The Blu-ray Experience: Opera & Ballet(2008)

Le songe. Choreography & film by Jean-Christophe Maillot(fr)

Owls: Masters of the Night(en)

Owls are remarkable, highly resourceful birds that have carved out a unique way to live. They have colonized terrains from tundra to rain forest and will hunt almost anything.

Ele é o Espetáculo: José Vasconcelos(pt)

Aguilas de acero(es)

Two Air force pilots are best friends in that competitive, always picking fights with each other way.

Making of a True Story: Rescue Dawn(en)

"Rescue Dawn: The Making of a True Story" is a documentary film that provides a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the movie "Rescue Dawn" (2006). Directed by Werner Herzog, the documentary delves into the process of bringing the captivating true story of Dieter Dengler to the big screen. This documentary film provides a fascinating insight into the filmmaking process, shedding light on the director's vision, the authenticity of the settings, the grueling conditions endured by the actors during filming, and the passion that drove everyone involved to create a powerful and authentic portrayal of a remarkable real-life hero.

Miki, the Swordman(ja)

After mastering swordsmanship at the dojo of Chiba Shusaku, and unable to serve a clan due to his illness, Hirate Miki becomes a ronin who winds up as bodyguard to Shigezo of Sasagawa leading up to an epic battle.

The Unsinkable Miss Calabash(zh)

An adaptation of Xuan Xiaofo’s novel of the same name

El astillero(es)

Re-belles(fr)

It Came from the 80's!(en)

A collection of three 80's-inspired horror-comedy film trailers parodying zombie, slasher and monster movies. The Sitting Dead follows a pregnant couple in a dystopic world where zombies have taken all the chairs. "Jump Scare II: Double Dutch" follows a gym teacher and his evil twin who kill students with jump ropes. "Snack Time" follows a police chief's mission to stop a monster vending machine.

The Button(ru)

An unhappy artist finally decides to paint a self-portrait but with the appearance of a wealthy person, with a car and a country house. What he does not imagine is that his portrait will compete with him for the same woman ...

Alice + Freda Forever(en)

Two teenage girls, Alice Mitchell and Freda Ward, fall deeply in love until jealousy and outside forces turn their romance into an unstable obsession. 

A Reggae Session(en)

Gathered together for one night, the legendary names of Reggae and more meet at Fort Charles, Jamaica for a musical event that would reverberate around the world!

To the Wolf(en)

Set over four days of unrelenting wind and rain in a remote village high up in the Nafpaktia Mountains in the west of Greece, the film follows the lives of two shepherd families struggling to live. The village, now forgotten and near deserted, has had its best days. Paxnis, the old white haired shepherd, who had foreseen the trouble this land would face has already given into despair. Giorgos unable to sell his goats and with debts mounting up, drinks to forget. Combining documentary and fiction with an all local cast 'To the Wolf ' is both the reality and an unsettling allegory for today's Greece

Patouillard's Wife Wants to Follow the Latest Fashions(fr)

The wife of Patouillard begs him for new clothes according to the latest fashion in the newspapers. So they go out for some shopping. Afterwards she is going out in her new dress, which is so tight that she can hardly walk in it. She changes the skirt for a pair of trousers, but finds herself being laughed at, and when the trousers get wet at the seaside, Patouillard finally puts her in a jute bag and makes her hop back home.

You Don't Know Nicotine(en)

Amidst radical changes in nicotine use globally, one filmmaker's journey through the confusion & fear leads to a startling discovery about Earth's most hated stimulant. Society may be changed forever.

Belonging(tr)

Kaan has always been looking for a meaning in his life. Gizem and Bengi were in love but the city didn't welcome much girls like them. Fuat had spent his life as a homeless in the streets of Istanbul. There has been a belief that an old spiritual ship once got stuck in Istanbul. A ship that would only be visible to the ones who would belong to it, who would need it in their lives. A ship that would take them to where they belong to. The ship was about to take off. The film is inspired by the short animation film called "How Did The Amentu Ship Move", made in 1970 by Tonguç Yaşar and Sezer Tansuğ.

Le Premier Pas(fr)

Eric, a travel agent, is in love with a young woman about whom he knows nothing and imagines everything. For six months, he has observed her comings and goings through the window of his agency. Until he is suddenly told of his transfer...

Kill Giggles(en)

Tommy dos Santos wasn't born a psychopath, nor was he made into a sociopath. He was something entirely new, and he was walking his own path - a path that will run red with the blood of the foulest most fiendishly frightening creatures ever conceived by man! No longer do they have the starring role in our nightmares, it is now the clowns who are the prey, running for their lives from a killer who won't stop until every single one of them is dead. As Tommy's body count rises, he finds himself getting closer and closer to what he thought was a ghost, the once great clown king known as "Giggles," and wonders - if laughter can't die, how about Giggles?

The Gift(sw)

Mashoto’s life in the city is a hustle. It’s a fast life in the fast city of Dar es Salaam. There’s no time to stop and Mashoto likes it this way. There’s no time to think about the people he left behind in the village. Until silence cuts through the city racket with three words: mother has died. With those words Mashoto’s life changes forever. He returns home, to the place he abandoned, to bury his only ally. Yet his mother has left behind a gift. Her voice, her unseen presence, a gentle whisper urging him to open his eyes and strain his ears- to learn the lessons of nature, of the earth and the roots that draw their nourishment from it. Cast out by his father after losing the little money his mother had left, Mashoto must learn to survive from the land. He must learn to face old enemies and forge new alliances, to fight and to love. Most of all, Mashoto must discover what it is he is fighting for.

Song of the Swan(en)

A vivid dream exploration of Moira Shearer's heart and mind, just before and after she agreed to star in Powell and Pressburger's beloved cinema classic "The Red Shoes", a decision that would change her life forever. Celebrating the original film but also shining a light on the uncanny parallels between Moira Shearer and her tragic alter ego Victoria Page. Revealing a complex and defiant young woman who ultimately chose life over fame.

Eugene Onegin(ru)

A filmed version of Tchaikovsky's opera. Onegin visits a friend, his fiancee and her sister Tatiana, who believes Onegin is her fated love. She writes a note telling him so, but he rejects her. Years later he returns, finding her married, but now he's smitten with her.

Amadeus(en)

Disciplined Italian composer Antonio Salieri becomes consumed by jealousy and resentment towards the hedonistic and remarkably talented young Viennese composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The Beggar's Opera(en)

Adaptation of John Gay's 18th century opera, featuring Laurence Olivier as MacHeath and Hugh Griffith as the Beggar.

Rusalka(cs)

Three arias from Antonín Dvořák´s fairytale opera Rusalka turned in to a movie, sung by Gabriela Beňačková (Rusalka), Libuše Márová (Witch), René Tuček (Hunter).

Billy Elliot(en)

County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.

Bizet: Carmen(fr)

Richard Eyre’s stunning new production of Bizet’s opera was the talk of the town when it was unveiled on New Year’s Eve 2009. Elīna Garanča leads the cast as the iconic gypsy of the title—a woman desired by every man but determined to remain true to herself. Roberto Alagna is Don José, the soldier who falls under her spell and sacrifices everything for her love, only to be cast aside when the toreador Escamillo (Teddy Tahu Rhodes) piques Carmen’s interest. With dances created by star choreographer Christopher Wheeldon and conducted by rising maestro Yannick Nézet-Séguin, this Carmen brings every aspect of Bizet’s tale to thrilling life, from its lighthearted beginning to its inevitably tragic climax.

Save the Last Dance(en)

After the death of her mother, Sara moves to the South Side of Chicago to live with her father and gets transferred to a majority-black school. Her life takes a turn for the better when befriends Chenille and her brother Derek, who helps her with her dancing skills.

Siegfried(de)

Siegfried is the third of the four operas that constitute Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung), by Richard Wagner.

Step Up 2: The Streets(en)

When rebellious street dancer Andie lands at the elite Maryland School of the Arts, she finds herself fighting to fit in while also trying to hold onto her old life. When she joins forces with the schools hottest dancer, Chase, to form a crew of classmate outcasts to compete in Baltimore s underground dance battle The Streets.

La Traviata(en)

A collaboration between award-winning American filmmaker Sofia Coppola and Italia haute couture king Valentino comes in the form of a revival of Giuseppe Verdi's classic opera, La Traviata. Captured live from the Teatro dell'Opera di Roma.

Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin(ru)

The pain of unrequited love is portrayed unforgettably by two of today’s greatest stars. Renée Fleming is musically and dramatically radiant as the shy Tatiana, who falls in love with the worldly Onegin, played with devastating charisma by Dmitri Hvorostovsky. Their mesmerizing vocalism and chemistry explode in one of opera’s most heartbreaking final scenes. With Valery Gergiev on the podium conducting Tchaikovsky’s passionate score, this performance is one for the ages.

Rusalka(cs)

Frankenstein(en)

Inspired by Mary Shelley’s Gothic masterpiece, Frankenstein is the world premiere of Liam Scarlett’s new full-length ballet. A story of betrayal, curiosity, life, death and, above all, love, exploring the very depths of human nature. Federico Bonelli dances the role of Victor Frankenstein, Laura Morera is his Elizabeth, and Steven McRae is the creature. Koen Kessels conducts Lowell Liebermann’s newly commissioned score in this co-production between The Royal Ballet and San Francisco Ballet.

A Song for Miss Julie(en)

Two playwrights and a former burlesque queen travel to Louisiana to research a musical they're planning on a local Southern hero.

The Metropolitan Opera: Cavalleria Rusticana & Pagliacci(it)

Director David McVicar’s new production brings opera’s favorite double bill to new life, setting the two operas in the same Sicilian setting, separated by two generations. Marcelo Álvarez takes on the rare feat of singing both leading tenor roles. In Cavalleria, he is Turiddu, the young man who abandons Santuzza (Eva-Maria Westbroek) in his pursuit of the married Lola (Ginger Costa-Jackson)—and ends up being killed in a duel with her husband, Alfio (George Gagnidze). In Pagliacci, Álvarez is Canio, the leader of a traveling vaudeville troupe. Patricia Racette sings Nedda, his unfaithful young wife, whose plans to run away with her lover are foiled by her spurned admirer Tonio (George Gagnidze)—with equally tragic consequences. Met Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium.

Turandot(it)

Valery Gergiev leads the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in this production of Puccini's opera, recorded live at the Salzburger Festspiele in 2002. David Pountney's production features performances by Gabriele Schnaut, Paata Burchuladze, Johan Botha and Cristina Gallardo-Domas. This production uses Luciano Berio's 2001 completion of this unfinished opera.

Carmen(fr)

This all-star cast is framed by Peter Hall’s gritty, realistic production and conducted by James Levine, who brings out all the surging emotion and gripping drama in Bizet’s score. At the center of the story is Agnes Baltsa, whose smoky mezzo is tailor-made for the gypsy Carmen, an independent woman who glories in obeying only her own rules, but who is haunted by fate. Superstar tenor José Carreras is Don José, the solider from a small town who catches Carmen’s eye and is destroyed by his growing obsession with her. Samuel Ramey is the charismatic matador Escamillo, who lures Carmen away from Don José with tragic result. Leona Mitchell is Micaëla, the simple girl from Don José’s hometown who cannot save him. March 21, 1987 Matinee Broadcast.

MacBeth(en)

Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

Verdi: Otello(it)

Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher’s bold new production probes the psychological underpinnings of Verdi’s dynamic setting of Shakespeare’s great tragedy. At the helm of this performance is riveting conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who brings out all the cascading emotions in Verdi’s turbulent score. Aleksandrs Antonenko is the Moor Otello, the triumphant general of the Venetian army who is ultimately brought down by the sly insinuations of his friend Iago (Željko Lučić). Sonya Yoncheva continues to win fans as Desdemona, Otello’s faithful and long-suffering wife. With Günther Groissböck as Lodovico and Dimitri Pittas as Cassio.