The Tales of Hoffmann

"You Will Never See Anything Finer On The Screen!"

1951 2h 7m EN

👍

7.1

SOLID

★7.1TMDB · 92

MusicFantasyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A melancholy poet reflects on three women he loved and lost in the past: a mechanical performing doll, a Venetian courtesan, and the consumptive daughter of a celebrated composer.

“You Will Never See Anything Finer On The Screen!”

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Where to watch · US

Cast

Moira Shearer
Stella / Olympia
Ludmilla Tchérina
Giulietta
Pamela Brown
Niklaus
Léonide Massine
Spalanzani / Schlemil / Franz
Ann Ayars
Antonia
Robert Helpmann
Lindorf / Coppelius / Dapertutto / Dr. Miracle
Frederick Ashton
Kleinsach / Cochenille
Robert Rounseville
Hoffmann

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Michael Powell
Writers: Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger, Dennis Arundell
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

75 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Michael Powell, shot by Christopher Challis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jacques Offenbach. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Reginald Mills shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Moira Shearer and Ludmilla Tchérina and Pamela Brown carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "You Will Never See Anything Finer On The Screen!".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0044103 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

Only 92 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Michael Powell directs. Christopher Challis behind the camera. Jacques Offenbach scores. Reginald Mills cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

175 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Directed by Michael Powell, shot by Christopher Challis. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Jacques Offenbach. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Reginald Mills shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Moira Shearer and Ludmilla Tchérina and Pamela Brown carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "You Will Never See Anything Finer On The Screen!".
7IMDB entry: tt0044103 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Only 92 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
9Classified under 9 themes, including "opera", "musical", "surrealism", "based on play or musical".

The technical file

Cinematography: Christopher Challis
Original score: Jacques Offenbach
Editing: Reginald Mills
Production design: Hein Heckroth
Costume design: Hein Heckroth
Makeup / hair: Connie Reeve
Runtime: 127 min · 2h 7m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $2,470,000
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)

Also by

Michael Powell

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-12-28
★ 7/10
Though I really enjoyed watching this, it isn't really a film at all. Messrs. Powell and Pressburger have elicited the help of the supremely talented Christopher Challis and of the late Jacques Offenbach and basically filmed an augmented theatrical production of his eponymous, uncompleted, opera. They have assembled a curiously effective collection of gloriously clad acting talent - most of whom, aside from the narrator/composer himself in the form of Robert Rounseville, cannot actually sing - and proceeded to present us with something that is really quite beautiful to watch and listen to; but that is really not that different from that which we might see at Covent Garden. It features the landmark P&P colour schemes - vibrant, lively and bold with the use of light and the staging of this three part story all adding up to a delightful watch. If you know the libretto, then you will know this is about a rather down-in-the-dumps poet who is reflecting on his life and the choices his chosen career has forced him to make at the expense of his loves. The ballet dancer "Stella" (Moira Shearer) is his most recent love, but there have been others and all of them have, in some way, fallen foul of Robert Helpmann's excellent "Lindorf". There are some super puppetry effects and the sparing use of visual effects to remind us were are not in the grand circle, but for the most part this is a cleverly crafted and stylishly produced theatrical performance that I enjoyed, but would still have rather seen (and heard on a stage). It's still innovative and imaginative cinema that is well worth seeing, though.

Production companies