Merola Opera Program and San Francisco Public Library are co-presenting a free series of opera films, beginning Sunday, Nov. 3, at 1 p.m. in the Main Branch's Koret Auditorium.
On view: the 1986 film version of Verdi's Otello, starring Plácido Domingo in the title role, Katia Ricciarelli as Desdemona, and Justino Díaz as Iago. The Teatro alla Scala production is directed by Franco Zeffirelli, and conducted by Lorin Maazel.
Admission is free. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Screenings are recommended for ages 10 and older.
For the most part, the film follows the original score of the opera with several noticeable exceptions. The entire "Willow Song" (Salce, salce), Desdemona's only solo aria in the entire opera, and largely considered one of the most beautiful moments in the work, is omitted, although her Ave Maria, which follows immediately, is retained in the film.
There are, at various points, small cuts in the music, in stark contrast to stage productions of Otello, where the opera is never cut. There are also two additions: the extra music from the rarely performed third act ballet (written for the opera's Paris premiere) is inserted into the festivities of the first and third acts in the opera in the film.
Future Merola/Library film events:
* Jan. 11, A Night at the Opera (Marx Brothers, 1935)
* March 29, The Magic Flute (Ingmar Bergman, 1975)
* May 24, to be announced