Armida
- TV Movie
- 2006
- 50m
YOUR RATING
Photos
Storyline
Featured review
An acquired taste perhaps due to the opera and the source material but worth a look for the casual viewer
In the middle of a war in the Middle East, Armida is a Muslim female reporter who must go to report on the actions of the Western troops in the desert. Rinaldo meanwhile is just one of many soldiers unsure of why he is there and not totally convinced by his role within the country. When Armida arrives in the desert with her producer to shoot some footage, all the soldiers are put on best behaviour to present a clean face to the media, although Rinaldo catches Armida's eye. However their mutual attraction is threatened by the difference in their political views.
For all the criticisms of channel 4, the one thing you cannot accuse it of is being solely a ratings chaser. OK, so the primetime schedules do tend to be cluttered with Big Brother and endless, painful repeats of Friends but the nights and very early mornings are ripe with short films, documentaries and unusual finds such as this film. For even in this digital age you can't imagine that the audience share is going to be anything other than small for a modern opera adapting a 16th century poem about the relationship between Rinaldo (a Christian crusader) and Armida (a Muslim witch) set in the middle of an unnamed war in the Middle East. However I was one of those people that decided to see what it was like out of curiosity having read in The Guardian how challenging it was to make (although for the record I'm more of a Times man and thus not totally target audience for this!).
It is also worth noting that I've never been a big fan of opera because it is very much an acquired taste in terms of music. And really that was the main problem that I had with the film, because the music didn't engage me and it made the dialogue hard to understand at times. It also reduced the ability of the cast to emote somewhat and the cold, crisp way of singing (in my opinion) took away from what is essentially a passion tale of love and war. Of course this is my problem and it is unfair to criticise an opera for being an opera! Other than this I found much to enjoy in both the love story but also in the modern, anti-war setting. The story focuses on the former but also has themes on the latter running through it. That I enjoyed the love story is down to the abilities of Trevigne and Tarver, they made a convincing couple but also had the ability to produce more. I assume both are used to stage opera so credit should be given for them being able to tone down the acting to be suitable for the screen. The supporting cast are not so convincing as actors but nobody is that weak. Williams' direction is good and uses the locations well even if the budget limitations do show through in some scenes (most notably the sparsely populated desert camp).
Overall I was glad I watched this film because it was different and interesting. The opera may put many off (I admit that it took me a while to get into) but the story works and, although it doesn't help that much, the delivery and the music didn't get in the way. The lead players are fine singers but also good actors while both Trevigne and Tarver are attractive and convincing. Of course those familiar with the story and fans of opera are going to get the most from it but it is interesting and creative enough to be worth a look from the casual viewer.
For all the criticisms of channel 4, the one thing you cannot accuse it of is being solely a ratings chaser. OK, so the primetime schedules do tend to be cluttered with Big Brother and endless, painful repeats of Friends but the nights and very early mornings are ripe with short films, documentaries and unusual finds such as this film. For even in this digital age you can't imagine that the audience share is going to be anything other than small for a modern opera adapting a 16th century poem about the relationship between Rinaldo (a Christian crusader) and Armida (a Muslim witch) set in the middle of an unnamed war in the Middle East. However I was one of those people that decided to see what it was like out of curiosity having read in The Guardian how challenging it was to make (although for the record I'm more of a Times man and thus not totally target audience for this!).
It is also worth noting that I've never been a big fan of opera because it is very much an acquired taste in terms of music. And really that was the main problem that I had with the film, because the music didn't engage me and it made the dialogue hard to understand at times. It also reduced the ability of the cast to emote somewhat and the cold, crisp way of singing (in my opinion) took away from what is essentially a passion tale of love and war. Of course this is my problem and it is unfair to criticise an opera for being an opera! Other than this I found much to enjoy in both the love story but also in the modern, anti-war setting. The story focuses on the former but also has themes on the latter running through it. That I enjoyed the love story is down to the abilities of Trevigne and Tarver, they made a convincing couple but also had the ability to produce more. I assume both are used to stage opera so credit should be given for them being able to tone down the acting to be suitable for the screen. The supporting cast are not so convincing as actors but nobody is that weak. Williams' direction is good and uses the locations well even if the budget limitations do show through in some scenes (most notably the sparsely populated desert camp).
Overall I was glad I watched this film because it was different and interesting. The opera may put many off (I admit that it took me a while to get into) but the story works and, although it doesn't help that much, the delivery and the music didn't get in the way. The lead players are fine singers but also good actors while both Trevigne and Tarver are attractive and convincing. Of course those familiar with the story and fans of opera are going to get the most from it but it is interesting and creative enough to be worth a look from the casual viewer.
helpful•10
- bob the moo
- Apr 2, 2006
Details
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $26,806
- Runtime50 minutes
- Color
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