Bel Canto
Bel Canto
Bel Canto
Directed by:
Paul WeitzCinematography:
Tobias DatumComposer:
David MajzlinCast:
Julianne Moore, Ken Watanabe, Sebastian Koch, Ryō Kase, Tenoch Huerta, Christopher Lambert, María Mercedes Coroy, Noé Hernández, Johnny Ortiz, Olek Krupa (more)Plots(1)
Based on Ann Patchett’s best-selling novel, Bel Canto is a dramatic love story that follows a famous soprano (Julianne Moore) who travels to a military dictatorship in South America to give a private concert at a party for a wealthy Japanese industrialist (Ken Watanabe). Just as the glittering gathering of diplomats and politicians convenes, the mansion is taken over by a guerrilla rebel group demanding the release of their imprisoned comrades. Threats are made, lives are lost, a tense negotiation begins, and a month long standoff ensues. While they are confined to the house, the hostages and their captors, who speak different languages, are forced to find ways to communicate. Music, especially the beautiful arias performed by Moore’s character, a songbird in captivity, sparks a shared sense of comradeship and even love, uniting the disparate housemates as they form unexpected bonds, overcome their differences, and discover their shared humanity. (Screen Media Films)
(more)Reviews (2)
Everyone here behaved like nutjobs. First, there are terrorists, then there are tenors, suddenly it’s a friendly tea party and finally, it ends in a brutal shootout. I understood the idea behind the movie, but it was conveyed as if a bunch of losers came together and wanted to make fools out of everybody, so they shot whatever they wanted. But I was intrigued by the ending. Even though the opera voice wasn’t coming out of Julianne Moore’s mouth, at least I found out that there is an American opera singer Renée Fleming, who also learned to sing Rusalka in beautiful Czech. Hats off.
()
Beautiful operatic arias performed by Renée Fleming keep this film afloat. The story is probably at least partly inspired by real events, but it lacks suspense and does not seem very believable due to the illogical behavior of some characters. I see it at a meager three stars for the beautiful music, the lovely Julianne Moore, and the unrecognizably civil Sebastian Koch. (50%)
()