Farinelli Il Castrato

Farinelli Il Castrato is a 1994 Columbia/Tristar Studios movie about the real life singer Farinelli, starring Stefano Dionisi as the title character as an adult and providing the speaking voice. For the singing voice, a soprano (Ewa Mallas Godlewska) and a countertenor (Derek Lee Ragin) were recorded separately, then their voices were digitally merged to reproduce the sound of a castrato.

Although based on real life events, some dramatic license is taken. For example, George Frideric Handel, played by Jeroen Krabbé, is made out to be somewhat of a villain. But this is based on the competition between the theater at which Handel's music was played and the theater at which Farinelli sang.

This movie was released in 2000 and is rated R by the MPAA for depictions of thematic elements and sexuality. It is available on Region 1 DVDs with a spoken track in French and Italian with a little English, and subtitles available in English and Spanish.

External link

• Farinelli: il castrato at the Internet Movie Database