Madame Butterfly (1995 film)
Madame Butterfly is a 1995 musical film written and directed by Frédéric Mitterrand and produced by Daniel Toscan du Plantier and Pierre-Olivier Bardet.[1] It is based on the opera Madama Butterfly with music by Giacomo Puccini and libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. Soprano Ying Huang, tenor Richard Troxell, mezzo-soprano Ning Liang, and bass-baritone Richard Cowan star in the film, in addition to singing their roles. The score was adapted, arranged, and conducted by James Conlon.
| Madame Butterfly | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Frédéric Mitterrand |
| Produced by | Daniel Toscan du Plantier Pierre-Olivier Bardet |
| Written by | Frédéric Mitterrand Libretto: Luigi Illica Giuseppe Giacosa |
| Based on | Madama Butterfly by Giacomo Puccini Luigi Illica Giuseppe Giacosa |
| Starring | Ying Huang Richard Troxell |
| Music by | Giacomo Puccini |
| Cinematography | Philippe Welt |
| Edited by | Luc Barnier |
Production company | Erato Films Idéale Audience France 3 Sony Classical Canal+ BBC ZDF S4C France Télécom Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée |
| Distributed by | Les Films du Losange (France) Blue Dolphin Films (UK) Sony Pictures Classics (US) |
Release date | 22 November 1995 (France) 23 May 1996 (US) 20 June 1997 (UK) |
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Country | France United Kingdom Germany |
| Language | Italian |
The film was an international co-production, with the involvement of France 3, Canal+, the British Broadcasting Corporation, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Sianel Pedwar Cymru, France Telecom, and Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée.
The film was released by Les Films du Losange in France on 22 November 1995 and by Sony Pictures Classics in the United States on 23 May 1996. It received positive reviews,[2][3][4][5] and won the César Award for Best Production Design.[6]
Plot
Cast
| Role | Voice type | Actor |
|---|---|---|
| Cio-Cio-san | soprano | Ying Huang |
| Lt. Benjamin F. Pinkerton | tenor | Richard Troxell |
| Suzuki | mezzo-soprano | Ning Liang |
| Sharpless | baritone | Richard Cowan |
| Goro | tenor | Jingma Fan |
| Prince Yamadori | tenor | Christopheren Nòmura |
| Kate Pinkerton | mezzo-soprano | Constance Hauman |
| Uncle Bonze | bass | Yo Kusakabe (dubbed by Edmund-Zelotes Tolliver) |
| Uncle Yakuside | bass | Kamel Touati (dubbed by Richard Tronc) |
| Cio-Cio's father | silent | Yoshi Oida |
| Cio-Cio's mother | mezzo-soprano | Thérèse Nguyen Ba Hau (dubbed by Laurence Monteyrol) |
| Dolore, Cio-Cio's child | silent | Miki-Lou Pinard |
| The Imperial Commissioner | bass | Qing Wu |
| The Official Registrar | bass | Nabil Agoun |
| The Aunt | soprano | Midori Mornet (dubbed by Asaya Otsuka) |
| The Cousin | soprano | Wen-Juan Zhao (dubbed by Catherine Napoli) |
References
- "Madame Butterfly (1995)". BFI. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- Ebert, Roger. "Madame Butterfly movie review (1996)". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- "Pamina's Opera House » DVD Review: Madame Butterfly (1995, Mitterrand film)". Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- O'Shea, Stephen (1996-01-08). "Madame Butterfly". Variety. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- Holden, Stephen (1996-05-03). "Film Review;Love Is Blind as Ever, But the Music Is Nice". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- Madame Butterfly, retrieved 2019-12-04