PREMIUM SPOTLIGHT ON ITALIAN PERIOD SET SERIES BELCANTO ON THE 18TH CENTURY BIRTH OF OPERA WITH VITTORIA PUCCINI

  BELCANTO 18TH CENTURY  

PERIOD SET TV SERIES FROM ITALY

Belcanto started airing on RAI February 28th

I have to admit that I actually thought this one was coming up sometime later this year, but it turns out that it started airing in Italy in February and finished a week ago, so beside El Turco and Leopard we have another Italian costume drama to watch this spring.  Coming from Mariano Di Nardo, Antonio Manca and Federico Fava  BELCANTO eight part series set in 1798, had, it seems, quite nice viewing ratings in Italy with over 20% of viewership in the country tuning in to every episode. The actresses and actors do not sing in the series on their own, but have voices lent from operatic singers from Italy and it is interesting that the soundtrack of the series has

Belcanto consists of eight episodes

entered Italian music charts. The series was shot in the historic parts of Naples at the beginning of last year.

 

  THE STORY OF THE SERIES FOLLOWS

14-year-old Carolina (Adriana Savarese), her 17-year-old sister Antonia  (Caterina Ferioli) and their mother Maria (Vittoria Puccini) who seek refuge in the city of Milan after stabbing their violent father to death. The elder sister dreams of becoming a renowned singer, much as her mother once hoped for when she was the girl’s age. However, an unhappy and often violent marriage waylaid young Maria, who is now willing to go the extreme lengths to ensure that her daughter is afforded every opportunity withheld from herself. Maria’s intense focus on the beautiful elder sister leaves little attention or affection for young and ugly Carolina however, who more modestly only dreams of earning her mother’s affection. Things go upside down however when a well-respected singing teacher in the cosmopolitan city renowned for its music discovers that Maria’s youngest is the true talent in the family. The Italian bel canto opera movement flourished in the early 19th century and is exemplified by the operas of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and others. Literally “beautiful singing”, bel canto opera derives from the Italian stylistic singing school of the same name. Carmine Recano, Giacomo Giorgio, Vincenzo Ferrera and Nicolo Pasetti also star in the historical series.

 

ITALIAN RAI PREPARING PERIOD SET SERIES BELCANTO ON THE 18TH CENTURY BIRTH OF OPERA WITH VITTORIA PUCCINI IN THE LEAD

  RAI'S BELCANTO SERIES 

ON THE BIRTH OF OPERA

Italian broadcaster RAI and Lucky Red producers are teaming up on new period set series BELCANTO and have set Vittoria Puccini as the lead. As Deadline reports,

Vittoria Puccini will lead Belcanto cast

set in 1798, it will follow 14-year-old Carolina, her 17-year-old sister Antonia and their mother Maria who seek refuge in the city of Milan after stabbing their violent father to death. The elder sister dreams of becoming a renowned singer, much as her mother once hoped for when she was the girl’s age. However, a well-respected singing teacher discovers that Maria’s youngest is the true talent in the family. The Italian bel canto opera movement flourished in the early 19th century and is exemplified by the operas of Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti and others. Literally “beautiful singing”, bel canto opera derives from the Italian stylistic singing school of the same name. We first informed you about this series back in February last year.

SEE PAUL MESCAL IN NEW MOVIE ADAPTATION OF FAMOUS OPERA CARMEN!

 CARMEN MOVIE TRAILER 

A NEW CINEMATIC VISION

If I'm to be honest with you I must admit I expected something a bit different from this one, possibly something more of a fantasy movie, not for it to be this

The film will open this April

much contemporary, but you can judge for yourself as today I have for you poster and first trailer for the latest movie adaptation of famous opera CARMEN! A modern day re-imagining of one of the classical operas should air today at Miami Film Festival and will open in Northern American cineams from April 21st in a limited release. 

 

  LOVE IS A BIRD THAT NOBODY CAN TAME

To escape a murderous cartel, the captivating young Carmen (Melissa Barrera) is northbound, her route traversing an area patrolled by the US government and fanatical Americans who hunt people for sport. Mixed into the horde is local veteran Aidan (Paul

Benjamin Millepied directed the movie

Mescal), dragged into the ignoble mission as a means of earning money for his impoverished family. Soon, the star-crossed sweethearts intersect and, with hearts leading the way, take the wheel with Los Angeles on the horizon. Carmen's goal is to seek refuge in a nightclub run by an infamous family friend named Masilda (Rossy de Palma) and bartender Gabrielle (Elsa Pataky). But as the song goes, l'amour est un oiseau rebelle - and perhaps love may not be enough when the laws of physics and men aren't far behind.

JACK WOLFE IS PRINCE TAMINO IN MOVIE ADAPTATION OF MOZART'S MAGIC FLUTE WITH IWAN RHEON! FIRST POSTERS FROM MOVIE ADAPTATION OF PUCCINI'S TURANDOT WITH DYLAN SPROUSE

 MAGIC FLUTE REIMAGINATION

FINDS ITS PRINCE TAMINO

Beside the Asian Turandot, there is another opera that is getting its movie version: as Deadline reports, MAGIC FLUTE executive produced by Roland Emmerich has put Jack Wolfe in the role of 17 year old Tim Walker, who is sent from London to the Austrian alps to start his singing

Iwan Rheon and Jack Wolfe will lead the Magic Flute cast

scholarship at the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a century old forgotten passageway into the magical world of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Wolfe is also play famous prince Tamino. F. Murray Abraham will play Dr. Longbow, the headmaster of the boarding school in Austria. Stefi Celma will be Papagena with Iwan Rheon as Papageno. Beside Elliot

First photo of Iwan Rheon in costume at the set of Magic Flute

Courtiour, Niamh McCormack, Tedros Teclebrhan, Waldemar Kobus, Jeanne Goursaud, Jasmin Shakeri, Larissa Sirah Herden, Asha Banks and Amir Wilson, the ensemble cast will also include opera stars such as French soprano Sabine Devieilhe, Mexican-French tenor Rolando Villazón and U.S. bass Morris Robinson.

TURANDOT MOVIE ADAPTATION

FIRST POSTERS ARE IN!

Speaking of operas, your trusted spy was the first one to inform you that China was turning Giacomo Puccini's TURANDOT opera into a film starring Guan Xiaotong and Dylan Sprouse and now we have the first

Dylan Sprouse takes the lead role

posters! The movie, which finished shooting under the helm of  Xiaolong Zheng, will also star French stars Sophie Marceau and Vincent Perez alongside Asian stars Hu Jun, Collin Chou and Lin Siyi!

TURANDOT a fantasy romance, follows Princess Turandot (Guan Xiaotong), who is cursed by a mysterious power emanating from three Mazovian bracelets that were given to her as birthday gifts. The life draining effects of the bracelets cause the princess to become cruel, and gradually she loses her humanity. Foreign princes who come to court her must solve three riddles, one for each bracelet, and only then will she be freed

Click to see the posters of Turandot in larger dimensions

from the power of the bracelets. In the event any of the questions is answered incorrectly, the attempted solver would be put to death. One day, Calaf (Dylan Sprouse), an ordinary citizen, risks his life to answer the riddles to save her and inadvertently uncovers his own extraordinary past.

NATALIE DORMER TO PRODUCE WW2 TV SERIES SPITFIRE SISTERS ON FEMALE WAR PILOTS. HUGH SKINNER JOINS JOANNA LUMLEY IN OPERATIC ROMANTIC COMEDY FALLING FOR FIGARO

      HUGH SKINNER TO LEAD

 FALLING FOR FIGARO OPERATIC ROMANTIC COMEDY MOVIE

Hugh Skinner starred in Harlots and Poldark

A month or so ago, I informed you that a new musical movie filled with opera is on its way and now we have the male lead revealed for FALLING FOR FIGARO, a romantic comedy which already features Danielle Macdonald and Joanna Lumley in lead female roles. Harlots star Hugh Skinner has joined the cast together with Shazad Latif, Rebecca Benson and Gary Lewis as Screen Daily reports. 

Danielle Macdonald plays a brilliant young fund manager, who decides to leave her unfulfilling job and long term boyfriend to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming an opera singer, in the Scottish Highlands. She begins intense vocal training with a former opera diva (Joanna Lumley) and meets a fellow student (Hugh Skinner) who is also training for an upcoming contest. The film will feature arias from famous operas including The Barber Of Seville, The Marriage Of Figaro, Don Giovanni, Romeo And Juliet and Carmen.

   NATALIE DORMER TO PRODUCE

 SPITFIRE SISTERS WW2 SERIES

It is possible Natalie will also star in  the series

After launching her own production company, the star of many period set projects Natalie Dormer has joined with Freemantle on SPITFIRE SISTERS, an eight episode WW2 series which will follow the women of the Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA), the ‘glamour girls’ of the battle as they take on one of the most dangerous jobs in the war. Filled with friendships, love, camaraderie, and deep tragedy and loss, the women of ATA were tasked with flying 90 different types of aircraft from base to base ready for the frontline. Female pilots from all over the world travelled to the UK to join the group but the glamour of being in the ATA came with the tragedy of flying during the war. SPITFIRE SISTERS is the war through the eyes of the women; the dangers they faced and their fight for acceptance and equality. Morgan Lloyd Malcolm is penning the scripts for the upcoming series.