Carmen
Tags: tragedy, romantic, murder

Plot synopsis:
Place: Seville, Spain, and surrounding hills
Time: Around 1820
Act 1
A square, in Seville. On the right, a door to the tobacco factory. At the back, a bridge. On the left, a guardhouse.
A group of soldiers relax in the square, waiting for the changing of the guard and commenting on the passers-by ("Sur la place, chacun passe"). Micaëla appears, seeking José. Moralès tells her that "José is not yet on duty" and invites her to wait with them. She declines, saying she will return later. José arrives with the new guard, who is greeted and imitated by a crowd of urchins ("Avec la garde montante").
As the factory bell rings, the cigarette girls emerge and exchange banter with young men in the crowd ("La cloche a sonné"). Carmen enters and sings her provocative habanera on the untameable nature of love ("L'amour est un oiseau rebelle"). The men plead with her to choose a lover, and after some teasing she throws a flower to Don José, who thus far has been ignoring her but is now annoyed by her insolence.
As the women go back to the factory, Micaëla returns and gives José a letter and a kiss from his mother ("Parle-moi de ma mère!"). He reads that his mother wants him to return home and marry Micaëla, who retreats in shy embarrassment on learning this. Just as José declares that he is ready to heed his mother's wishes, the women stream from the factory in great agitation. Zuniga, the officer of the guard, learns that Carmen has attacked a woman with a knife. When challenged, Carmen answers with mocking defiance ("Tra la la... Coupe-moi, brûle-moi"); Zuniga orders José to tie her hands while he prepares the prison warrant. Left alone with José, Carmen beguiles him with a seguidilla, in which she sings of a night of dancing and passion with her lover—whoever that may be—in Lillas Pastia's tavern. Confused yet mesmerised, José agrees to free her hands; as she is led away she pushes her escort to the ground and runs off laughing. José is arrested for dereliction of duty.
Act 2
Lillas Pastia's Inn
Two months have passed. Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercédès are entertaining Zuniga and other officers ("Les tringles des sistres tintaient") in Pastia's inn. Carmen is delighted to learn of José's release from two month's detention. Outside, a chorus and procession announces the arrival of the toreador Escamillo ("Vivat, vivat le Toréro"). Invited inside, he introduces himself with the "Toreador Song" ("Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre") and sets his sights on Carmen, who brushes him aside. Lillas Pastia hustles the crowds and the soldiers away.
When only Carmen, Frasquita and Mercédès remain, the smugglers Dancaïre and Remendado arrive and reveal their plans to dispose of some recently acquired contraband ("Nous avons en tête une affaire"). Frasquita and Mercédès are keen to help them, but Carmen refuses, since she wishes to wait for José. After the smugglers leave, José arrives. Carmen treats him to a private exotic dance ("Je vais danser en votre honneur ... La la la"), but her song is joined by a distant bugle call from the barracks. When José says he must return to duty, she mocks him, and he answers by showing her the flower that she threw to him in the square ("La fleur que tu m'avais jetée"). Unconvinced, Carmen demands he show his love by leaving with her. José refuses to desert, but as he prepares to depart, Zuniga enters looking for Carmen. He and José fight, and are separated by the returning smugglers, who restrain Zuniga. Having attacked a superior officer, José now has no choice but to join Carmen and the smugglers ("Suis-nous à travers la campagne").
Act 3
A wild spot in the mountains
Carmen and José enter with the smugglers and their booty ("Écoute, écoute, compagnons"); Carmen has now become bored with José and tells him scornfully that he should go back to his mother. Frasquita and Mercédès amuse themselves by reading their fortunes from the cards; Carmen joins them and finds that the cards are foretelling her death, and José's. The women depart to suborn the customs officers who are watching the locality. José is placed on guard duty.
Micaëla enters with a guide, seeking José and determined to rescue him from Carmen ("Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante"). On hearing a gunshot she hides in fear; it is José, who has fired at an intruder who proves to be Escamillo. José's pleasure at meeting the bullfighter turns to anger when Escamillo declares his infatuation with Carmen. The pair fight ("Je suis Escamillo, toréro de Grenade"), but are interrupted by the returning smugglers and girls ("Holà, holà José"). As Escamillo leaves he invites everyone to his next bullfight in Seville. Micaëla is discovered; at first, José will not leave with her despite Carmen's mockery, but he agrees to go when told that his mother is dying. As he departs, vowing he will return, Escamillo is heard in the distance, singing the toreador's song.
Act 4
A square in Seville. At the back, the walls of an ancient amphitheatre
Zuniga, Frasquita and Mercédès are among the crowd awaiting the arrival of the bullfighters ("Les voici ! Voici la quadrille!"). Escamillo enters with Carmen, and they express their mutual love ("Si tu m'aimes, Carmen"). As Escamillo goes into the arena, Frasquita and Mercedes warn Carmen that José is nearby, but Carmen is unafraid and willing to speak to him. Alone, she is confronted by the desperate José ("C'est toi ! C'est moi !"). While he pleads vainly for her to return to him, cheers are heard from the arena. As José makes his last entreaty, Carmen contemptuously throws down the ring he gave her and attempts to enter the arena. He then stabs her, and as Escamillo is acclaimed by the crowds, Carmen dies. José kneels and sings "Ah! Carmen! ma Carmen adorée!"; as the crowd exits the arena, José confesses to killing the woman he loved.

Review: This is one of the best opera films ever made.
This is one of the best opera films ever made.
The singing and orchestral playing are superb.
The acting, directing, and scene setting made the story credible and even moving.
Domingo is rather old for the role of the soldier so besotted by the sexy Carmen that he defies military orders.
No matter, it works - Julia Migenes is so alluring, sings and moves so seductively, that it's not hard to imagine a man old enough to know better ruining his life for an hour with her.
A must for opera lovers, and an excellent introduction to opera for those who think it's just about fat ladies playing teenage geishas and consumptive seamstresses..
What you can expect from an opera on film..
I want to comment on the review of Mike.
The fact that he writes: "the vast armpit hair on Carmen" and that he finds the subtitles annoying doesn't make a movie awful.
He watched the movie against his will at school.
But if you do enjoy opera, and realise that in the time this movie is shot or represents the ladies didn't shave there armpits this is a pretty good movie.
Good sets, deep, classic story and the camera work is okay but what can you aspect from an opera that is written to be watched from just 1 angle, the audience in front of the stage.
This movie is a French classic with all the good singing of an opera, good sets, average camerawork and good stage acting.
(An opera is always more body language because of the fact it used to be in a hard language to be understanded from the "normal" people.).
So, enjoy this movie!.
Olé.
It was a wonderful way to welcome in 2006: TFO presented this classic opera-film for my complete enjoyment.
Francesco Rosi made some classic films in Italy (Salvatore Giuliano, The Mattei Affair) and he knows how to mix violence and passion with ravishing music.
If Placido Domingo's face doesn't show very much of the emotion that boils below the surface, his voice is sublime.
He was the best Don Jose I have ever heard.Julia Migenes would not be called beautiful, but she knows how to portray the sluttish and irresponsible sides of Carmen.
You know this woman is not going to achieve lasting happiness because of her volatile, impulsive nature.
Ruggero Raimondi as Escamillo shows why he could get women with animal magnetism.
The parting of Jose and Carmen outside the arena is wonderfully poignant, a triumph of direction and acting..
Great, just great!.
Musically, dramatically and operatically excellent.
The leads indeed exhibit a chemistry that is hard to resist.
Julia Migenes, in addition to her wonderful voice, is completely irrestible as Carmen.
What fun it would have been to have seen this cast in a similar production live at the Paris Opera!.
Carmen, the temptress.
Prosper Merimee wrote the novella from which French composer, Georges Bizet, got his inspiration for his opera "Carmen".
His work has long been a favorite of opera lovers that see in it an exciting time because of its magnificent music.
Who hasn't been enchanted in hearing some of the famous arias from this work?
The quality of the music is the main asset for its popularity.Francesco Rosi, a talented Italian director, and his collaborator, Tonino Guerra, a distinguished writer, long involved with his country's cinema, seemed the natural choices for translating Bizet's opera to the screen.
Both succeeded in the way the adapted the material and took it to real locations for this extraordinary production.Carmen was a sultry woman who enchanted men with her beauty and with her passion for life.
It's easy to see how she charms Don Jose, the military man, who loses his head because he has not met another woman like this beautiful Andalucian beauty.
Their love will consume them both, not before allowing them to bring all their fire into a doomed relationship.Placido Domingo, perhaps the best rounded tenor of his generation, makes a great Don Jose.
Besides his virile presence, Mr. Domingo has a treasured voice that even age doesn't seem to put a dent to it.
He is a prodigy of endurance in a long career in which Don Jose has been one of his best roles.
Julia Migenes projects such fire and passion she smolders the screen with her mere presence as Carmen.
It's no wonder Don Jose loses his head over her.
Ruggiero Raimondi, another excellent singer plays Escamillo with his usual elegant style.
Faith Esham is seen as Micaela, Don Jose's loyal fiancée, who has no chance with him as he loses his soul to Carmen.Pasqualino DeSantis' camera work enhances the vision of Mr. Rosi.
The editing by Renzo Mastroianni and Collette Samprum makes one appreciate the way they blended the music and the acting into seamless performance.
The music was conducted by Lorin Maazel and the Paris Opera orchestra and chorus.Francesco Rosi deserves credit for this lovely opera film..
A wonderful rendering of Bizet's masterpiece.
It would appear I have seen a totally different film from the previous reviewer who thought this awful.
Compared with the performances in most opera houses, this version of Bizet's masterpiece was a true revelation allowing one to get the genuine feel of Spain and to see the drama unfolding in realistic locations.
Everyone performed very well indeed, the singing was magnificent, the scenery unbelievable and the atmosphere perfection.
The only complaint is the inclusion of the appalling bullfight (slaughter) scene during the overture which was quite unnecessary and much to be deplored.
Any other viewer who shares my sensitivities will do the same as I do and miss out the Overture (which is a pity) and go straight to chapter 2 of the DVD.
A very silly and pointless move which does not give atmosphere, only repulsion.
A shame to have spoilt the ship for a ha'p'orth of tar, as they say here in the UK..
Excellent performances and awesome filming.
Julia M-G is amazing!
Despite not being the most physically stunning of women, she radiates such fire that you cannot help but see how every man she walks by falls in love with her version of Carmen.
Placido Domingo, of course, is superb (and it's cool to see him when he was young and relatively slender).
The movie is shot beautifully, on location in Spain, and the little details of the setting add to the pleasure of watching this wonderful film.
I'll admit up front that I'm not a real opera connoisseur.
In fact, there are not that many operas I really like.
This movie is pretty much the entire reason I started enjoying opera at all, and it has become for me the standard against which I judge all renditions of Carmen.
Obviously, most Americans won't like this movie, but then again, it wasn't made for them..
Who is the most erotic Carmen.
Julia M-J oozes sexuality.
She is the most erotic Carmen I have ever seen at the Met, Statsoper, Covent Garden, La Scala, on TV or in flicks and I go back to the forties.
The photography is superb, it gives a sun drenched washed out effect that takes you back in time when all that happens is where you want to be.
People have trashed the opening Bullfight background to the overture, I don't agree but then I am not very PC and don't believe in a sanitized blood free world.
In the context of a nineteenth century opera it's valid.
So listen to a young Domingo and watch Julia Mi-J have her way with him.
I wold rate this as an opera movie second only to the Domingo-Richiarelli Otello..
A first-rate movie of a first-rate opera.
I really liked this production of Carmen.
Unlike many I have seen, Carmen and Don Jose had a real chemistry -- I could see why Don Jose would throw off his military career for her.The singing is great, as is the acting and the photography.
When friends of mine have asked me about opera, I have played this tape for them..
Makes you appreciate Opera!.
mainly because the words usually seem so trite compared to the music which carries the real meaning of the story and actions.
Anyway, after years of enjoying the music without ever seeing the Opera of Carmen I watched this video and am totally enthralled!
Francesco Rosi certainly brings the story to life in a most wonderful way using the medium of film ...
An opera that non opera-lovers will enjoy.
Until I was dragged kicking and screaming to see this film, I thought I didn't like opera.If you've been avoiding this because you think it will be a dull, static stage production then think again.
Filmed on location in Spain, the film is as visually stunning as it is musically superb.Placido Domingo deserves to be recognized as this century's best tenor on the strength of this performance alone.
Julia Migenes is quite remarkable to watch - and she can sing too!.
The finest opera adaption on film I've ever seen.
Julia Maginnes is enchanting, alluring.
Her performance, compared with any other actress is first rate.
Placido Domingo, as always, is a joy.
Rather on stage, it is largely set in old Seville and gives the feel of authenticity.
Its ashamed that non-opera lovers avoid such a film as this.
Its the finest film in my collection.
There's a reason that its in so much in demand that you have to pay hundreds for dollars for a new copy of the DVD.
Its a rare treasure.Maginnes shines in this performance.
Her smile would bring a strong man to his knees.
Her moves are fluent and sexy.
Her voice is strong and sexy.
Domingo is a perfect fit for her with his sexy demeanor and beautiful tenor voice.Anyone who misses this movie misses a real treat..
Wonderful DVD!.
I just received the newly-released DVD of Rossi's film, and it is wonderful.
The re-mastered sound track, although not 5.1 digital, is a great improvement over the VHS version.Fresh from watching this movie, I feel that opera was meant to be produced on film.
The scenery of Andalucia and the atmosphere of the bullring made the movie totally enjoyable..
Overwhelming!.
I am not an opera fan but I loved this film.
If you see one opera in your life its' got to be Carmen.
This presentation is a lavish production and its' simply vibrant from start to finish.
The scenery is magnificent – it's loaded with wonderful details (horses and carriages, stadiums), great costumes (as one would expect in an opera) and beautiful on location Spanish settings.
Julia Migenes-Johnson is definitely a sultry Carmen.
Possibly opera fan may not appreciate the dubbed over voice settings – but this is more than compensated by the impressiveness of all the locations which simply overwhelm.
Carmen is an opera that any novice can enjoy – the music is scintillating!
The very beginning has a horrendous bull-fighting scene – so you have been warned!.
Gorgeous operatic production.
I am no opera fan.
I am no opera fan.
I first saw this years ago, simply because I was dating someone at the time who enjoyed opera, so we went to a local cinema which was showing it, and I instantly fell in love with it.
As others have pointed out, it has it's flaws, but so what?
To me it is absolutely gorgeous, and it's plus points more than make up for it's flaws.
When I had the opportunity to do so, I bought a VHS tape of it (which I recall was a lot more expensive than your run of the mill VHS tape), and I have it now on DVD (which was a good deal cheaper).
I still enjoy watching it now and again..
I couldn't get through it..
I've seen Carmen a few times, and have tried to sit through this film more than once with the understanding that it is "the" film adaptation of Carmen to watch.I've tried watching the VHS more than once.
I even bought the DVD.
But this film adaptation keeps boring me to tears, and interjecting unnecessary dialogue coupled with scenery that is in sharp contrast to every operatic presentation I've ever seen of Carmen.In short Carmen is about a social climbing cigar making female worker who gains an admirer from a local constable, but Carmen has her sights set much higher.
Such is life.
She flaunts her sexuality to get what she wants, end of story.It's a pretty thin plot, but it's considered a classic, and has a singing narrative to hold the whole thing together.
Regrettably Francesco Rosi's version is hampered by the fact that Carmen on stage is usually presented as being a very colorful opera, but here we get a very drab and uninspired, and perhaps even borderline vulgar, production, replete with sand, dust, earth tones everywhere, uninspired camera angles, but some decent performances from the leads.I've never much liked opera to begin with, so perhaps I'm not the right person to review this title, in spite of my understanding of the medium, and with that in mind I have to say that opera is an "old school" entertainment vehicle that uses song to convey a story.
My major beef (one of many) is that the reason the song is important on stage is that it conveys the narrative of the play being performed.
When you take that away you lose the story.
When you put it on location you're essentially doing what screenwriters call "on the nose dialogue", where in the thing you're describing is actually there.
Therefore the singing becomes redundant, but the singing was part of the whole reason you went to see an opera in the first place.
On stage you can't show an airport or a stable full of horses.
Therefore you sing about it to convey to the audience where you are and what you are doing.When you sing about the thing that's on screen, in an opera, you're almost insulting the intelligence of the audience.But the opera aficionado will disagree.
But all that aside I always recall Carmen as being full of color as well as intrigue.
I'm not a big fan of the opera, but the colors and performances did add needed zing to a stage performance that is essentially about an easy good-looking woman who wants more in life, and is willing to trade in on her wiles to get it.The music of Carmen is actually pretty good, which is what I think people keep coming back for, as well as the choral pieces.
But the story is fairly plain, even if set against an Iberian backdrop.If you're a fan of opera and of this particular opera, then you might want to give it a shot.Otherwise; watch at your own risk..
A poorly filmed opera, not a movie.
This will not make you fall in love with opera as others have ignorantly proclaimed.
It will make you hate opera, hate this story, and shudder at the sheer mention of the name "Carmen." The film has no redeeming qualities.
The cameras only purpose is to relay the opera to you without any cinematic qualities.
The acting is exaggerated, but that parallels the story, which itself is exaggerated, melodramatic, overdrawn, etc.
Perhaps then its not entirely the filmmakers' fault then, as the story they had to work with was little more than one of the thousands of soap opera scripts that have been produced during daytime TV..
Awful...
Just plain awful.
Due to a French class, I've been forced to watch this film.
Check that, it isn't a film, it's a movie- films have some sort of artistry.
Forget the overacting (even more than needed in an opera), the vast armpit hair on Carmen, or the pitiful English subtitles.
The camera work in this version of "Carmen" is atrocious.
There are over a dozen points throughout the movie when a character is singing, but the camera is on either the cheap scenery (with no actors present in the shot) or a character who is not singing or speaking.
The acting isn't awful, but it certainly isn't good.
Placido Domingo holds his own as Don José, but the rest of the cast is replaceable.
There were few good qualities of this movie, and even if the acting had been better (I can't comment on the script, since the movie did a good job of staying true to the original opera), the cinematography and sound were bad enough to destroy it..
Nothing else really to add, other than artistically and musically brilliant.
I loved watching this version of Carmen- though if I had two complaints, they would be I was confused whether the start of the bullfight before the overture started signalled the beginning or end of the opera, and also Carmen's death wasn't as dramatic as it could have been.
Other than that, set in the glorious backdrop of Spain, this 1984 version is beautifully filmed, with wondrous surroundings, marvellous camera-work and stunning costumes.
The music by Bizet is just wonderful, from its overture, the Habernera, the Toreador's Song, the Card Triio to the explosive finale, it is utterly gripping from beginning to end.
The performances were brilliant-no overacting as far as I could see.
Julia Mignes-Johnson was everything Carmen should be- flirtatious, beautiful and sexy- with a fine timbre to her voice.
If you forgive the fact that Placido Domingo was a tad too old for Don Jose, he still looked handsome and sang beautifully, as we come to expect from him.
Ruggero Raimondi was great as Escamillo, what an amazing voice, and Faith Esham was heartbreaking as Michaela.
The entire chorus were fabulous, the subtitles were easy to follow and so was the plot.
The Mail On Sunday praised this as "a treat to the eyes and a sensation for the ears" and after seeing this myself, despite a couple of minor flaws, I couldn't agree more.