Carmen

Carmen is a 1984 film directed by Francesco Rosi. It is probably the most popular film version of Bizet's popular opera "Carmen" and stars Julia Migenes in the title role, Plácido Domingo as Don José, Ruggero Raimondi as Escamillo, and Faith Esham as Micaela. Lorin Maazel conducts the Orchestre National de France. Rosi selected 1875 for the period and filmed entirely on locations in Andalusia, using Ronda and Carmona and Seville itself to simulat... more

Carmen is a 1984 film directed by Francesco Rosi. It is probably the most popular film version of Bizet's popular opera "Carmen" and stars Julia Migenes in the title role, Plácido Domingo as Don José, Ruggero Raimondi as Escamillo, and Faith Esham as Micaela. Lorin Maazel conducts the Orchestre National de France. Rosi selected 1875 for the period and filmed entirely on locations in Andalusia, using Ronda and Carmona and Seville itself to simulate the Seville of that era. He worked with his longtime collaborator, the cinematographer Pasqualino De Santis, and with Enrico Job supervising the sets and costumes. Rosi acknowledged Gustave Doré's illustrations for Baron Charles Davilliers Spain (which was published in serial form in 1873) as his principal source; he believed that Bizet, who was never in Spain, was guided by these engravings, and shot scenes in some of the exact places that Doré drew. Pauline Kael reviews the film favourably in her collection of movie reviews, State of the... less