User Reviews

I love Madame Butterfly so naturally I wanted to see this 1995 film. And I am so glad I saw it, as it is a beautiful and excellent film of a wonderful opera. At hindsight, the opera's story is rather implausible, however the love story and telling of it is timeless, Cio Cio San is a charming lead character and the music(my favourites being Humming Chorus, Flower Duet, Un Bel Di Vedremo and particularly the act 1 love duet) is among Puccini's very finest.

There are only two things I wasn't crazy about here. One was showing the Gonze as a supernatural figure and floating in mid air, I personally found it unnecessary and felt it distracted from the drama of that particular moment. The other was the use of black and white footage of old Japan. In a way it was interesting, but I for one wasn't entirely sure whether it fitted with the scene(Humming Chorus in this case).

However, this film is visually stunning, with sweeping camera shots, stunning scenery and evocative costumes. The beautiful music is beautifully performed by the orchestra and is conducted with precision and sensitivity. When it comes to the acting/staging, the love duet was genuinely affecting and the Flower Duet blended and acted beguilingly, but the revelations were Un Bel Di Vedremo and the final scene, both of which moved me to tears.

The acting and singing work hugely too. Ying Huang amazed me with her beauty and appealing voice, and Richard Troxell is an excellent Pinkerton, never trying too hard to make us hate him. Ning Liang is one of the most sympathetic Suzukis I know of, and Sharpless shapes his music beautifully. Goro also is more cynical and less bumbling, something that I loved and found refreshing.

Overall, excellent film and one where a box of tissues by your side is necessary. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Filming an opera, especially one as globally well known as Puccini's, is a daunting challenge because so much of what has been composed and dramatized has been designed specifically for the stage of an opera hall. On one end, there have been superb video recordings of great stage performances, such as the 2005 Salzburg Festival production of Verdi's "La Traviata" with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón. On the other end are adaptations that try to cinematize operas with real locations, though most often with some deficiencies, for example, Barbara Willis Sweete's 2002 production of Gounod's "Roméo et Juliette" with Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu frankly too old to play the young lovers. In the latter camp, this 1995 French-financed film shows director Frédéric Mitterand making a valid attempt toward authenticity, but he misses a key opportunity to open up the visual and sensory possibilities beyond the obvious. Despite the creative use of Tunisian locations to replicate early 1900's Japan, the result still feels oddly stage-bound and dramatically inert despite some bravura musical moments.

The heavily masochistic story is familiar. In 1904, U.S. naval officer Lieutenant Pinkerton, while stationed in Nagasaki, marries a teenaged girl named Cio-Cio San. Despite their affections for one another, he cavalierly sees the marriage as one of convenience, and when his assignment is done, he goes back to the U.S. with no intention of returning. Cio-Cio San, however, takes the relationship so seriously that she sacrifices her family for the marriage. Three years pass by, but it does not deter Cio-Cio San from hoping for Pinkerton's return since it turns out that she has borne their son in the meantime. Finally, a ship arrives and Cio-Cio San correctly surmises that he is on it. However, tragedy ensues since Pinkerton has remarried in the interim and wants to take his son back to America with him and his new American wife. Taken on the surface, the opera seems defiantly anti-American in showing Pinkerton to be a superficial cad despite how remorseful he may appear at the end, but it also takes a sideswipe at the purportedly subservient nature of Japanese women since her own self-delusions are so intractable. Regardless, the heartstrings are pulled at the right moments when the opera is acted in the manner Puccini intended.

Chinese soprano Ying Huang was chosen over hundreds of young singers for the title role, and while she does not really look Japanese, she displays a sweetly supple voice as she performs the dramatic arc of Cio-Cio San's plight. However, as a screen actress, Huang lacks a certain lightness in the early romantic scenes and seems a bit at sea with the later melodramatic moments. Even though she lacks the plummy depths of a Callas or a Tebaldi, she provides affecting renditions of the two pivotal arias, "Un bel dì vedremo" when Cio-Cio San looks out into the harbor awaiting Pinkerton's return, and her death scene, "Con onor muore". As Pinkerton, admittedly a tough role to play much less sympathize with, American tenor Richard Traxell matches Huang well vocally, but again his acting seems a bit shallow as he only shows unrelenting bravado in the first act and guilt-ridden regret in the third. The others in the cast fare better since there are less dramatic demands on them, in particular, American baritone Richard Cowan as the sympathetic consul Sharpless and acclaimed Chinese mezzo-soprano Liang Ning as the maid Suzuki.

Despite some nice art direction, the visual presentation feels somewhat flat when colors should really pop and the camera be more mobile. There are also some scenes that simply do not work such as having Cio-Cio San's uncles come to banish her from the family in an airborne fashion and the use of anachronistic Japanese newsreel footage as a musical bridge. However, the sound itself is fine with superb orchestral support from the Orchestre de Paris under the baton of James Conlon. There is one extra with the 2002 DVD, a 12-minute making-of featurette which really amounts to following Huang from her initial audition through the actual production.

Madame Butterfly is a beautiful, romantic and dramatic story. It is all about a fifteen years old geisha called Cio Cio-San, who gets married with the official of the American navy, Benjamim Franklin Pinkerton.

Pinkerton, the fiancé, is just buying a woman, as he did in other parts of the world, to be close in his moments of loneliness, while he doesn't marry a true American wife.

After three years of marriage, Pinkerton goes back to the United States, leaving Butterfly with a small son he never knew. Cio Cio San believes that her husband will return, and she refuses to assume her Japanese values and a new life.

During all the story, Cio Cio-San will always count with the unconditional friendship of the maid Suzuki.

To get things worst, Butterfly receives a letter of Pinkerton informing that he will not return anymore, making clear that he married an American woman. Butterfly interprets his words in an erroneous way, and she sees new hopes for of her husband arrival.

He returns, however, to look for his son.

The end of the plot shows the suicide of Butterfly, when noticing that she had lost everything that she loved, the husband and now also the son. (She had used as a weapon her father's sword, with the inscription: "To die with honor, when one can no longer live with honor". The now-humiliated, heartbroken daughter of a disgraced samurai, she dies proudly - as a samurai.)

The opera is tragic, because Cio Cio-San really believes in her illusions, and she only notices the mistakes very late.

There are difficulties, for example, how she was renounced by her relatives by converting Pinkerton's religion (Catholicism), or her son, that came to this world, only after the American had already left.

The history is full of cultural contrasts, since the story is in the Japan of the beginning of XX century, where the prejudices were worst.

The reason whyI liked this movie so much : in my opinion, it is the best Madame Butterfly I have ever seen in a movie. I was surprised to see that the movie is all sang in opera terms. Many people might not like that.

The sets are beautiful, and the movie was made full of details, to really show the Japanese habits, thoughts and life style.

Frédéric Mitterrand had even the concern of choosing Asian actors to play in the cast, much better then Jean Pierre-Ponnele's version, where all of the actors are westerns.

I am not one for operas - have only seen a few in my lifetime- but was so intrigued with the basic storyline of Madame Butterfly (being a deep-down, incurable romantic), that I gave it a shot. Didn't know the full story, so when I saw Capt Pinkerton singing about having one in every port, I jumped up and shouted: "S.O.B.!" The actress who played Madame Butterfly portrayed the part of someone in Total & Complete Denial extremely well. Singing was good, though I am not really into that high-pitched warbling stuff. I thought the flying spirits were a bit flaky (sort of like the mother's spirit in "Like Water For Chocolate"), but the film was otherwise quite moving. The little boy looked exactly like my brother Joe looked at 3 y.o., so that was authentic for me. Saw the film last night, and my eyes are still swollen from crying. Gets a 10 on my "cry-O-meter" - damned good!

This gorgeously shot and brilliantly directed film version of the opera is the most passionate I've seen. The acting is unusually detailed and truthful for an opera, especially Butterfly's total commitment and Pinkerton's breezy lust.

But why didn't we see his ship sail into the bay? The water and mountains seemed destined for that shot, but didn't deliver. The boy was too old, the voice of the "uncle" in the sky didn't work, but generally it was a deeply moving experience, rising to a terrific climax in her suicide and his remorse. That last closeup of Pinkerton, racked by remorse, lifting the dying Butterfly, was powerful. The film aired in Canada on Aug 8 on the Bravo! TV network. I couldn't tear myself away to get to a party till the final credits were rolling.

In early August I saw this opera for the first time as a 2017 performance at the Royal Opera House, and I loved the music so much I decided to watch this version as well. What makes this movie stand out is the decision to cast Asian actors and actresses for the Asian roles.

Ying Huang (Cio-cio-san/Butterfly) played the affection-starved yet goodhearted woman beautifully. Richard Troxell (Pinkerton, the American naval officer) played the entitled "playboy" so convincingly I had the urge to slap him through the screen. Jingma Fan (Goro) played the marriage broker; in this version he's not only oppertunistic but also slightly malicious which was surprising but Fan played it well.

The visuals in this movie were unexpectedly beautiful. Instead of depicting the bustling harbour city of Nagasaki they chose a more rural setting with thatched houses; as it was shot "on location" in Tunisia the village is dotted with olive trees rather than pine trees. This was probably done for economic reasons, yet it doesn't feel fake for a moment: the houses look real and lively, the gardens are lined with flowers, people are fishing for mussels in the surf. The costumes and interiors were pretty as well. The cinematography was a bit clunky at times (especially in Act 3) which admittedly bothered me more than it should have.

However, I feel the director took too many artistic liberties. By inserting flashbacks and flash-forwards and making it appear as if days or even months pass between different musical pieces he interrupted the pacing of the music. He also left out a good 10 minutes of music at the beginning of Act 3 ("Oh Eh ! Oh Eh !")

Despite some flaws on the director's part, this still makes for a good movie with good casting, beautiful casting and beautiful visuals. I can recommend this movie to everyone, even the people who don't like opera.

The first time I saw Madama Butterfly was early August 2020, as a 2017 performance at the Royal Opera House. I loved the music so much I decided to watch this version as well. This movie has taken a realist approach to depicting the story by Asian singers for the Asian roles. This choice was slightly at the cost of operatic quality, but if for the sake for top-notch voices the cast had been whitewashed and replaced by singers twice as old, I would have skipped it. This is a movie, not a live performance.

Ying Huang (Cio-cio-san/Butterfly) played the affection-starved yet goodhearted woman beautifully, if not a little stiffly at times. Richard Troxell (Pinkerton, the American naval officer) played the entitled "playboy" so convincingly I had the urge to slap him through the screen. Jingma Fan (Goro) played the marriage broker; in this version he's not only oppertunistic but also slightly malicious which was surprising but Fan played it well.

The visuals in this movie were unexpectedly beautiful. Instead of depicting the bustling harbour city of Nagasaki they chose a more rural setting with thatched houses; as it was shot in Tunisia the village is dotted with olive trees rather than pine trees. This was probably done for economic reasons, yet it never feels fake: the houses look real and lively, the gardens are lined with flowers, people are fishing for mussels in the surf. The costumes and interiors were pretty as well.

However, I think the director took too many artistic liberties. By inserting flashbacks and flash-forwards and making it appear as if days or even weeks pass between different events he interrupted the pacing of the music. He also left out about 10 minutes of music at the beginning of Act 3 ("Oh Eh ! Oh Eh !") The cinematography was pretty during shots of landscapes and outside scenes, but during interior scenes the mostly static shots tended to make the rooms look cramped.

Despite good singers and beautiful set design, its shortcomings on both the cinematic and operatic side make this film fall short of being great. However, it is still good and I can recommend this to everyone.

Mitterand's production of Madame Butterfly is an outstanding piece of movie-making. Handled so delicately, the film will have appeal to both opera lovers & movie buffs alike.An enchanting love story, beautiful singing, music by Puccini, an interesting set ( a "house of cards" atop a mountain with views of sea and sky) make for a handsome film. I like the opening sequence which quickly establishes the atmosphere of old Japan. We are introduced to the main character- Butterfly, a 15 year old Japanese girl whose family has fallen into poverty & B.F. Pinkerton, a naval officer, her self-assured American lover who treats her as a sexual plaything. Sacrificing all her ties with the Japanese way of life Butterfly agrees to marry Pinkerton. During the marriage celebrations her absent Uncle Bonzo appears magically suspended in the sky & he casts her into eternal damnation for renouncing her people and ancient rites. This is the only weak point in the movie. It's such a serious moment and yet I wanted to laugh. It's obvious that the three figures in the sky are suspended by wires (a bit jerky too). Why accept this when current cinemaphotography has reached such heights in producing supernatural effects? The characterisations are generally well-done. The part of Butterfly particularly appealing performed with such grace and sincerity. Pinkerton too makes a convincing thoughtless man of the world. In an early scene however he kneels on the floor and converses with Butterfly's maid. I thought this was quite wrong and out of character unless he was trying to ridicule the Japanese customs.When eventually Butterfly becomes pregnant, a son is born, but by now Pinkerton is back in America. For three years she awaits his return. There are some very moving scenes at this point. Finally Pinkerton returns to Nagasaki with an American wife ("a real wife" he calls her). There is a poignant scene when the devoted Butterfly relinquishes her son to Pinkerton's wife. He will go back to the States and be educated there. What future is there for Butterfly? (Tissues may be required at this point!)The ending is heart-rending. I am not a particular lover of opera but after this exciting experience I am ready for more.

I'm just not into opera. And that, right there, ruins the entire thing for me. It wasn't that the singing wasn't good (which it was), but it was the entire time.

The story is sort of stupid. American man marries young Japanese girl, goes off to America and leaves her high an dry. She waits for him, but his new-wife brings the Japanese woman to a traumatic end. And, that is the synopsis.

True, it is supposed to be dramatic. But most men wouldn't just leave like that. Yes, I do know one instance. But this was supposed to be about love.

The American man comes off as a bigamist, and rightfully so. But the story would have just been better if it weren't sung the entire time. Heck, High School musical didn't sing the entire time.

Overall, despite some minor pluses, I can't really go along with it. This movie is only for opera fans. Avoid it if you are not. "D-"

This really is a great opera movie. All the actors have the right age and -when it comes to appearance- the right "beauty". Butterfly is a young girl in the story, and in this movie she looks as one (and she is only in her early twenties). Nevertheless she does all the singing herself. She has won prizes in opera competitions and is very convincing. She is from China, not Japan, and has the perfect voice for the part. Who would ever find this story believable with a 40-years old soprano? Now with this young Asian actress/singer one is moved as one should be. Not only the singing, but also the emotions are clear and real. This could never be achieved in play-back from a different singer. All the other main characters are (very) good actors and sing their own parts (very well). The setting is beautiful, though not in Japan, but in Tunisia (I read afterwards). The orchestra plays well (under James Conlon). In fact everything is good. Only a few minor parts are sung by different persons than the (Asian) actors. Summarizing: The best Butterfly I have ever seen and probably the best I will ever see from now on.

Unfortunatly , their lips aren't moving right. So their either lip synching or it's been dubbed. Richard Troxell's the best in this. His emotion drips off the screen. So's his cohort. The actress playing butterfly looks and acts too old for the part. I personally loved this film. But as they are singing in opera terms, many might not appreciate it. It's up to you. (example: I found it to be uplifting and another person found it to be more depressing than The Refelecting Skin.) So what you take from it is entirely up to you. :)

9/10 (can't give it a full 10 because of the dubbing/lip synch problems.

Quality: 9/10 Entertainment: 10/10 (how can you not. with such powerful singing) Replayable: 6/10

I am not one to cry at movies easily, but this production of Madame Butterfly caused me to shed tears on at least four occasions during the screening. I saw it with Spanish subtitles which enhanced my understanding of the story and appreciation of the music. It gets off to a rocky start, but that is soon forgotten as the story and the beauty of the performances draw you in.

Madame Butterfly is one of my favorite Operas. It is certainly Puccini's masterpiece, and Mitterand's movie adaptation does full justice to the Opera. The main characters are perfectly cast. Richard Troxell captures the full spectrum of the brashness and exuberance of his character, Pinkerton. Ying Huang exudes the sensitivity, vulnerability, and wisdom of the named protagonist. The movie gives a richness and realness to Japan that no operatic production is able to do. All the main characters are themselves operatic singers.

Fondly enough, the greatest innovation of this movie are the English subtitles. The subtitles are fresh, modern translations. Prior librettos had always been in stilted, posh, English, leaving the listener to only guess at the plot while enjoying the music. The modern English subtitles of this movie leave little doubt as to what is really going on here.

Yes, it is a love story between an American officer and a Japanese geisha. The actual, real, dialogue, spoken with its blunt honesty, coupled with the superb secondary performances (mainly, the Middleman, Goro), portray the whole Madame Butterfly story as a lurid, depraved example of human trafficking. Pinkerton is young, brash, energetic, and clearly relishing Japan. He makes it very clear from the beginning that he has no intention of staying faithful after marriage to MB and enters his marriage with the clear intention of leaving MB for the United States to marry there, and he sees nothing wrong with that. Huang perfectly plays the vulnerable MB. However, as she states about her life, she was forced to became a geisha because her parents died and she had no other place to go. To make matters worse, she is fifteen years old, and has a son from a husband who left her. You get the impression MB is a geisha because she had no other option to survive.

A geisha you might ask? There is misconception that all geishas are sex workers. Historically, they were not considered to be sex workers, but whose function is to "entertain" men. "Entertaining" consists of being able to carry on a informed conversation-geishas were educated women---play musical instruments, and serving food and drink. Of course, the sex part sometimes, but necessarily always, came into it.

The movie clarifies the role of the Middleman, Goro. This is how he was described in older translations-"middle man," "match-maker," fairly benign. The Goro in this movie is a sinister and conniving. He is not just a match-maker or middleman; he is in the business of selling flesh, if not for "entertainment" purposes. Jingma Fan, who pays Goro, gives new life to the whole MB story. Goro is in the business in selling geishas to his clients. Pinkerton pays Goro to marry MB. The entire transaction is nothing more than a glorified run-of-mill sex trafficking case.

Put all these pieces together changes the entire story. Pinkerton exploits and disrespects MB and gets off Scott free. He is like so many overseas American servicemen you occasionally hear run into problems with the local womenfolk. The tragedy of this story is that MB commits suicide. MB is a Universal symbol of victimized, objectivized, women. Goro is, not a march-maker or middleman, let's face it, he is a sex trafficker. Mitterand's movie presents MB as both a passionate love story and a sordid tale of sex exploitation.

I was not sure what to expect. An opera as a movie? But I definately was NOT disappointed :-)

Yes, it is a movie, and yes it is a opera. This time an opera not on a stage, but on location. They filmed it integer and strong, while the voices surround you with a lovely sound.

Beatiful combination of opera and fim. I say 10 out of 10 for me!

Dates show (1995) and also DVD release (2001)

I have seen several versions of Madame Butterfly, both in person and on film. I can say that this is truly one of if not the best presentation. I was pleasantly surprised. The acting is top-notch and the photography is crisp even on a 42-inch screen. The timing puts you into the scene as if you are part of the play. The costumes are realistic and not modern or out of the period.

The basic story is of a U. S. Lieutenant Pinkerton of the navy, stationed in Japan. He is used to a girl in every port. The 15-year-old girl in this port, however, gives up her home and religion to become his American wife. She is due for an unbelievable shock when Pinkerton returns to Japan after a sojourn to America.

Everyone looks the part and sings very well.

Ying Huang: Cio-Cio-San Richard Troxell: Pinkerton Ning Liang: Suzuki Richard Cowan: Sharpless Jing Ma Fan: Goro Christopheren Nòmura: Prince Yamadori Constance Hauman: Kate Pinkerton

Directed by Frédéric Mitterrand Writers Libretto Giuseppe Giacosa & Luigi Illica Adaptation Frédéric Mitterrand Original Music Giacomo Puccini.

This rendition of my favourite opera is extremely good. Beautiful scenery excellent singing and orchestra and very good development of the story with several acenes that add mood to the story. Two issues that I find not good enough, first, Butterfly's acting is a little cold, lacking more feeling and the Bonzo uncle shouldn't arrive "flyng", this work is no science fiction movie. It is an extremely touching story with a beautiful strong music and singing so in my opinion, any scenes that are not real, are out of place. Apart from these issues, I find this movie beautiful.