Review of Bizet Carmen (1967) by Trevor R — 05 Jan 2012

This 1967 film of the 1966 Salzburg production as conducted and directed by Herbert Von Karajan brings together the finest Carmen cast available at the time. Some slight changes were made from the 1966 production which most critics felt improved the performance. Firstly if you are looking to buy a Carmen DVD from the many available do not be put off by the fact this was made in 1967. The sound and video quality are both excellent. The video is a little soft in parts but this actually enhances the overall experience. The colour of the costumes and the background scenery reproduce extremely well with a vibrancy not seen in many productions since. The version of the score used by Von Karajan is the traditional one with the accompanied recitatives, less popular today but I think preferable for this film version. He has also added a dance sequence at the beginning of act 2 ending with a Farandole from Bizet's L'Arlesienne performed by The Mariemma & Ballet de Espana.

Normally in a review of Carmen I would start with Carmen or Don Jose however in this particular version the absolute star of the production is Mirella Freni as Micaela. In the many DVD and blu-ray versions I have of Carmen I have not heard anyone come close to Ms Freni's performance of this role. To me this DVD is worth purchasing just for her performance. Not only does she sing with such sweetness, youthfulness and clarity she also looks like you would expect Micaela to look. She is very pretty and totally convincing. She was 32 when this film mas made and had already made this role her own having dà (C)but in 1955 with it.

Jon Vickers was at his vocal prime in 1967 and was Von Karajan's best choice for Don Jose. He was best known as a Wagnerian heldentenor but was also capable of singing lighter roles. He exudes power and an impressive stage presence unparalleled by any other singer of his era. This comes across in his portrayal of Don Jose. For perfectionists he is not as good vocally as Domingo who stared in the 1985 film version Carmen (The Restored Edition) [DVD] However if you combine acting and stage presence Vickers is overall the better in the role.

Carmen is literally brought to life by the remarkable talent of Grace Bumbry. Being black does not detract in any way from this performance as her combination of acting ability, stage presence and one of the finest mezzo-soprano voices makes you totally believe in her as Carmen. What helps I think is the fact that Bumbry and Vickers are roughly the same age which gives them a better fit as a couple. She has a rich, powerful voice with a wide range and uses this to great effect. In my opinion you need to jump forward to 2010 to Elina Garanca Bizet: Carmen (Yannick Nezet-Seguin and Elina Garanca) [DVD] [NTSC] before you will find a mezzo-soprano capable of delivering a performance equal to Ms Bumbry's. Don't get me wrong, there are many fine Carmen's but when you listen to Brumby she has a magic that I did not find reproduced until I heard Elina Garanca.

Justino Diaz completes the main roles as Escamillo and what a fine Escamillo he is. He looks like a bullfighter, has great stage presence, acts well and has a bass-baritone voice that is both powerful and defined. He is not the greatest ever Escamillo vocally but the combination of everything he brings to the role helps him hold his own with the rest of the esteemed cast.

Von Karajan's conducting and directing is superb, he is truly a musical genius. The cinematography is remarkably good for what is not a big budget production with great thought going into camera angles that really bring the stage performance to the audience. You feel as though you are immersed in the production with the camera bringing you right in amongst the action. This is best illustrated during the knife fight between Don Jose and Escamillo.

I would recommend this DVD to anyone wanting to own their first version of Carmen and also to fans of Carmen who may already have one or more versions. Buy this just for Mirella Freni's performance.