Tales of Hoffmann, The

75TH ANNIVERSARY! A surreal and beautiful musical, THE TALES OF HOFFAMANN is Powell and Pressburger at their best. Highly influential for filmmakers like Martin Scoresese and George A. Romeo, this operatic tale of love is a rich and beautifully orchestrated masterpiece.

In this film adaptation of the Offenbach opera, a young poet named Hoffman (Robert Rounseville) broods over his failed romances. First, his affair with the beautiful Olympia (Moira Shearer) is shattered when he realizes that she is really a mechanical woman designed by a scientist. Next, he believes in the love of a Venetian courtesan, only to find out she was hired to fake her affections by the dastardly Dapertutto (Robert Helpmann). Lastly, a magic spell claims the life of his final lover, the daughter of a celebrated composer.