Madama Butterfly (1974)

The Metropolitan Opera: Puccini's La Rondine

This elegant romance is the least-known work of the mature Giacomo Puccini . The story concerns a kept woman who defies convention to chase a dream of romantic love with an earnest, if naïve, young man. This Met Opera production features the dynamic soprano Angela Gheorghiu and Frenchborn tenor Roberto Alagna performing the roles of Magda and Ruggero, it blooms into its rightful place in the glorious Puccini canon. La Rondine (The Swallow) was commissioned by Vienna s Carltheater in 1913. Due to the impending outbreak of World War I, premiered in 1917, at the Opéra de Monte-Carlo with Gilda Dalla Rizza and Tito Schipa. Set in a Parisian salon, it is the story of Magda, the glamorous mistress of wealthy banker Rambaldo. Her yearning for romantic love compels her into the arms of the ardent and adoring young Ruggero.

Canelo Alvarez vs. Austin Trout

WBC Super Welterweight World Champion Canelo Alvarez faces against WBA Super Welterweight World Champion Austin Trout for the WBC, WBA and vacant Ring Magazine Super Welterweight World Championship Unification fight at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

Scooby-Doo: Agence toutou risques, vol. 1 : Le voleur de vélo

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The Return from the Other Planet

In 1945, a few months after his release from Auschwitz, Yechiel De-Nur, still in his striped jacket, sat down and started writing. After two weeks, he was reborn as Ka-Tzetnik, “the man from the camps.” The books that he wrote were translated into 32 languages and sold millions, while the author himself hid behind the pseudonym Ka-Tzetnik. At the trial of Adolf Eichmann in 1961 his revelatory testimony revealed his true identity as he described Auschwitz as “the other planet,” a place outside of human judgment. Years later, undergoing an experimental LSD treatment for trauma, he revisits his experience, imagining himself as a SS officer, and that changes everything.

Ellie

Set in the backwoods of the deep south. Young, beautiful Ellie has just witnessed the murder of her father at the hands of her evil step-mother Cora and Cora's three lecherous sons, all hoping to get their hand's on Ellie's father's money. Vowing to avenge her father's death, Ellie plots to do in the murderers using the only weapon she has: her body.

Lord

Although he hates dogs, Toni is engaged in finding lost animals and then sentimentally blackmails the masters in order to obtain beautiful large amounts of money. Because of an old and ugly Pekinese that Toni cannot succeed of getting rid of, feelings of affection awake in him that surprise even Toni.

Bill Burr Presents: Friends Who Kill

In a night of killer comedy, Bill Burr hosts a showcase of his most raucous stand-up comic pals as they riff on everything from COVID to Michael Jackson.

Red

Red, a shy orphan who spent most of his childhood in a girly bar, grew up to be the town's best fixer. When a rich kid was gunned down in a drug bust that went wrong, Red was hired by Art, a spoiled socialite, to fix the mess.

NJPW G1 Climax 33: Day 16

The sixteenth night of the tournament took place on August 8th, 2023 at Act City Hamamatsu in Naka-ku, Hamamatsu, Shizuoka, Japan.

Night of the Living Dead: Re-Animation

After inheriting the family mortuary, a pyrophobic mortician accidentally exposes hundreds of un-cremated bodies to toxic medical waste. As the corpses re-animate, the mortician's inheritance-seeking younger brother unexpectantly shows up, stumbling upon a full zombie outbreak!

Relax Freddy

A Chinese diplomat is kidnapped from a conference in Genève and the world peace is at risk. The trail leads to a hiding place in Denmark and the Danish secret service brings in their best agent, agent Smith, who has been in a psychiatric hospital since his last assignment. To accompany Smith they once again turn to novelty and party tricks salesman Frede Hansen, because they need an unrecognizable man to infiltrate the crime syndicate behind the kidnapping.

Ek Villain Returns

When a singer goes missing amid a serial killing spree, a cabbie and a businessman's son cross paths in a twisted tale where good and evil is blurred.

Fantastic Return to Oz

A year to the day after Dorothy and the people of the Emerald City defeated Urfin Jus, the villain is trying to exact his revenge. To command the army of Carraci, however, Urfin needs not only the magic book, but also Dorothy’s silver slippers. The slippers are safely hidden away in Dorothy’s house. Unfortunately, Dorothy’s guest, Tim, is overcome by curiosity and picks up the shoes, accidentally transporting himself, Dorothy and the slippers to the Land of Oz. The Emerald City and its citizens are in danger once again.

Plein les poches pour pas un rond...

Julien, a small thief on the run, to be housed and fed visually in prison, robbed a large jewelry store. Against all expectations, the coup succeeds. Julien finds himself in possession of high-value jewelry that is impossible to sell. Lolotte, his companion who had left him, returns opportunely for better or for worse. Julien, along with Steff, a taxi driver met by chance, Charlotte and Clotilde sets out to find a concealer.

Hatten er sat

Detective Peter Smeth and his young and charming wife, Louise, visit Magasin Heiberg, where, at his wife's express request, he is to buy himself a new hat. He is not amused by the idea, but there is no getting out of it. Suddenly, however, an event occurs that causes the couple to change their minds. The daughter of the store's owner, Inge Heiberg, is found unconscious in the store's courtyard, and Peter and Louise rush to her aid. The fainting spell turns out to be shrouded in mystery.

Am Borsigplatz geboren

December 19th, 1909, Sunday, the fourth Advent. At the Borsigplatz, the big bang happens: The catholic church wants to ban Franz Jacobi and his friends from playing soccer. But the boys rebel against the church and found a soccer club which would later achieve world fame: Borussia Dortmund.

Blood Sisters of Lesbian Sin

Johnny Blake, is a man haunted by his past and dedicated to the destruction of the dark forces. To do so, he has taken on the guise that is feared throughout the occult world: the righteous hero known as The Monk. Three beautiful sisters, the spawn of a demon, seek to control Johnny's mind, his body, his very soul. Sister Avarice is a corporate lawyer who uses her brains and her body to force Johnny into submission. Sister Anger owns a martial arts school for women, with a hatred of men and special passion for the fairer sex. Sister Lust is everything her name implies, running a high class bordello where a night of pleasure can lead to a lifetime of hell. Only one man can save the world from these bewitching sirens: Johnny Blake, The Monk.

Ura, sauver l'oiseau sacré des australes

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Kids World

What would you wish for if you were eleven and could have anything in the world? Your parents don't understand you. Your teenage brother is constantly getting you in trouble...for things he did! You're in love with the twelve-year-old girl across the street... who, unfortunately, is dating the local bully. Then, one afternoon, while being chased by the bully, you fall into a sinkhole, which happens to be in an ancient Indian burial ground. You find a glass, which you discover turns out to be a witchdoctor's Wishing Glass. When Ryan Mitchell discovers the Wishing Glass, he wishes that all the teenagers and parents would disappear. Soon it's "Kids World," with no adults and teenagers - nobody over the age of 12 anywhere! You can only imagine what happens next... *IT'S A CANADIAN FILM*

Tjorven, Batsman, and Moses

Vesterman has found a young seal in his fishing nets in the outskirts of the archipelago. When he comes back to the Saltkråkan island he gives the seal to Tjorven, who names it Moses. Peter Malm, a visitor who works at the Zoological Institute in Uppsala, wants to buy the seal, but Tjorven says it's not for sale. Vesterman is in need of money and tries to get the seal back, to sell it to Peter. The children have to hide the seal, so he won't find it. Pelle's rabbit Jocke and one of Söderman's lambs are found bitten to death. The dog Båtsman is accused of those evil deeds, which means that Tjorven's father has to shoot her dog. In the last minute Söderman finds out that a fox is the perpetrator. Peter Malm says he won't buy the seal. Vesterman is disappointed and the seal stays with the children.

Mefistofele

1989 recording of the San Francisco Opera production of Mefistofele: Boito's retelling of Goethe's Faust

Verdi Otello

Desdemona in Verdi's Otello was a career role for soprano Renata Tebaldi, from her first operatic performance outside of Italy to her final appearance on the opera stage. Between those landmarks she performed the role nearly 100 times all over the world and made studio audio recordings that became reference recordings for the role. This 1962 production with the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Giuseppe Patane was planned as a media event from the outset and blessedly captures a consummate artist in a signature role at the peak of her gifts.

The Metropolitan Opera: Norma

Deep in a forest where druids and warriors seek revenge against the conquering Romans, Norma is scorned by the Roman proconsul Pollione, with whom she has two children. Her kindness turns to fury when she discovers that Pollione has taken Adalgisa, a novice priestess, as his new lover. When Pollione loses his high rank in the army and is offered as a sacrifice, Norma promises him freedom under one condition.

The Metropolitan Opera: The Exterminating Angel

After the acclaimed Met premiere of Thomas Adès's "The Tempest" in 2012, the composer returned with another masterpiece, this time inspired by filmmaker Luis Buñuel's seminal surrealist classic "El Ángel Exterminador", during the 2017–18 season. As the opera opens, a group of elegant socialites gather for a lavish dinner party, but when it is time to leave for the night, no one is able to escape. Soon, their behavior becomes increasingly erratic and savage. The large ensemble cast tackles both the vocal and dramatic demands of Adès's opera with one riveting performance after another. Tom Cairns, who also penned the work's libretto, directs an engrossing and inventive production, using a towering wooden archway to trap the characters onstage. And Adès himself takes the podium to conduct the frenzied score, which features a host of unconventional instruments, including the eerie electronic ondes Martenot.

Così fan tutte

Who loves whom in Così fan tutte, Mozart’s and Da Ponte’s cruelly comic reflection on desire, fidelity and betrayal? Or have the confusions to which the main characters subject one another ensured that in spite of the heartfelt love duets and superficially fleetfooted comedy nothing will work any longer and that a sense of emotional erosion has replaced true feelings? Così fan tutte is a timeless work full of questions that affect us all. The Academy Award-winning director Michael Haneke once said that he was merely being precise and did not want to distort reality. In only his second opera production after Don Giovanni in 2006, he presents what ARTE described as a “disillusioned vision of love in an ice-cold, realistic interpretation”.

Operette

A musician is offered a job in Vienna as stage director, but his disagreements with the aristocratic opera manager end in abrupt firing in spite of a mutual attraction. He's quickly engaged by another theatre and becomes famous for his lavish stage productions and fine acting, which begins their golden age with Suppé and Strauss.

Lucia di Lammermoor

This telecast offers a rare opportunity to see the legendary Joan Sutherland in the role that first catapulted her to international stardom. She drove audiences wild by the way her opulent voice caressed the music’s long phrases and sprinted effortlessly through the fiendish runs, trills, embellishments and stratospheric high notes. One of the glories of the operatic world, her portrayal of Donizetti’s hapless heroine is a multifaceted and moving characterization. The incomparable tenor Alfredo Kraus is Edgardo, the man Lucia loves but cannot have. (Performance taped November 13, 1982. Broadcasted September 28, 1983.)

Amadeus

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Salzburger composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

Il club dei 27

A 12-year-old boy tries everything to join a music lovers club.

Aida - Arena di Verona

The grand scale and magnificent acoustics of the Roman arena in Verona are ideally suited to the pageantry of Verdi's Egyptian opera, presented here in a staging that is true to the original 1913 production, framed by obelisks and sphinxes and filled with chorus and dancers. Chinese soprano Hui He has won international acclaim for her portrayal of the eponymous slave girl whose forbidden love for the war hero Radamés (Marco Berti, the experienced Verdi tenor) brings death to them both.

Maria

Maria Callas, the world's greatest opera singer, lives the last days of her life in 1970s Paris, as she confronts her identity and life.

Puccini: Manon Lescaut

All the throbbing eroticism—and ultimate heartbreak—of Puccini’s youthful score is unleashed by James Levine and his top-flight cast. Plácido Domingo is Des Grieux, the handsome, headstrong young aristocrat who falls head over heels for the enticing, impetuous Manon Lescaut (Renata Scotto). Manon returns his love, but her obsession with luxury ruins them both. Gian Carlo Menotti’s opulent production, with sets and costumes by Desmond Heeley, superbly captures the colorful world of 18th century France.

Benvenuto Cellini

With his affinity for the 16th-century sculptor Benvenuto Cellini's advocacy of artistic and personal freedom, Hector Berlioz went straight for the grand gesture with his first completed opera. Returning to it years after initial production debacles, Berlioz stated that he would 'never again find such verve and Cellinian impetuosity, nor such a variety of ideas.' The plot revolves around Cellini's wooing of Teresa, a match frustrated at every opportunity by his rival, the cowardly Fieramosca. Benvenuto Cellini is a pithy work combining romance, excitement, violence, comedy and spectacle; the perfect stage for Terry Gilliam's stylishly colorful and larger than life directing.

The Art of Singing: Golden Voices of the Century

Imagine a window into the past. Imagine finally connecting singers' bodies to the voices you have always treasured on record, watching footage of performances from another era. All of singers featured here have something in common (with one exception, Sutherland): they sang and performed on stage before the advent of filmed opera. . And it shows, for the first time, a few tantalizing minutes of recently recovered footage from Callas' legendary Lisbon Traviata, featuring Addio dal Passato and Parigi oh cara with Alfredo Kraus. This DVD will leave you asking for more.

Mefistofele

The director, Roland Schwab, has created his version of Hell. The set is like a high iron walled hanger and the stage is continually occupied with people who look like fugitives from Mad Max and who interact with Mefistofele. The orchestra and choir are wonderful. Rene Pape gives a nuanced interpretation with a certain amount of sardonic humour under the evil. His singing and acting are first rate, as is that of Kristine Opolais and Joseph Calleja.

Cosi Fan Tutte

An excellent performance of this delightful opera. The principals are superb, especially the sisters. Bruscantini as Don Alfonso is past his prime, but he knows and understands the role inside out, so one does not even notice his vocal limitations. Araiza is in top form as Ferrando, and Morris makes virile Guglielmo. The only disappointment is Battle as Despina. Unlike her partners, she does not have feel for the Mozart ensemble, and her vocal mannerisms are totally unbecoming. How the producers allowed that to happen is a mystery. Muti's conducting is terrific, much better than on his La Scala video, where he is uninvolved.

Farinelli

The life and career of Italian opera singer Farinelli, considered one of the greatest castrato singers of all time.

Traviata – You deserve a better future

The audience is invited into Violetta’s privacy to have a close look at the fire to which she abandons herself among the guests of this musical and phantasmagorical celebration that blends theatre and opera, voices that speak and sing, and where the distinction between the instrumentalists and the singers becomes blurred, where Charles Baudelaire is seated next to Christophe Tarkos, and where the phantoms of this Paris in full industrial boom whose future we are living at present, sing and die.

Cosi Fan Tutte

There are elements of Eurotrash in this outdoor Aix-en-Provence summer opera production. Nevertheless, the splendid singing and acting transform the story, normally treated as farce, into something considerably more serious. As many other critics have noted, the young lovers have not yet sorted everything out as this performance ends. Act One begins with the principal characters running around in the outdoor theater -- while the audience takes it in as if they had been advised to sit back and enjoy the novelty. Very likely they were also asked to refrain from applauding at the end of arias and ensemble pieces, in which the three-hour opera abounds.

Puccini: La bohème

"La Bohème" is one of Giacomo Puccini's most popular and timeless works and the second-most performed opera at New York's Metropolitan Opera. This production, directed by the legendary Franco Zeffirelli, features José Carreras, Teresa Stratas, Renata Scotto and Richard Stilwell. The opera is replete with extraordinary visual beauty as it presents the tragic story of young bohemians struggling to make it in the world.

The Metropolitan Opera - Puccini: Manon Lescaut

Kristine Opolais is the young woman whose conflicting desires for love and luxury lead to her tragic end, and Roberto Alagna plays the man who falls for her in Puccini’s early hit. Richard Eyre’s elegant production, which sets the action in 1940s occupied France, was one of the highlights of the Met’s 2015–16 season. Massimo Cavalletti as Manon’s brother and Brindley Sherratt as her aging admirer co-star, and Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.