Dare to engage in some Technicolor brooding, as Powell and Pressburger Month continues with their 1951 tragicomic opera -- The Tales of Hoffmann.
A young poet named Hoffmann (Robert Rounseville) broods over his failed romances. First, his affair with the beautiful Olympia (Moira Shearer) is shattered when he realizes that she is really a mechanical woman designed by a scientist. Next, he believes that a striking prostitute loves him, only to find out she was hired to fake her affections by the dastardly Dapertutto. Lastly, a magic spell claims the life of his final lover, potentially bookending Hoffmann's tragic life.
Featuring music conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham and played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Tales of Hoffmann balances out its tragedy with a bounty of unexpected humor.
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