The MTV era needed some grounding with an MTV version for opera arias, and Aria here was the answer. Whether these ten chosen arias are the best of the best is arguable, I can personally attest that after hearing these, I went out of my way to seek the operas where several came from (those that I wasn't familiar with, at least) and bought those operas to enjoy in their entirety.The "Die Tote Stadt" duet was the most compelling and mystical for me. That aria (and not the nudity involved) compelled me to seek out the opera and it is now one of my favorites.The "La Vergine degli angeli" by Verdi is also a most mesmerizing aria, although the opera itself, "La Forza del Destino" is rather boring. This aria did compelled me to seek out the opera to experience it in full.The best segment, for me, was the Ken Russell interpretation of "Nessun Dorma" (Let no one sleep). Using the imagery of a near-fatal car accident and the need to not let the victim die was both poignant and novel. I had heard Nessun Dorma before seeing the movie, but did not know of its context. This aria interpretation was very novel and was deeply moving.Equally deeply moving was the Liebestod from Tristan and Isolda. Lastly, how can one dismiss Julien Temple's "La Donna e Mobile" with Buck Henry and Beverly D'Angelo. It was quite comical.

Ten directors make short films based on their favourite operatic arias. Lots of pretty pictures, but most of the segments are either pointless, senseless, or dull. Exceptions: the contributions of Jarman, Russell, Sturridge, and Temple.I took very brief notes on each: "Un ballo in maschera": dull, clumsy, amateurish-looking and incoherent. D- "La virgine degli angeli": weird, dream-like story works; good cinematography. A- "Armide": weird and seemingly pointless, though not boring and vaguely artistic. B- "Rigoletto": this funny segment tells the most straightforward story. A- "Die tote Stadt": pointless, uneventful pretty pictures. D+ "Les Boréades": pointless incoherence. D "Liebestod": baffling sex and death story with pretty pictures. C- "Nessun dorma": clever, disturbing abstract art. B+ "Depuis le jour": somewhat effective. B "I pagliacci": slightly affecting opera scene is too simple. C+

I saw this movie in the early 1990's when it had been out on VHS for a little while. At the time, I found it to be interesting, and was especially struck by the Ken Russell segment, with the visions of the accident victim in triage and surgery.Last night, at a 2nd-run showing of the latest Indiana Jones movie, the vision of John Hurt prompted an unexpected flashback to "Aria", which I had not thought of in years, and the sudden memory of the Russell piece itself was enough to cause an outbreak of tears for a little bit.If I can make this observation, I note with interest the love-hate reaction that people have expressed to the Russell segment, and I have found this interesting difference in other movies that delve into deep trauma and its aftereffects. Some GET it, others DO NOT, interesting.I see by the comments and the rating that the overall work hit people in various ways. This is how it affected and affects me.

If you like Opera, all the arias will be familiar. The treatments the ten directors give to one aria each, are totally removed from their original context. Nessun Dorma from Turandot becomes the vision of a girl in a near-fatality - gripping imagery culminates in the final VINCERO! of her survival . . .John Hurt lip-synching Vesti la Giubba from I Pagliacci is perhaps the low-point, but the madly bawdy Robert Altmann scene fails too - the rest is a lavish treat! The tragedy of children dying is captured in gritty black and white to the serene melody of Verdi's La Vergine Dell' Angeli, the remarkable outcome of an assasination attempt at a King's life is done brilliantly to the backing of La Sua Parole from A Masked Ball . . . with totally different ending to the one in the Opera! See this, then view it again; you will be amazed and enriched - if you like Opera, that is. If you do not, and have no desire to, then please: go back to the usual fare - this will have very little to offer you - enjoy your Stallone and van Damme.