Puccini (1984)
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.
Director: Tony Palmer
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Robert Stephens as Giacomo Puccini |
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Virginia McKenna as Elvira |
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Judith Howarth as Doria / Liu |
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Robert Urquhart as Doria's Father |
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Bill Fraser as Fucini, the Lawyer |
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William Squire as Giacchi, the Doctor |
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Peter Woodthorpe as Umberto Manfredi |
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Andrew Cruickshank as Father Michelucci |
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Phil McCall as Gnicche |
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Rupert Graves as Tonio |
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Ronald Pickup as Giulio Ricordi |
| Directing | Tony Palmer | Director |
| Writing | Charles Wood | Writer |
