A forgotten opera star gets revenge on the ingrate who stole his spotlight—decades later, the aria still stings.
The 35-year-old ministry official Baron Leisenbohg had the stage career ten years ago as the cast of the "Queen of the Night", opera that promoted singer Klare Hell. Klare shows no gratitude however.
Acting
Michel Piccoli's towering performance of wounded aristocratic pride.
Production
Lavish opera sequences that make the 180 minutes feel almost justified.
Director
Édouard Molinaro
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Based on Arthur Schnitzler's novella, this was part of a wave of 1990s European literary adaptations that treated TV as serious art cinema.
Molinaro deliberately cast Piccoli against type—the baron's fragility contrasts his usual commanding presence, making the humiliation hit harder.
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