri te Kanawa is the Countess, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is the Count, Maria Ewing is Cherubino, Heather Begg is Marcellina, John van Kesteren is Basilio and Janet Perry is Barbarina. Ernst Wild was the cinematographer and Karl Böhm conducted the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra. Color. In Italian with English subtitles. 181 minutes. DG video.

1980 Paris Opéra

José Van Dam portrays Figaro in this all-star Paris Opéra production. The cast includes Gundula Janowitz as the Countess, Lucia Popp as Susanna, Frederica von Stade as Cherubino, Gabriel Bacquier as the Count and Kurt Moll as Bartolo. Sir George Solti conducts the Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Color. In Italian. 180 minutes. Lyric video/Japanese laser.

1981 Drottningholm Court Theater

Göran Järvefelt staged this delightful authentic Drottningholm Court Theater production in collaboration with Mozart specialist Arnold Östman who conducts the period orchestra and chorus. Mikael Samuelsson is Figaro, Georgine Resick is Susanna, Sylvia Lindenstrand is the Countess, Per-Arne Wahlgren is the Count, Ann Christine Biel is Cherubino, Karin Mang-Habashi is Marcellina, Erik Saedén is Bartolo, Torbjörn Lilliequist is Basilio, Bo Leinmark is Curzio, Birgitta Larsson is Barbarina and Karl-Robert Lindgren is Antonio. Thomas Olofsson directed the video. Color. In Italian with English subtitles. 179 minutes. Philips video and laser.

1985 Metropolitan Opera

Kathleen Battle stars as Susanna with Ruggero Raimondi as Figaro in this Metropolitan Opera production designed and directed by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle. Carol Vaness is the Countess, Thomas Allen is the Count and Frederica Von Stade is Cherubino. James Levine conducts the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Brian Large directed the video on Dec. l4, 1985, telecast on April 23, 1986. Color. In Italian with English subtitles. 180 minutes. Video at MTR.

1990 Peter Sellars film

Peter Sellers set his innovative updated version of the opera in the Trump Tower with the Count a Trump-like rich man and Cherubino macho in an American football uniform. It works well most of the time and there are many enjoyable references to vintage film comedy. Sanford Sylvan is Figaro, Jeanne Ommerle is Susanna, Jayne West is the Countess, James Maddalena is the Count, Susan Larson is Cherubino, Sue Ellen Kuzma is Marcellina, Frank Kelley is Basilio, William Cotton is Don Curzio, Lyn Torgove is Barbarina and Herman Hildebrand is Antonio. The film was shot in a Vienna TV studio with sets by Adrianne Lobel and costumes by Dunya Ramicova. Craig Smith conducted the Vienna Symphony Orchestra and Arnold Schoenberg Chorus. Color. In Italian with English subtitles. 193 minutes. London video and laser.

1991 New York City Opera

Dean Peterson portrays Figaro and Maureen O'Flynn is Susanna in this New York City Opera production by John Copley. Elizabeth Hynes is the Countess, William Stone is the Count, Kathryn Gamberoni is Cherubino, Joseph McKee is Bartolo, Susanne Marsee is Marcellina, Jonathan Green is Basilio, Michele McBride is Barbarina, Don Yule is Antonio and Peter Blanchet is Curzio. Carl Toms designed the sets and costumes and Scott Bergeson conducted the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Kirk Browning directed the video telecast on Sept. 25, 1991 in the Live from Lincoln Center series. Color. In Italian with English subtitles. 195 minutes.

1992 Vienna State Opera

Jonathan Miller's larger-than-life production of the opera at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna stars Marie McLaughlin as Susanna, Lucio Gallo as Figaro and Cheryl Studer as the Countess. Ruggero Raimondi is the Count, Gabrielle Sima is Cherubino, Heinz Zednik is Basilio, Rudolph Mazzola is Bartolo, Margherita Lilowa is Marcellina, Yvetta Tannebergerova is Barbarina and Istvan Gati is Antonio. Peter J. Davison designed the huge revolving sets and Claudio Abbado conducted the Vienna State Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Shot in HDTV. Color. In Italian. 181 minutes. Sony video and laser.

1993 Théâter du Châtelet, Paris

Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel stars as Figaro with Alison Hagely as Susanna in this excellent John Eliot Gardiner production at the Châtelet theater in Paris. Rodney Gilfray is the Count, Hillevi Martinpelto is the Countess, Pamela Helen Stephen is Cherubino, Susan McCullock is Marcellina, Carlos Feller is Bartolo and Francis Egerton is Basilio. Conductor Gardiner collaborated with stage director Jean Louis Thamin and set designer Rudy Saboughi. Olivier Mille directed the video. Color. In Italian. 170 minutes. DG video and laser.

1994 Glyndebourne Festival

The first production of the rebuilt Glyndebourne Festival Theatre was appropriately The Marriage of Figaro which began the Glyndebourne legend. Gerald Finley is Figaro, Alison Hagley is Susanna. Renée Fleming is the Countess, Andreas Schmidt is the Count, Marie-Ange Todorovitch is Cherubino and Robert Tear is Bartolo. Bernard Haitink conducts the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Glyndebourne Chorus. The opera was televised live in England on May 28, 1994. Color. In Italian. 170 minutes. Warner (England) video.

1995 Music Theatre London

This excellent BBC adaptation of Music Theater London's updated version of the opera is in modern English with spoken recitatives. The new setting is a National Trust house in the Home Counties. The Count is a Tory Euro plutocrat, Susanna is a spunky Essex girl who kicks him in the groin when he gets fresh and the Countess is an exercise fanatic. Harry Burton is Figaro, Mary Lincoln is Susanna, Jan Hartley is the Countess, Andrew Wadsworth is the Count, Jacinta Mulcahy is Cherubino, Denis Quilley is Bartolo, Tricia George is Marcellina, Nigel Planer is Antonio and Simon Butteriss is Basilio. Nick Broadhurst staged the opera for Music Theatre London and wrote the translation with Tony Britten who conducted the nine-player orchestra. Geoff Posner produced the video adaptation for BBC Television. Color. In English. 180 minutes. Sony Classical (England) video.

Early/related films

1911 Cines Film

This is an early Italian adaptation of the play and the opera and was screened in theaters with music from the opera. Black and white. About 10 minutes.

1913 Luigi Maggi film

Luigi Maggi directed this Italian film based on the opera and play for the Ambrosio studio of Turin. It stars Gigetta Morano as Rosina, Ubaldi Stefani as Figaro, Umberto Scapellin as the Count, Eleuterio Rodolfi, Ernesto Vaser and Ada Mantero. It was partially shot on location in Seville. The same team made an earlier version of The Barber of Seville. Black and white. About l5 minutes.

1920 Figaros Hochzeit

This German silent film of the opera was written and directed by Max Mack who made several German opera films. Critics praised its painterly images. Black and white. About 60 minutes.

1929 Figaro

Gaston Ravel wrote and directed this French film based on the Beaumarchais trilogy of Figaro plays. It follows the story from The Barber of Seville through The Marriage of Figaro to The Guilty Mother in which the Countess has a child by Cherubino. E. H. Van Duren stars as Figaro, Tony D'Algy is the Count, Arlette Marchal is Rosine (Rosina/the Countess), Marie Bell is Suzanne (Susanna) and Jean Weber is Cherubin (Cherubino). Black and white. In French. 76 minutes.

1932 Educational Film

This is a film of a rehearsal of The Marriage of Figaro. It shows the singers on stage in scenes from the opera with the orchestra. Black and white. In English. 14 minutes.

1942 Cairo

Jeanette MacDonald sings a duet from The Marriage of Figaro with Ethel Waters in this spy mystery. She portrays a movie star in Cairo. W.S. Van Dyke directed. MGM. Black and white. 101 minutes.

1952 So Little Time

This story of a doomed romance in wartime Belgium between music student Maria Schell and German officer Marius Goring includes excerpts from The Marriage of Figaro. Compton Bennett directed. Black and white. 88 minutes.

1955 On Such A Night

Sesto Bruscantini (Figaro) and Sena Jurinac (the Countess) are seen rehearsing and performing at Glyndebourne in this famous film by Anthony Asquith. David Knight plays an American who goes to see The Marriage of Figaro at the Glyndebourne Festival. Oliver Messel designed the sets, Benjamin Frankel selected the opera excerpts and Glyndebourne musical director Carl Ebert assisted. Frank North was the cinematographer and Paul Dehn wrote the script. Color. 37 minutes

1959 Le Mariage de Figaro

A French film of the Beaumarchais play using the Mozart opera music as its score. Jean Piat is Figaro, Micheline Boudet is Suzanne, Georges Descrières is the Count, Yvonne Gaudeau is the Countess, Denise Gence is Marceline, Jean Meyer is Basilio and Michele Grellier is Cherubin. Erna Berger's voice is heard on the soundtrack. Jean Meyer directed the film based on a Comédie-Française production. Color. In French. 105 minutes.

1959 The Nun's Story

Audrey Hepburn plays Cherubino's "Voi che sapete" on the piano with her father in a touching scene before leaving for the convent. Fred Zinnemann directed. Color. 149 minutes.

1965 The Ipcress File

British intelligence agent Michael Caine (Len Deighton's Harry Palmer) meets his Albanian counterpart by a bandstand in a park to ransom a kidnapped scientist. The band plays the overture to Marriage and the Albanian comments upon its delicacy. Sidney Furie directed. Color. 108 minutes.

1984 Kaos

Writer Luigi Pirandello sees the ghost of his mother and hears Barbarina's aria "L'ho perduto" (I've lost it) in this Italian film by the brothers Paolo and Vittorio Taviani. She appears at his window and tells him the story of her lost innocence to this appropriate aria. Color. In Italian. 188 minutes.

1984 Amadeus

Milos Forman's film features scenes from Marriage staged by Twyla Tharpe in Prague's Tyl Theater. Miro Grisa portrays Figaro (sung by Samuel Ramey), Zuzana Kadlecova is Susanna (sung by Isabel Buchanan), Helena Cihelnikova is the Countess (sung by Felicity Lott), Karel Gult is the Count (sung by Richard Stillwell), Magda Celakovska is Cherubino (sung by Anne Howells), Slavena Drasilova is Barbarina (sung by Deborah Rees, Eva Senkova is Marcellina (sung by Patricia Payne, Ladislav Kretschmer is Antonio (sung by Willard White), Leos Kratochvil is Basilio (sung by Alexander Oliver), Bino Zeman is Curzio (sung by Robin Leggate and Jaroslav Mikulin is Bartolo (sung by John Tomlinson). Color. In English. 160 minutes. On video and laser.

1988 The Moderns

Alan Rudolph's film about the American writers and artists in Paris in the 1920s features Cherubino's arias "Voi che sapete." Color. 128 minutes.

1989 Le Mariage de Figaro

This modern big-budget French film of the Beaumarchais play was shot in a chateau near Paris. It was directed by Roger Coggio and follows the original closely. Color. In French. 171 minutes.

1993 The Last Action Hero

The acceptance of opera music in even the most commercial Hollywood films is reflected by the inclusion of a bit of Marriage in The Last Action Hero. Arnold Schwarzenegger plays a fictional movie hero chasing criminals in the "real" world. He hears the opera overture on the radio and asks what it is. A woman tells him it is Mozart and asks if he likes classical music. I will, he promises. John McTiernan directed. Color. 100 minutes.

1993 L'Accompagnatrice

Barbarina's aria is heard twice in this French film about life in Paris in 1942. Beautiful soprano Irene (Elena Safonova, sung by Laurence Monteyrol) sings it for her husband at his request accompanied by plain Sophie (Romane Bohringer, piano by Angeline Pondepeyre). It's repeated at an appropriate moment later in the film. Claude Miller directed. Color. In French with English subtitles. 100 minutes. On video.

1993 Trading Places

The Overture from the opera is nicely used on the soundtrack of this satirical comedy by John Landis. Eddie Murphy stars as the conman turner commodities broker. Color. 1l6 minutes.

1994 The Shawshank Redemption

Prisoner Tim Robbins uses the intercom system to let the inmates listen to some opera over the loudspeakers. Two women sing a duet and though the prisoners don't know what the women are singing, it's a liberating experience for Morgan Freeman and his fellow inmates. What they hear is the duet "Che soave zeffiretto" from Act III of The Marriage of Figaro. The recording is by Edith Mathis as Susanna and Gundula Janowitz as the Countess with the Deutsche Oper Berlin Orchestra conducted by Karl Böhm. Frank Darabont directed the film. Color. 142 minutes. On video.