Madame Butterfly (1995 film)
| Madame Butterfly | |
|---|---|
Film poster | |
| Directed by | Frédéric Mitterrand |
| Written by | Frédéric Mitterrand Libretto: Luigi Illica Giuseppe Giacosa |
| Based on | Madama Butterfly (1904 opera) by Giacomo Puccini Luigi Illica Giuseppe Giacosa |
| Produced by | Daniel Toscan du Plantier Pierre-Olivier Bardet |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Philippe Welt |
| Edited by | Luc Barnier |
| Music by | Giacomo Puccini James Conlon (adaptation) |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Les Films du Losange (France) Blue Dolphin Films (UK) Sony Pictures Classics (through Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International) (Germany and Austria) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 105 minutes |
| Countries | France United Kingdom Germany |
| Language | Italian |
Madame Butterfly is a 1995 musical film, based on the 1904 opera Madama Butterfly with music by Giacomo Puccini and libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It is written and directed by Frédéric Mitterrand, and produced by Daniel Toscan du Plantier and Pierre-Olivier Bardet.[1] The cast features soprano Huang Ying as Cio-Cio-san, tenor Richard Troxell as Pinkerton, mezzo-soprano Ning Liang as Suzuki, and bass-baritone Richard Cowan as Sharpless. The score was adapted, arranged, and conducted by James Conlon.
The film was an international co-production between French, British, and German companies. It was released by Les Films du Losange in France on 22 November 1995, and received positive reviews.[2][3][4][5] At the 21st César Awards, the film won Best Costume Design and was nominated for Best Production Design.[6]
Plot
Cast
| Role | Voice type | Actor | Singing voice (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cio-Cio-san | soprano | Huang Ying | N/a |
| Lt. Benjamin F. Pinkerton | tenor | Richard Troxell | N/a |
| Suzuki | mezzo-soprano | Ning Liang | N/a |
| Sharpless | baritone | Richard Cowan | N/a |
| Goro | tenor | Fan Jingma | N/a |
| Prince Yamadori | tenor | Christopheren Nòmura | N/a |
| Kate Pinkerton | mezzo-soprano | Constance Hauman | N/a |
| Uncle Bonze | bass | Yo Kusakabe | Edmund-Zelotes Tolliver |
| Uncle Yakuside | bass | Kamel Touati | Richard Tronc |
| Cio-Cio's father | silent | Yoshi Oida | N/a |
| Cio-Cio's mother | mezzo-soprano | Thérèse Nguyen Ba Hau | Laurence Monteyrol |
| Dolore, Cio-Cio's child | silent | Miki-Lou Pinard | N/a |
| The Imperial Commissioner | bass | Qing Wu | Edmund-Zelotes Tolliver |
| The Official Registrar | bass | Nabil Agoun | N/a |
| The Aunt | soprano | Midori Mornet | Asaya Otsuka |
| The Cousin | soprano | Wen-Juan Zhao | Catherine Napoli |
Production
As filming in Japan proved prohibitively expensive, the film was shot in Tunisia, on Lake Ichkeul and in Bizerte.[7]
Reception
Critical response
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film a positive review, writing "This beautiful new film version of “Madame Butterfly” is not a revisionist approach; it films Puccini’s opera more or less as it was intended to be seen, and of course that is what we want . The approach is traditional, the pace is attentive, and yet the emotion is still all there."[8]
Andy Seiler of USA Today wrote "Besides a visual combination of authentic Japanese realism and picturesque, dream-like cinematography that matches the lushness of Puccini's music, director Frederic Mitterrand gives the opera a distinctively cinematic gravity and subtlety."[9]
In contrast, Christian Leblé of Libération gave the film a negative review, writing "[The film] does not have to justify any point of view, nor any aesthetic. (...) All this to say that one comes away stunned, tired by the melodrama and by so many decibels, not particularly happy."[10]
On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 70% based on reviews from 10 critics.[9]
Awards and nominations
| Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21st César Awards | Best Production Design | Michèle Abbé-Vannier | Nominated | [11] |
| Best Costume Design | Christian Gasc | Won | [11] |
References
- ^ "Madame Butterfly (1995)". BFI. Archived from the original on April 6, 2017. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. "Madame Butterfly movie review (1996)". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ^ "Pamina's Opera House » DVD Review: Madame Butterfly (1995, Mitterrand film)". Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ^ O'Shea, Stephen (1996-01-08). "Madame Butterfly". Variety. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ^ Holden, Stephen (1996-05-03). "Film Review;Love Is Blind as Ever, But the Music Is Nice". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-04.
- ^ Madame Butterfly, retrieved 2019-12-04
- ^ "Frédéric Mitterrand : «J'ai vingt projets de films auxquels je pense depuis trente ans» : "Madame Butterfly"". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ "Madame Butterfly movie review (1996) | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ a b "Madame Butterfly | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ "Butterfly trop soumise". Libération (in French). Archived from the original on 2025-04-27. Retrieved 2026-02-23.
- ^ a b "César 1996 - Edition n°21". AlloCiné (in French). Retrieved 2026-02-23.