Aria

The anthology film Aria is just as oddball today as it was when first released in 1987, but over the ensuing years several of the participating directors have died, grown old, or graduated beyond their early reputations as young innovators. The quirky idea here was to have 10 distinctive filmmakers each shoot a brief work inspired by one or another aria from various operas. The result was and remains an overall uneven experience that doesn't necessarily make opera any more accessible to non-fans, but does offer stylistic novelties and flashes of inspiration. Australian director Bill Bryden presents wraparound segments starring the late John Hurt as a washed-up virtuoso singing the famous solo from “Il Pagliacci,” while French New Wave genius Jean-Luc Godard offers a deconstruction of myth and image set to “Armide.” Robert Altman weighs in with an imagined recreation of a decadent opening night for Rameau's “Les Boréades” in 1734, and Nicolas Roeg casts his then-wife, actress Theresa Russell, as the mustachioed King Rog of Albania, who escaped assassination in 1931 (all set to Verdi's “Un Ballo in Maschera”). Franc Roddam takes on “Liebestod” from Wagner's Tristan und Isolde with a hoary if somewhat effective tale of young lovers (Bridget Fonda and James Mathers) who travel to Las Vegas, make love, and then kill themselves. Also on the directing docket are Charles Sturridge, Ken Russell, Derek Jarman, Julien Temple, and Bruce Beresford. A cinematic curio making its Blu-ray debut with extras including a stills gallery, this is a strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)