Ma Wing-Jing (1997)

The Real Thing! Buy it!
I've seen a lot of Butterflies! And just as many Pinkertons too! This is the real thing. A gorgeous Butterfly and a handsome Pinkerton. Their Oscar worthy performances are astounding. And the supporting cast is great. Even the kid! You'll cry buckets. And Troxell really looks repentant at the end.

Puccini-Madame Butterfly /Huang,Troxell
Outstanding movie version of the world famous opera. I look forward to other operas made into movies in that caliber. I own La Traviata and Cavalleria Rusticana /I Pagliacci in videocassette which I need to replace in DVD format. Puccini's Madame Butterfly is absolutely outstanding. The voices, the acting, the scenary are second to none. It's become my favorite.

Absolutely amazing...
The first version of this opera I had on dvd was the 1974 production with Mirella Freni and Placido Domingo. Yes, the voices are going to be better from such practiced and famous singers, but on production value this movie blows me away. The sets are fantastic, the costumes are also amazing, and every little detail helps everything seem realistic. The Chinese actress playing Butterfly is heartbreakingly sincere, especially in her later, tragic arias. Richard Troxell as Pinkerton is as annoying as he is supposed to be, and as heartless. Suzuki is also phenominally developed in this film, and little details (such as when Butterfly and Suzuki are playing a game in the garden) help to foster the believability of their relationship. Everyone pulls their weight in this movie, and I have been unable to stop watching it since I got it. It is simply a beautiful film that suffers from some flaws that should have been taken out during editing - the grainy black-and-white film that happens in the middle of the movie doesn't work, and nor does her uncle flying in from the sky. But other moments, such as when Butterfly is singing about taking her son through the wind and rain, are staged so you see the vision she has in her head of what would happen, and it is heartbreaking.

I thouroughly and completely recommend this film, you will NOT be disappointed.