Review: Farinelli

"Your death is in your throat!" a boy cries out to a group of startled young singers below him. Then he jumps.

From the beginning of the 17th century to the dawn of the 19th century, the castrati reigned supreme. However, they paid a terrible price for their talent. In order to preserve the child's voice -- with its manly power and high feminine register -- a castration must be performed. Farinelli (Il Castrato) is based on the life of one of the greatest castrato singers of all time, Farinelli (Stefano Dionisi).

Born Carlo Broschi, Farinelli has always been haunted by dreams of the violent accident that caused his castration. According to both his father and older brother, Riccardo (Enrico Lo Verso, miscast and looking ill at ease), he was castrated due to a horseback riding mishap. Despite Farinelli's feeling of inadequacy and bitterness, he knows that he is nothing without his voice. Without his voice, his brother's compositions could not come to life.

Much of the film revolves around the brothers' mutually dependent yet emotionally tortured relationship. The two have an unusual pact: Farinelli seduces the women into bed with his unsettling voice, brings them to the point of utter arousal and Riccardo takes over to perform the act that Farinelli cannot. This agreement is soon questioned by Farinelli who has fallen in love with Alexandra Leyris (the enchanting Elsa Zylberstein, so marvelous in the current release Mina Tannenbaum).

Alexandra also becomes a pivotal factor in the brothers' professional rift. Riccardo is nothing more than a minor composer whose works prostitute Farinelli's voice. Farinelli, whose dependence on his brother caused him to rebuff the renowned Handel (the suitably intimidating Jeroen Krabbé), approaches the composer once more. Handel, though tempted, refuses to let Farinelli sing any of his compositions.

Farinelli ignores Handel's wishes. With Alexandra's help, he is able to obtain Handel's latest musical scores. Farinelli's performance of these scores at a decidedly anti-Handel opera house brings about devastating pain to all parties involved and reveals the truth of Farinelli's castration.

Although Dionisi cannot be hailed as a marvel, he is effective nonetheless. What he lacks in bearing (a gravity of presence described in abstracts that is found in the greatest of great performers), he atones for in charisma. Using his alluring eyes to maximum effect, he successfully emotes overconfidence, bemusement, pride, and fragility.

While the film possesses neither the emotional resonance of Amadeus nor the MTV-style audaciousness of the recent Immortal Beloved, Farinelli has its own rewards. The audience is treated to lavish sets and costumes throughout the film. Farinelli's performances are intriguing though not everyone will swoon and faint like the ladies onscreen. The sex scenes, especially with one girl under the covers as Farinelli caresses her, are quite erotic.

The film, however, fails to capitalize on the subtleties of the brothers' relationship. The complexities between the two are treated in a pedestrian manner. Thus, the climax is not quite as emotionally horrifying as it should have been.

An interesting note: in order to recreate the voice of the castrati, director Gérard Corbiau decided to "morph" two voices (countertenor Derek Lee Ragin and soprano Ewa Mallas Godlewska) together.

Farinelli

Directed by: Gérard Corbiau

Written by: Marcel Beaulieu, Andrée Corbiau, Gérard Corbiau

Starring: Stefano Dionisi, Enrico Lo Verso, Elsa Zylberstein, Jeroen Krabbé, Caroline Cellier, Marianne Basler