Disc Reviews

The Tales Of Hoffmann Review

• 17th Mar 2015

Powell and Pressburger’s enchanting, dreamlike ballet opera comes to life in this beautifully restored version that has been eagerly awaited by its many diverse fans. Best known for their ground breaking , heartbreakingly beautiful masterpiece ‘The Red Shoes’, their 1951 project ‘The Tales of Hoffmann;’ seen here in glorious restored Technicolor on Blu-ray and Dvd has perhaps unfairly been overshadowed by its more famous sister and yet is regarded by many as a masterpiece in its own right. Made in the days of a freer time in filmmaking, ‘The Tales of Hoffmann’ is a hallucinogenic feast for the senses, based on Offenbach’s opera and featuring a soundtrack sung by talented opera singers of the day and orchestrated by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It is acted with aplomb by the mesmerising Robert Helpmann and Moira Shearer with a large supporting cast and Shearer’s dancing in particular is a real highlight of this enchanting film.

There was a special short ballet sequence added to the beginning just for her (The Ballet of the Enchanted Dragonfly), and whilst totally apart from the narrative in plot, its seductive and fantastical style provides a lovely introduction to the world of Hoffmann and what the viewer can expect. It is a macabre and sensual pathway into the visions of Powell and Pressburger, and despite its long running time for the genre, the film never feels overdone or left to meander. The actors and dancers seem free and lucid, the direction tight but light, and the finished product a heady mix of storytelling, beauty and joy in the filmmakers craft.

Highlights are restored scenes from Act three and the Epilogue which were taken from the original nitrate film at the BFI and included here to enable the film to be composed as was intended. A film in three separate acts, it is filmed as though on an operatic stage (it was in fact, filmed on a huge silent film stage at Shepperton) and yet the camerawork is very free and expansive, and some beautiful early special effects remind us that we are watching a carefully composed film. The sets by

Hein Heckroth are truly magical and vibrant, bought even more to the fore (along with the surprisingly Avant-guard costumes designs) by this beautifully coloured restoration. The action is truly varied, telling the story of the protagonist Hoffmann’s three former loves (who beautifully morph into one, very stunning, Moira Shearer at the end), the clockwork doll Olympia, the darkly tragic courtesan Giulietta and invalid Antonia, each with their own sensual colour scheme (Yellow, Red and Blue) and tragic, doomed love story.

Extras are few, but all that is needed to compliment a piece of work such as this. There is a lovely introduction by one of the films biggest fans (and who was heavily involved in the restoration), Martin Scorsese. Thelma Schoonmaker (Editor of the restoration and Powell’s widow) gives an enlightening and sensitive interview about the film and the restoration process, and there is the new trailer for this restoration also included. Normally I would like to see some in depth accompanying documentaries and other features with a restoration of this weight, but actually, the film really does speak for itself, as two hours of beauty in an uncertain, tumultuous modern world. Restored by the Film Foundation in collaboration with the BFI, this is an outstanding achievement and well worth a watch, particularly by fans of ‘The Red Shoes’ who would like to venture further into Powell and Pressburger’s sensual world.

Claire Hyypiä