Pagliacci (1982 film)

Pagliacci is a 1982 Italian film of Ruggero Leoncavallos opera Pagliacci, directed by Franco Zeffirelli. All the actors, including Plcido Domingo and Teresa Stratas in the starring roles, were opera singers who sang their own parts. Pagliacci was shot at Milans La Scala opera house and on a movie sound stage. Georges Prtre conducted the Orchestra and Choir of La Scala.

The story is set in southern Italy and recounts the tragedy of Canio, the lead clown or pagliaccio in Italian in a commedia dellarte troupe, his wife Nedda, and her lover, Silvio. When Nedda spurns the advances of Tonio, another player in the troupe, he tells Canio about Neddas betrayal. In a jealous rage Canio murders both Nedda and Silvio. Although Leoncavallos opera was originally set in the late 1860s, Zeffirellis production is updated to the period between World War I and World War II.The Italian television network RAI had originally wanted to broadcast a live performance of Franco Zeffirellis 1981 productions of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci from the stage of La Scala. Zeffirelli, however, requested to be allowed to film the productions as if they were movies instead. In part, because both operas starred popular tenor Plcido Domingo, Unitel agreed to help finance the project. Zeffirelli insisted that Canadian soprano Teresa Stratas play Nedda, even though she was not originally cast in the stage production. Over the course of only two days, the director filmed both works at the opera house when it was not in use. He had a wooden platform built over the front seats of the auditorium, where he placed his cameras to film the action onstage. He later did pickup shots at an Italian film studio. ........

Source: Wikipedia