我不是音樂方面的行家，也沒怎么關(guān)注過歌劇，雖然片中的音樂選段真的很震撼，但是我印象最深刻的，還是帕瓦羅蒂的笑臉。我是說，怎么能有人笑的這么標(biāo)準(zhǔn)，這么有感染力呢？

就像朗朗說的那樣，當(dāng)他拿著手帕展開雙臂綻放出帕瓦羅蒂式招牌笑容的時(shí)候，我真的有一種想把我的全世界對他打開的沖動...

而且還有一點(diǎn)很神奇的是，片中所有曾與他建立過親密關(guān)系的人，不論男女，都對他評價(jià)極高...即使他劈腿，耍大牌，鬧脾氣，越界和搖滾歌手合作，大家最后還是很喜歡他，這真的是魔法啊...看到后面我猜測，這很可能是因?yàn)樗偸切δ樣?。也就是說，他是一個(gè)非常積極樂觀幽默風(fēng)趣又富有感染力的人，他最后一任女友回憶起來說，和他在一起時(shí)就慢慢不會為了些雞毛蒜皮的小事生氣了，因?yàn)樗麜虝?，生活中有更多更美好的事情值得去浪費(fèi)時(shí)間...

老實(shí)說，我也想成為這樣的人...想要做一個(gè)把正能量和美感帶給別人的人，也許這才是更為智慧的為人處世之道。我們這代年輕人總是會把憂郁、厭世之類的標(biāo)簽視作最高，然而一直以來總是擺著一張自以為高級的厭世臉示人的我，實(shí)際上并沒有從中獲得什么實(shí)質(zhì)性的好處，甚至可以說慢慢把自己塑造成了一個(gè)不好接近的疏離人物。這就像，人們贊美陰雨天的別樣氛圍，但真下雨了他們還是照樣打傘，千方百計(jì)避雨...

真的很想做一個(gè)被大家喜歡的開朗女孩呢。就從像帕瓦羅蒂一樣笑開始吧！

八卦的氣息撲面而來。我不太清楚究竟帕瓦羅蒂的八卦對于他整一段生命而言，有多么地重要。但人們似乎相信著，這些八卦具備著強(qiáng)而有力的證據(jù)，證明帕瓦羅蒂曾經(jīng)活過。

誠然，緋聞八卦十分吸引人，也是帕瓦羅蒂生活的一部分，也是展開他性格描述的好途徑。但就私生活角度而言，緋聞八卦反而占據(jù)了一個(gè)過重的地位。盡管我們看到所有與他相關(guān)的女人們都出鏡了，但我們對于他的另外一個(gè)身份幾乎一無所知，作為父親作為一家之長，帕瓦羅蒂到底經(jīng)歷了什么。我們只能從三位女兒的只言片語間去猜測帕瓦羅蒂在家庭到底是怎樣的存在。

尤其是緋聞八卦與帕瓦羅蒂本身的成就本沒有過多掛鉤，只是用來豐滿人物形象的情況下，過重的八卦還不如破碎家庭的“哭訴”。如何在工作中抽身陪同孩子的成長，與原配妻子是如何惡化的等等。假如并非客觀因素掣肘，而是主觀引導(dǎo)，我會比較失望。

除此之外，比較奇怪的是，采訪的幾乎是同僚，幾乎少有作為朋友、同學(xué)這種身份的采訪者。算是很大的一個(gè)遺憾，離塑造一個(gè)完整的人物還是缺失了那么點(diǎn)。 所以至少，我并不認(rèn)為該紀(jì)錄片較完整呈現(xiàn)了誰是“帕瓦羅蒂”。

(短評超字?jǐn)?shù)) I am truly happy for him that he was lucky and able to enjoy the world as a playground. On a side note, the attack (from P's friend) on the critics about aging voice is absurd, life experience gives a person deeper understand of human emotions and may lead to closer to real acting/performance; however, opera is about color(ful), vibrance and strength, not the mixtured-feeling realism; and no matter how highly he praises the added flavor of age, I bet he still would kill to keep his voice youthful.

“King of the High C’s”, in Ron Haward’s PAVAROTTI, Luciano Pavarotti (1935-2007) is likened as “Enrico Caruso of his generation”, contested by the opening footage of him belting out in a derelict theatre house amid the Amazon jungle where once Caruso performed.

This cradle-to-grave biographical documentary offers a comprehensive outlook to this beloved opera superstar, chronologically from his humble start, his meteoric rise, continually accruing popularity, unorthodox career moves (consorting with pop and rock ’n’ roll stars) until his demise. Interviewees range from his peers (Domingo, Carreras, Mehta), his close associates (Madelyn Renée Monti, who was also his paramour, promoters Rudas and Goldsmith) , collaborators (Bono) to his immediate family members, amongst which his first wife (Adua Veroni), second wife (Nicoletta Mantovani) and three daughters all speak personally and candidly about their feelings of this large man.

As far as an artist’s documentary goes, Howard’s film is more than satisfactory on the whole level, encapsulating Pavarotti’s famous renditions and concerts with key footage, singling out his powerful timbre and, in particular, his child-like, personable image which is packaged with his voice as the wow factor to entice worldwide followers. Iconic performances including “La bohème” in Beijing, China, 1986 (a short interview of Lang Lang is simply to achieve a name-dropping effect), and the Three Tenors concert at the ancient Baths of Caracalla in Rome, 1990. It is a purely ASMR moment to regard and hear his voice reach and sustain the crescendo, such a gift extraordinaire.

Through interview footage, the tenor himself also gives some introspection on his inner thoughts about his family, his legacy and himself. It is also pleasurable to see he is pally with Princess Diana, and his charity endeavor has a far-reaching influence.

So, in relation to his visit to Beijing in 1986, DeWitt Sage’s DISTANT HARMONY is a curio for not just opera fans. The documentary closely follows Pavarotti’s activities in China, including a singing class for Chinese singers (the clip is also appropriated in Ron Howard’s PAVAROTTI), and his full-on participation in Beijing opera, with make-up and all the appurtenances.

The film projects an outsider’s curiosity to peek into the Middle Kingdom hitherto has been somewhat a myth to an occidental audience, and in accordance with its subject, its main point of entry is through music. Beijing opera is juxtaposed with western opera, violin versus erhu, teenage girls dancing to tune of a western pop song signals the benignant message of harmony, also martial art is part of the furniture for Chinese propaganda, but virtuosity is a stunner resided in those young practitioners.

Sage’s documentary records a bygone era with a certain degree of tenderness and tentativeness, although in retrospect, insight is in short measure. For example, the inexorable cultural clash between both parties in orchestrating this historical event is ruefully underrepresented here. What in abundance is Pavarotti’s affable persona and open-faced curiosity, his impression of a China opening to the west lingers on the differences colored by mythicism rather than human commonality. Just like the title implies, Pavarotti is a cultural herald of forthcoming collaborations and cooperations, but the West still keeps a leery eye on such “harmony”, a barrier rapturously dismantled by the tenor’s unrivaled voice and unfeigned charisma.

referential entries: Tom Volf’s MARIA BY CALLAS (2017, 7.6/10); Asif Kapadia’s AMY (2015, 8.3/10).

Title: Pavarotti

Year: 2019

Genre: Documentary, Biography, Music

Country: USA, UK, France, Italy

Language: English, Italian, Spanish, French, Russian

Director: Ron Howard

Writers: Cassidy Hartmann, Mark Monroe

Music: Ric Markmann, Matter Music, Dan Pinnella, Chris Wagner

Cinematography: Axel Baumann, Luca Cuiti, Michael Dwyer, Alan Gwizdowski, Tom Hurwitz, Patrizio Saccò, Michael Wood

Editor: Paul Crowder

Stars:

Adua Veroni

Madelyn Renée Monti

Nicoletta Mantovani

Plácido Domingo

José Carreras

Angela Gheorghiu

Zubin Mehta

Andrea Griminelli

Harvey Goldsmith

Lang Lang

Bono

Herbert H. Breslin

Michael Kuhn

Rating: 7.7/10

Title: Distant Harmony

Year: 1987

Genre: Documentary, Music

Country: USA

Language: English

Director/Writer: DeWitt Sage

Cinematography: Richard Gordon, Miroslav Ondrícek

Editors: Coco Houwer, Victor Kanefsky, Sam Pollard, Oreet Rees

Stars:

Luciano Pavarotti

Madelyn Renée Monti

Rating: 7.3/10

這部記錄帕瓦羅蒂生平的紀(jì)錄片于帕瓦羅蒂逝世十周年之際開拍，歷時(shí)近兩年拍攝而成的。紀(jì)錄片包括了帕瓦羅蒂過去的錄像影音，以及他的音樂好友們及家人的采訪，在了解帕瓦羅蒂一生的同時(shí)，被他的燦爛純真的笑容迷住。

說說我最喜歡的幾個(gè)片段。

片段一，

1990年帕瓦羅蒂、多明戈和卡雷拉斯舉辦的“三大男高音”演唱會。

最精彩的一段是最后三人合唱《圖蘭朵》中的詠嘆調(diào)《今夜無人入眠》。

片中多明戈回憶這段往事時(shí)說：原本《今夜無人入眠》是留給帕瓦羅蒂的Solo，多明戈和卡雷拉斯則站在臺上等謝幕。但是，多明戈突然在帕瓦羅蒂即將唱時(shí)提議：為什么我們不三個(gè)人一起合唱呢？

赤裸裸的搶戲就此拉開帷幕。

帕瓦羅蒂先開口，作為他最經(jīng)典的詠嘆調(diào)，他唱得舒緩清亮，正待繼續(xù)，多明戈開口搶戲。帕瓦羅蒂明顯有點(diǎn)意外，看看多明戈，很可愛的做了個(gè)怪相，努努嘴，挑了個(gè)眉。

飆技的斗志隨即被激起， 輪到他時(shí)，他故意拖長了音調(diào)，臺下掌聲雷動。

多明戈與卡雷拉斯此時(shí)暗戳戳的交頭接耳，密謀著詭計(jì)。之后果然激起又一輪明搶暗斗，好不歡樂。

多明戈回憶：三人上到舞臺，都默契地想著，剛剛你唱得可真棒，接下來看我的了。幾個(gè)年過半百的老頭，真是可愛至極。

結(jié)尾處，三人高音交匯，直沖云霄。現(xiàn)場觀眾起立鼓掌，久不停息。

片段二，U2和帕瓦羅蒂現(xiàn)場演奏的《薩拉熱窩小姐》，之前并不知道有帕瓦羅蒂參與演唱的版本，臺下是戴安娜王妃癡迷的眼神，之后帕瓦羅蒂與黛安娜王妃成為知己，聯(lián)合做了不少公益慈善。

片段三，1986年，北京的長安街上，有個(gè)穿著紅衣的胖子騎車騎得得飛快。滿臉燦爛笑容，逍遙自在仿佛一個(gè)孩子。

正是1986年他第一次來中國，帶來了后來家喻戶曉的《我的太陽》，把高高在上的歌劇舞臺帶到了千家萬戶。

片段四，影片最后，帕瓦羅蒂對著鏡頭外的妻子錄像，他說了一段話后沉吟片刻，繼續(xù)說，還有我當(dāng)然希望你永遠(yuǎn)愛我，如果你今天不愛我，永遠(yuǎn)還有明天。

在導(dǎo)演講述帕瓦羅蒂起起落落的人生片段時(shí)，配的詠嘆調(diào)也好契合。