When Francesco Rosi abandoned his social concerns long enough to adapt a fairy tale to the screen (More Than a Miracle), he argued along the lines that it still had "documentary" value in that he had shot it in the actual locale that had spawned the tale or perpetuated it -- or something like that. Something like that, in any case, could be said for his rendition of Bizet's Carmen as well: this Romantic chestnut has herewith been restored to its Andalusian home; and the crisp, capacious images of Pasqualino De Santis have caught all the chalkiness and dustiness of the place, all the blasting sunlight and burnishing firelight. But it can hardly be said that this, any more than that fairy tale, is very central or very high in the Rosi canon. The dutiful run-through of the full operatic score gives the director plenty of time to explore atmospheric and cultural detail, some of which, most notably the bullfight material, he explored more thoroughly in The Moment of Truth. But the exigencies of musical pace are not always in step with those of cinematic. And regulated as he is by the former, Rosi has more time on his hands than he really needs or knows what to do with. Julia Migenes-Johnson, Placido Domingo. (1984) — Duncan Shepherd
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