Regular Price $19.99

Starring: Theresa Russell,  Stephanie Lane (II),  Roy Hyatt,  Sevilla Delofski,  Ruth Halliday, 
Directed By: Charles Sturridge,  Ken Russell,  Jean-Luc Godard, 
Rated: R (Restricted)
Release Date: 1988-07
Studio: Image Entertainment
Format: Anamorphic,  Color,  Dolby,  DVD-Video,  Widescreen,  NTSC, 

Editorial Reviews and DVD Information about Aria

Description
Ten of the world's greatest directors produce one unforgettable film in this sumptuous visual and musical feast based on the most famous arias in the history of opera. Erotic, violent, thought-provoking, funny, and moving, this critically-hailed milestone features the electrifyingly erotic film debut of Briget Fonda, a revealing appearance by supermodel Elizabeth Hurley (Austin Powers), and unforgettable performances from John Hurt (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone), Tilda Swinton (The Deep End), Beverly D'Angelo (Vacation), Theresa Russell (Wild Things), and many more! Segments directed by Robert Altman (Gosford Park), Bruce Beresford (Double Jeopardy), Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard (Contempt), Derek Jarman (Edward II), Franc Roddam (Quadrophenia), Nicolas Roeg (Performance), Ken Russell (Tommy), Charles Sturridge (Longitude), Julien Temple (The Filth and the Fury).

Amazon.com
This omnibus directors fest brings together 10 different filmmakers making 10 different films based on operatic arias. Jean-Luc Godard is stylistically the boldest, Robert Altman possibly the most imaginative, Franc Roddam celebrates American glitz, and Bruce Beresford is the most sentimental. Nearly all the other filmmakers involved--including Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Julien Temple, Charles Sturridge, Derek Jarman, and Bill Bryden--are (or were, in the case of the late Jarman) world-class talents, but you wouldn't know that from their murky participation here. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews for Aria

Great Music For Listwening On lyh
The ideal use for this DVD is to play the soundtrack on your computer while you are doing other things. It is apparent that Hollywood film directors are the shall,owest, least creative tribe on the planet, who equjate art with nakedness and have no imagination at all./ The one star is earned by the Verdi "Un Ballo" episode at the beginning which goes back to the attempted assasination of King Zog of Albania for a really thought-out tie in. Evderyhthing else visually on this disk is trash. The music selected is great and the singers are outstanding, with the tenor selection exceptional (no Pavarotti!) For listening only!Aria

ARIA - Classic Lost....
ARIA is a wonderful film. Each director chose an Operatic Aria to work with for interpretation to the screen.
The new DVD release is to be avoided. I pre-ordered this a couple of months ago and upon arrival, was totally dissapointed by the quality. It's not 16x9 as advertised. It's not even full frame as it was filmed. Very poor transfer from an old answer or release print. Poor sound, doesn't even look good with a 1080 upconvert DVD player.
I have this film on VHS tape. Three years ago I transfered it to DVD. My VHS tape copy is far superior to this release.
In short, it sucks.......Aria

Joy Ride through Opera and Imagination.
A exhilariting ride through the best operatic arias and original story telling. Wonderful to see younger Elizabeth Hurley, Bridget Fonda, Tilda Swinton, Theresa Russell and Stepahanie Lane.Aria

An interesting proposal!
You must watch this film as a true artistic experiment and nothing else. It' s a successful encounter of well talented filmmakers who gave the best of themselves in order to create and recreate the Opera and extend the range of its possibilities.
Aria

Even the Men Can Cry
There comes a time when you are exposed to a film...to a song...to a photograph...to a piece of history that sends you to a place where you either want to be...or wish to avoid.

I saved the film "ARIA" for Father's Day...because when I began to watch it six months ago I was quickly enveloped in an aura of nostalgia that tugged at my heart.

I don't know how to review such a film as "ARIA". There's never been anything like it, nor will there be again. It is cinematic brilliance...cinematic brilliance...cinematic brilliance. Do you get the point?

It is a visual masterpiece...a musical masterpiece...simply a piece of art!

I'd be remiss if I told you it was for everyone. This one is very much a romantic (sometimes erotic) flick I would highly recommend to the hopeless romantics on this planet. Unfortunately, that eliminates most of the men on Earth...but not me.

I don't remember the last time I cried so much...so hard...so consistently...than with this operatic, eroti,. connectic, endearing...and sometimes tragic epic.

It is filled with love...with pain...with hope...and joy...and sprinkled with passion...with eternal love...with lost dreams...with hopeful fantasies...with ART!

Many films have left me speechless...this one will never find a way to keep my trap shut.

Maybe it's the romance in me that provoked the tears...but this film is one that goes straight to the heart...the soul...the ears and the tears. If you've ever been in love...lost a love...yearned for love...or simply enjoyed the thought of being in love..."ARIA" is for you.

See it with a loving friend. I swear you'll swap tissues...you'll hug...you'll cry out loud...

and that's what makes this film such an epic of the heart. What's wrong with tears? What's wrong with wanting...having...losing...possessing the strength of eternal love and passion? Isn't that what life is all about?

All of this is captured without a script. The soul is orchestrated by operatic classics.

It is profound sound...visual candy that only a cinematic artist could capture on film.

This one was made for PR...for me. It will go down as one of the finest films I have ever seen.

Only one hint...it is a series of vignettes that build in intensity. The star-studded cast includes many classic actors and actresses...but their challenge in this ditty was to capture your heart without a script. Guess what? They do.

Here's the box. Go out...rent or buy this box...along with some Kleenex...a bottle of Chardonnay...and hold the hand of someone you love. I, regretably, was home alone...and when I let Stan (my dog) in the house after the film...he never received a better back rub (scratch behind the ears). I'm still lost in "ARIA". The tranquil mood...the imagery...the beautiful music will live with me forever. Phew! This one was simply awesome!Aria