Puccini

Puccini

1984 · 113 min · ★ 4.3 · Documentary, Drama

In Torre del Lago, by Lake Massaciuccoli, Puccini is writing "The Girl of the Golden West" when his wife Elvira accuses him of a dalliance with their maid, Doria Manfredi, a young women from town. Although the maestro is frequently unfaithful, he denies the affair; Elvira insists she's right and publicly hounds Doria. Between scenes in this domestic drama that turns tragic, we watch a Scottish company rehearse and stage "Turandot," Puccini's last opera. The film finds parallels between the two stories and suggests that in the opera, Puccini expresses love for his wife and guilt in Doria's fate. Three local gentlemen provide a spoken chorus as Puccini's score plays throughout.

Directed by Tony Palmer · Written by Charles Wood

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Cast

Robert Stephens Giacomo Puccini
Virginia McKenna Elvira
Judith Howarth Doria / Liu
Robert Urquhart Doria's Father
Bill Fraser Fucini, the Lawyer
William Squire Giacchi, the Doctor
Peter Woodthorpe Umberto Manfredi
Andrew Cruickshank Father Michelucci
Phil McCall Gnicche
Rupert Graves Tonio
Ronald Pickup Giulio Ricordi

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