Save your money for something good and enjoyable

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

There's been a bit of a boom recently of picture houses like my local emporium showing beamed-back theatrical and operatic performances in a bid to broaden their audience base. The Tales of Hoffman tries to bring opera and ballet to the cinema similarly but instead stuffs the action directly onto the celluloid and invites you to don your theatre binoculars and enjoy. And I tried to enjoy it.After a slightly heart-sinking moment towards the end of the prologue, when I realised that there was to be no narrative dialogue whatsoever and that everything was going to be sung, in that caterwauly way, I relaxed into the first of the acts and it started to become something that I could appreciate more. The sets are quite deliberately stagey and story lines are simple but there's a nice undertone of humour to what you're seeing and the screeching settles down a little.However, it has to be said that there are sections still where things feel overlong and the third act in particular just felt drawn out and not in a good way. I've read this piece elsewhere described as being cold and I have to concur. The sets and the camera work are pretty good and even some of the singing, but it's hit or miss in its cohesion.I'm glad to have gone along to watch and there were elements that worked very well, but as a whole, it wouldn't be something that I would rush to pay to see again.

I do love A Matter of Life and Death, The Red Shoes, The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, Black Narcissus and A Canterbury Tale as well. However, there is something about The Tales of Hoffmann that is very special to me. Not just the dancing, the production values but also the opera Tales of Hoffmann itself. The music by Offenbach is outstanding with not a single weak link. As always from Powell and Pressburger it is a visually stunning production, with dazzling effects, beautiful costumes and sets and some of the most gorgeous Technicolour I have ever seen on film. The opera's music is lushly performed by the orchestra and Sir Thomas Beecham's, who I know best from his Delius and his La Boheme recording(with Bjorling, DeLos Angeles and Merrill), conducting never feels as though it's rushing or dragging. There are some changes to the story such as Lindorf being silent in the prologue, Stella turned as a ballet dancer, Nicklausse's(other than the villains of the opera the character who ties the opera's story together) role is abridged and Act 3(or Antonia's Tale) is shortened.Despite these changes, the film still maintains the spirit and essence of the story and opera. The dancing is just as dazzling as the film's visuals, Robert Helpmann is wonderful in all four roles particularly good as Dappertutto, but it was Moira Shearer's Olympia that really impressed. The singing is every bit as good, Robert Rounsville has a strong tenor voice as Hoffmann, Bruce Dargavel sings Coppelius, Dappertutto and Dr Miracle with just the right character and velvety evilness and Margharita Grandi(with Ludmilla Tcherina on film) striking as courtesan Giulietta, contrasting very well in the beautiful Barcarolle with the firm and very intelligently sung Nicklausse of Monica Sinclair. Dorothy Bond sings with clear, agile colouratura. Less successful is Ann Ayers as the consumptive and very downbeat Antonia, fine on screen but vocally at times she is a little shrill for my liking.Overall though, just another masterpiece from Powell and Pressburger that is will always be special to me. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Certainly THE TALES OF HOFFMANN is not a film for everyone. It's done as pure opera with singing throughout and performed as a ballet with lavish set designs and breathtaking use of Technicolor. It won Oscar nominations for Set Decoration and Color and is produced in the tasteful style of all Powell and Pressburger films.But the drawback is that only the tale of Olympia, the mechanical doll, and the ill-fated love affair with the young Hoffmann (played in all three segments by tenor Robert Rounseville) is up to the top standards the film strives to achieve. The other tales of Hoffmann's follies are less interesting, not as easy to understand and not as entertaining or melodious as the Olympia segment.The final tale of Antonia suffers from the high notes forced upon screeching soprano (Anne Ayars) and the demands of the score which is clearly more tedious than melodious at this point.Robert Helpmann as the villain in all three tales is excellent and Robert Rounseville as Hoffmann is the only cast member who does his own singing in a strong tenor voice. You may remember him as Mr. Snow in Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" with Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones.But there's no denying the magic of all the visual images on screen which includes the use of puppets and a good mixture of cinema and stage techniques. Opera lovers will find fault with some of the singers but it's hard to see any fault in the dancing which looked magnificent to me.None of the stories are as involving as "The Red Shoes" and this is one of the weaknesses of the film. The first story is far better than the rest of the tales which makes for an uneven blend of storytelling.A brilliant use of color and classical music makes it a "must see" for most film buffs.

I have a lot of admiration for Michael Powell and being a conductor, I wanted very much to see his Tales of Hoffmann. I've rarely been so disappointed! -If you are a film director student or a fan of old movies, I highly recommend you to watch his other movies such as "a Matter of Life and Death"/"Stairway to Heaven", "A Canterbury Tale", "Black Narcissus" or "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp". This one would only disappoint your sophisticated taste because it is utterly out of fashion and not even revolutionary for its time.-If you are an opera buff like me, you'll hate it for several reasons: Offenbach's score has always been a problem in terms of musical accuracy and legitimacy. Some conductors have edited the manuscript (fully discovered only recently after decades of persevering research from many musicologists), some have added material composed by themselves or by others. This version is just ludicrous, it is completely manipulated and arranged for a cinema version. BUT that is not the worst: Sir Thomas Beecham's conducting is a heavy bore in many parts (dreadful overture for example). The singing is in English and not in french! Although, it was the fashion in those times to sing operas in the language of the country where it was performed and not in the original language: total heresy! At last, the voices are terrible: the tenor is way too light for Hoffmann and could never sing such a demanding role on stage, Giulietta is often flat, Antonia has the voice of a goat, and Olympia should rather sing the soundtrack of Snow White.-If you don't know opera and want to discover this beautiful work, please avoid this! It won't make you appreciate it, it doesn't even remotely give justice to Offenbach's masterpiece. I can't recommend any version in particular as there are never flawless (wait for mine:)but the Brian Large's with Domingo will be more likely to make you love the music.