Juan (2010)
21KJuan (2010). 1h 45m
“I am not terribly familiar with Don Giovanni (although I know some of the tunes), which may be part of the reason that u0026quot;Juanu0026quot; did not impress me. Iu0026#39;ll admit the live voices gave the film an admirable authenticity, and several of the main actors were very good (esp. Juan himself), but besides this I only have criticisms.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAny modern, present-day setting of a classic opera is a huge gamble. It works when the director really knows what heu0026#39;s doing and has the artistic chops to pull it off, but sadly this one doesnu0026#39;t quite. He seems more interested in the modernized staging than in emphasizing the music. And most catastrophically, he introduces profanity into one of the highest human art forms. It then becomes a tasteless pandering to an extremely low common denominator, bordering on reality-TV. Perhaps it is an attempt to attract new audiences, but personally I find it wrongheaded. High art is about beauty and truth, and base profanity belongs in the gutter; it is not worth preserving for posterity in a full-scale original film production. I know many will find my view puritanical, but for me itu0026#39;s a question of beauty over ugliness. Profanity promotes and maintains negative emotions and has no noteworthy redeeming qualities. It certainly does not belong in opera.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eEven at 105 minutes, I found this very altered and abridged version long enough to be tiresome, and I have no desire to watch it again.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eMy rating: 6 stars out of 10.”
