"Farinelli" (1994) Director: Gérard Corbiau Awards: Best Foreign Language Film (Golden Globes 1995) Nominated for Oscar in the same category ---------------------------------------- The best 8 minutes of "Farinelli" movie in my opinion
The very best voices of the 20th century that should have been used for the soundtrack were Gundula Janowitz and countertenor Andreas Scholl, but the film makers did not understand enough about castrati voices to choose them. The closest voices we have today are rare, natural sopranos like (especially) Radu Marian, Michael Maniaci, Randall Wong, Jorge Cano, plus two others with lesser voices.
Tempetuous, uh? The duel of the composer & the performer. One has it in their head, the other in their heart! Combined - a unique & powerful performance! Viva la musique!
I'd like to suggest that everyone get back to thinking about the beauty of Baroque vocal music and the pleasure of the prize-winning film. The full arias from the soundtrack CD are very pleasing to me even though I am aware of other voices that would have been more beautiful. I look forward to some interesting comments.
This female was Ewa Małas Godlewska. Farinelli voice was made from a mixture of soprano (Ewa Małas-Godlewska) and contre-tenor (Derek Lee Ragin); because it was impossible for one person only to sing like that.
Exactly. Many things in this film were not perfect, but it was all the same a beautiful film. And it was a real hapiness to hear for the first time what a castrat's voice could be. The blended voices were a great idea, and indeed, this is not a countertenor's voice, but a true soprano's voice, with somethings masculine besides. And I never heard this anywhere other than in this movie.
Maravillosa película, una de mis preferidas junto a "les Choristes", no me canso de verla y gozar su música, ojalá se produjeran mas filmes de esta clase !
I simply don't believe that any computer on the earth could forge human voice completely. Yes, some stuff has been put through a programme, but the substance - a real human vocie - is behind. That's the point. These songs are NOT computer-made. Ewe has got such a gift of nature.
corellandude76-- As a matter of fact, my brother worked on the soundtrack of this movie. The voice was created by mixing male & female voices. On the credits, it lists both singers. It wasn't digitally created, but where the two voices overlapped, those notes had to be blended using software.
not much has fascinated me quite as much as castrati singers! especially Farinelli! the thought of that I will never hear what he sounded like makes me tear eyed! for all we now, he might've sounded like the singer in Moonspell for all we know! It's all just hearsay but I choose to believe in the rumours!
Hello my Finnish friend! (I had to look that one up. :-D) I'll look into that movie. Also, I checked out your page and I see you like the King's Singers, too. I love them, especially the bass and the countertenors! Em
Clarifications: Most parts of the movie that you found disturbing were made up for the film. They had nothing to do with the real Carol and Riccardo. Whereas literally thousands of males now days are castrated for reasons other than singing (Indian Hijra, transgenedered, medical, etc.), none are done so soley for singing. But we do have a few full-voice male sopranos because of endocronological reasons.
If you notice throughout the film, there are a great number of codeswitches between the brothers and with other people. What I took from it is that Carlo prefers to speak French to show how important he is while Ricardo speaks Italian to invoke the fraternity that Carlo doesn't really want anymore.
I don't understand a word of italian but I've watched this film over 6 times it is just so amazing and sad and the brutality of maiming boys all for entertainment just hypnotizes you with the brutality and yet it's like a traffic accident you can't stop looking. I know it sounds sick but I cried and cried for the guy when his brother/friend shouted 'castrato'at him.
The last known castrato was Alessandro Moreschi (1858-1922). He had some recordings made in like 1902 or something. It is interesting to hear what they might have sounded like.
Bravi, Monsieur Corbiau, Derek Lee Ragin & Vivica Genaux… the cast & the crew! Excellent! One of my all-time favourites along with Barry Lyndon (Kubrick), The Pianist (Polanski), Un Amour à Taire (Christian Faure)… One thing I do strongly dislike is, obviously, the use of fur, the pheasant & the swan, the horses… If the film production were more animal-friendly… the one thing I find extremely abhorrent in the otherwise very entertaining Allo-Allo.
I am like a ship shaked by many rocks amid the waves it is confused (it gets lost) and furrows frightened the high sea. Sorry, translation is not so euphonic, but it gives you a general meaning.
Yes but the 'soul' of their music does. We haven't forgotten yet. I often feel like I was born in the wrong era. (Er, I'm female.) Mind you, I dont' wish it on young men but the result must be beyond extraordinary if we can attest to it's magnificence thru written acclamation (historical) alone!
I think he doesn't use their mother toungue in order to make his brother realize that his castration can't be considered a common fate and fortune of the two brothers. He speaks the lg of the society to keep a distance from Ricardo. He won't play the game that Ricardo invented.
Unfortunately there's alot of fans of Cecilia Bartoli who think that because several songs within her wide repetoire are songs within Farinelli, that she hence sang for it. As wonderful as she is, this is not Cecilia Bartoli!
It seems the voice of the original castrati was so pure and yet so hard to recreate, that the filmakers had to resource to a digital generated voice for the character of Farinelli in this movie.
LA PELICULA ME ENCANTO.Y LA TENGO.Y ES UNA PRECIOSIDAD CINEMATOGRAFICA.EL SONIDO ES BUENISIMO....Y LA VOZ LOGRADA ES Y MAS EN UNA PELICULA...ESPECTACULAR....PERO NADA QUE SE COMPARE A LA REALIDAD.....LA REALIDAD ES SUPERIOR.....ALUCINANTEMENTE SUPERIOR.....EL SIGLO XVIII FUE LA HOSTIA...A PESAR DE SUS MISERIAS...PERO YA SABEMOS LO QUE OCURRE CUANDO LOS RICOS HACEN LO QUE LES DA LA GANA....ALGO PARECIDO A LA ACTUALIDAD.......NO HA CAMBIADO EL MUNDO MUCHO MAS QUE LO QUE VEMOS EN LA PELICULA...
not only that but by the time they got a recording it was so past the times of castrati that he wasn't able to be properly trained, there are no castrati anymore, only countertenors. I have a recording of a castrati, i don't know if there is more than that one, and it is very old, crackly and hard to hear as well.
@DoggieAngel12345 I am glad that you understood clearly. Actually English is my second language so it was hard to expain. Yes, in the beginning of the movie, he was taking something. I saw this movie about over 20 times but that was a few years ago. I hope to see Farinelli again as a Baroque music lover.
EL PARECIDO ENTRE JOAN Y LOS CASTRADOS...ES LAS GANAS DE DAR LO MEJOR DE SI MISMOS PARA REPARTIR FELICIDAD..APARTE DE UNA VANAGLORIA INDIVIDUAL POR DEMOSTRAR LO QUE LOS DEMAS NO PUEDEN HACER....SI BIEN SUTHERLAND NOS DIO LA GLORIA DE SU VOZ.....NO POCOS CRITICOS TUVO EN SU CONTRA..LOS CASTRADOS IGUAL..DESPOJADOS DE SU NATURALEZA MASCULINA..DIERON LA GLORIA DE SU CONTRAPUNTO..LA BELLEZA DE LA VENGANZA DEL SER HUMANO...Y CAUSARON LA ENVIDIA Y EL AMOR DE TODOS....APARTE DE CORRER RIOS DE TINTA.
@Northenger : Of course it's not Cecilia Bartoli! Everybody knows in this film the voice is made with Derek Lee Ragin's and Ewa Godelewska's voices. By the way, even if you didn't know that, you could realize that the voice of this video is not a mezzo's voice...!
Coincido contigo, esta película me encanta, es una mezcla de casi todo lo que me gusta en una película, que sea sobre música clásica (ópera barroca mejor aún ^__^); que sea ambientada en el siglo XVIII, por el vestuario, la arquitectura; que es drama; que el protagonista sea un actor simpatico jajaja.... Y bueno, si... es bien dramática la escena en la que canta el aria lascia chio pianga... a ver si la subo dentro de un rato jeje...
@indgiu I was wondering the same thing.. I mean, Carlo and Riccardo are Italian, so they are supposed to speak their native language between them.. They usually use French to communicate with foreign people, because French was considered the common language in Europe.. Maybe Farinelli liked French best :)
@thebackgroundartiste Because (in English) The Institute For the Study of Farinelli hopes to learn some about the physical attributes of Farinelli. So far, 6-feet 3-inches tall, relatively healthy, but with some long-term inner-cranial effects from his hypogonadism.
No-For the hormones that are regulated by the pituitary gland, a signal is sent from the hypothalamus to the pituitary gland to release hormones(or not) The hypothalamus also secretes a hormone called somatostatin, which causes the pituitary gland to stop the release of growth hormone.
@SLuMberMoOn7 no, the voice is not the actor's one. It's modifyed using some computer program to make him reach the highest octaves and sound in the way probably Farinelli used to sing. That's what my theatre teacher at the university told us when we saw this video!
addenda to the reply to Speezerina, did you see his face when his brother said "Carlo I'm so happy I could have every woman in the world tonight" or words to that effect then when Carlo breaks down he says "whats wrong Carlo?" what did he think was wrong, in the film he was party to the castration, it was him who was placing him in the bath when he was bleeding from the "operation", You are right of course, media pressure etc. causes all kinds of horrible but a childs future is sacred.
@askim925 Oh, I think I didn't write details. Farinelli got his baby through his brother and Allexandra(I can't remember right spelling). You know Farinelli was castrated so he doesn't have the function in his body as a man. So he borrowed his brother to get a baby.
Me habría encantado que hubieran incluido alguna escena en España con el maestro Scarlatti de quien fue gran amigo. Igual debió participar mas el personaje de Handel.
its not "self" mutilation. their was no choice on the boys part, they can't possibly be compared to an artist who (misguided or not) chooses to mutilate herself.
@DanielAlexis17 They digitally blended the voice of a male tenor and a female soprano to get the voice. Farinelli died in the 18th centry -- long before recording was invented. Lots of letters and detailed notes speak of his talent, and when his body was exhumed in 2006, they were able to verify that he was exceptionally tall (for the time) and very well cared for. Hadn't heard of him? Now you know the name of the modern world's 1st "mega singing star".
