Meeting Venus

Splendidly directed by Istvan Szabo, who co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Hirst, and lavishly photographed by Lajos Koltai, MEETING VENUS utilizes the petty squabbling that lies behind a major opera company's efforts to stage Tannhauser as a metaphor for contemporary Europe.

Zoltan Szanto (Niels Arestrup), a virtually unknown Hungarian conductor, receives his big break when he's engaged to conduct Wagner's Tannhauser at the Opera Europa in Paris. What's more, the production will be broadcast by satellite to 27 countries around the world, assuring Szanto overnight celebrity. Heading a stellar international cast is the prima donna Karin An...