Don Giovanni

Mozart Don Giovanni opera to libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Joseph Losey directed this motion picture version of the opera in 1979. Stars Ruggero Raimondi, John Macurdy, Edda Moser, Kiri Te Kanawa, Kenneth Riegel, José van Dam, Teresa Berganza, Malcolm King, Eric Adjani, Roberto Del Lago, Sandro Dal Pra, Cristina Fondi, Patrizia Murari, Cristina Nizzero, and Simonetta Noce. Lorin Maazel conducted the Paris Opera Orchestra and Chorus. The film was released in 1980. This Blu-ray presentation of the movie has especially valuable extras (in DVD) and was released in 2010. Features 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound based on original recording tapes especially engineered and mixed for this Blu-ray version. The packaging of the disc indicates that it is region free. However, when placed in our region A Blu-ray player, we got an error message stating that the disc wasn't compatible with the player. It did work, however, in our Region B player. Grade: A

This Blu-ray version of the Joseph Losey motion picture Don Giovanni is uncut and has all the music and scenes an opera lover would expect in the opera house. And it also has all the artistry a movie buff would expect from masterful directing and shooting in astonishingly beautiful locations and sets in the Italian countryside. The arias were recorded by the singers with Lorin Mazell and the Paris Opera Orchestra in studio. This was impeccably matched later to the singers who sang everything in the field at a pace set by a piano. The recitatives were recorded in the field for natural effect. Putting all this together was a lot harder to pull off than expected---the challenges overcome by all involved are discussed in interesting extra features on the supplemental disc.

This is the only disc I have which makes the "96/24" DTS sign light up on my amplifier. The sound may not be quite up to DTS-MA standards, but it certainly isn't bad. The sound-stage is a little narrow, but there are atmospheric effects which come from all around. Voices are well-positioned and well-balanced with the orchestra. Considering the state of the source material, I rather doubt that anything better could be done with it. As to the image quality, this really is surprising. It is in PAL, but this really must be the highest possible bitrate because the image is excellent. What gives it away are the subtitles, since they do have the very slightest jaggy edge, although this is far less noticeable than on NTSC material, or even on other PAL recordings. The "film-like" quality of the image is remarkable, with lots of detail. The costumes are enchanting, the acting is exemplary, and the singing sublime. We are lucky to have this iconic film, now about 32 years old, in Blu-ray presentation. Gordon Smith January 2011

We now (April 2011) have 5 Don Giovanni productions.  The pick of this litter is a surprise: the Gaumont studios Blu-ray of the Joseph Losey motion picture  that came out more than 30 years ago. This may turn out to be the best opera movie ever and one of the very few that has survived in good enough condition to benefit from HDVD. The singing, directing, acting, and production values are fabulous. The video is shockingly well preserved. The main reservation has to do with the origins of the 5.1 dts-HD Master Audio sound. You know, in 1979 they just didn't have 5.1 sound. Not that this is a case of "garbage in." Far from it. But you would not expect the "remastered" sound here to be the same as the super-audio product we are now getting in today's HDVD recordings. So we gave the Losey film an "A" grade, even though it is Region B and doesn't play in the USA on Region A players. Let's hope there will eventually be a Region A version of this title.