Don Giovanni

The idea of taking the elitist art of opera and placing it in a movie theater is a good one. However, this attempt rings up both successes and drawbacks. On the plus side are the superb singing performance by the entire cast; the use of real settings in Vicenza, Italy; Gerry Fisher's splendid color cinematography; and the fine costumes of Marthe Mikon. Drawbacks include the three-hour running time and some overacting of the stars. The opera is Mozart's masterpiece. Based on a literary classic that dates to the Middle Ages, it tells the story of the legendary Spanish lover Don Giovanni, portrayed by Raimondi, a gallant libertine whose blasphemous conduct deserves th...