Puccini

The life of composer Giacomo Puccini is dramatized in this attractively produced biopic. Gabriele Ferzetti plays the title character, from his student days to his still-active 80s. The script is structured in classic "persevering over the odds" fashion, with Puccini recovering from the poor reception afforded his Madame Butterfly and going on to the loftiest of professional heights. Along the way, the protagonist's life is profoundly affected by three very different women: Small-town girl Elvira (Marta Toren), opera-diva Cesira Ferrari (Nadia Gray) and a tragic servant girl (Myriam Bru). Ample screen time is given over to full-blooded performances of Puccini's best works.