Brilliant and touching

if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

Don Giovanni is one of my all-time favourite operas, and while I don't think this is the best Don Giovanni, it was very enjoyable. I think those who don't like Mozart tampered with will not like this production, however on its own merits coming from someone who tries to be not so fussy about all that depending on whether the staging in accordance to the tone of the opera.Even with the update to the 20th century and Harlem NYC, this updating actually worked in my view. It still had the darkness, excitement and thrills the opera should do. The staging was very imaginative, particularly in the Commendatore scene and Giovanni's descent into hell and the champagne aria being sung in a garage with Giovanni slinging bottles against the door before taking heroin. The rape at the start is shocking and bold, but for me set the tone of the production quite well.Production-wise this Don Giovanni is also very good. It maintains the darkness the score suggests with atmospheric lighting and strong costumes and sets. I did find that Giovanni and Leporello dressed in identical black jackets was a little confusing and muddied at first, but I got used to it.It is excellent musically too. Mozart's score is perhaps his darkest and most complex and it needs a very good orchestra and authoritative conductor, both of which this Don Giovanni has.The picture quality is mostly good with some average moments when viewed for example on a projector for a large screen. The sound is clear, and the camera work shows skill and thought.The principals are excellent. Don Giovanni is closer to the narcissistic, sociapathic rapist he should be, and Leporello is loyal and charming. Both characters are played excellently by Eugene and Herbert Perry. Both the acting and singing are great by both, if sometimes in need of a little more intensity.Dominique Labelle is impressive as Donna Anna, it is a very musical interpretation, she is suitably fiery and her singing has style, beauty and agility. I would also say the same for Lorraine Hunt, who not only gives Elvira spite but also development, I consider Elvira the opera's heart and this was done very well.Ai Lan Zhu's Zerlina is adorable not to mention charming. Massetto is good especially in the acting, and the Commendatore is genuinely imposing in the final scene. The only principal who doesn't quite convince is Carrol Freeman's Ottavio. The acting is acceptable, but the voice is too soft and he struggles with some of the runs.Overall, very enjoyable. 9/10 Bethany Cox

I must admit I was shocked at the beginning of Peter Sellars' inventive re-staging of Mozart's greatest opera. How many opera productions have you seen that begin with a black man raping a white woman? I'm surprised it didn't rate a protest from the NAACP. Nonetheless, I'm grateful I saw it. For all its weirdness this production brought out some realities of the character of Don Giovanni that are simply not found in more traditional performances. There's nothing particularly noble or admirable about a man who seduces women just to get their name in his "little black book"; I can't agree with the interpretation of "Don Giovanni" as a celebration of unrestrained male sexual potency; rather it's a warning about sexual irresponsibility, a classical morality tale. I saw one more traditional "Live from the Met" telecast where, when Don Giovanni began singing his aria "Deh vieni alla finestra" outside a girl's window I had the image of a pedophile standing outside an elementary school. In Sellars' version Don Giovanni is a drug dealer in South Bronx, a man who profits from others' despair. It was a stroke of genius to cast identical twins in the roles of Don Giovanni and his servant Leporello. While not a complete success, it was a nice try and a good bet for people who want to try opera but think it's boring.

A brave attempt to assimilate the idea and story of Mozart's masterwork into the 1980's. It has inherent value in the decision to cast twins as the strange doppelganger of Leporello and the Don and of course the arresting setting of the whole opera in contemporary urban America.There is a problem for me and a quite significant one at that; a surly lack of good humour. The characterisations become monochromatic. Love and forgiveness begin to feel like last resorts as a result. An interesting and watchable shift in this respect is the increased importance of Donna Elvira (the mercurial Lorraine Hunt Lieberson).Key to Sellars' recording is that it is intended specifically for film, with no attempt to play to an auditorium. This makes it more idiomatic on-screen, although as I say, surly and introverted. Bold and flawed. 4/10

Peter Sellars has taken Mozart's "Don Giovanni" and set it in modern New York City ... and it still works, which just goes to show how timeless the genius of Mozart really is. But Sellars true genius was in casting African-American twins to play the parts of Don Giovanni and his servant, Leporello ... there is a scene where they change places, disguised as each other, and you don't have to suspend your disbelief to enjoy it. There is a scene where they discuss their plans for the evening over a meal ... the fact that they are sitting on a curb eating burgers from McDonalds does not get in the way at all.For any inner-city teacher who would like to introduce their students to opera, seeing two vital, young black males singing music that's 200 years old, and in Italian (with English subtitles), should be an eye-opening experience. The multiracial cast showcases many splendid young (and at the time, unknown) voices selected only for their talent, and demonstrates that opera is really for everyone.I'm glad that I taped it from PBS years ago, because it hasn't been released yet on VHS or DVD. <sigh!>