The Barber of Seville = Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Filmed in black and white, this feature length production of Gioacchino Rossini’s comic opera “The Barber of Seville” in three acts, with libretto by Cesare Sterbini and based on the play by Pierre Beaumarchais, was shot in Rome and stars one of Italy’s most famous opera singers, Tito Gobbi, in the role of Figaro the town barber. Figaro is the unsung hero as he ingeniously plots and schemes his way around a love triangle between Count Almaviva (Ferruccio Tagliavini), the young and beautiful Rosina (Nelly Corradi) who the Count madly adores, and Dr Bartolo (Vito De Taranto), Rosina’s strict guardian who also fancies Rosina and wants to make her his wife. It is through Figaro’s amazing disguises and interferences that finally outwit Dr Bartolo, allowing the two lovers to eventually elope. Features the Orchestra and Chorus of the Opera of Rome conducted by Giuseppe Morelli and a supporting cast including Italo Tajo, Natalia Nicolini and Nino Mazziotti. Sung in Italian with no English subtitles. NB: Image quality is inconsistent (particularly in the beginning) and sound track is a bit scratchy but production is of historical value.