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Compacted with as many layers of pathos as its subjects' make-up. Opera Fanatic dives right into the heart of the opera divas of yesteryear. Stefan Zucker. himself a singer and art philosopher (noted as the world's highest tenor in the Guinness Book of Records), sets out to interview ten of the most famous opera stars of the 1950s, including Adami Corradetti, Fedora Barbieri, Anita Cerquetti and Gina Cigna.
On his way. the process of making the documentary rapidly becomes as fascinating and insightful as what his subjects themselves have to say. Travelling across Rome, Florence, Bologna, Padua, Bergamo and Milan, Zucker finds himself up against closed doors where often the only key is a bouquette of flowers and considerable wooing. As these ageing divas (some of them are well into their 80s and 90s) gussy up for the interview and drop names left, right and centre (most of whom are quite probably dead by now), Zucker becomes enthralled by these faded stars.
As Zucker's subjects use anecdotes to animate the glamour, the highs and the lows of their all-but-forgotten era, one discovers a rare, treasured glimpse into the world behind the stars, behind the times. At once dignified and distressing, tragic yet ultimately triumphant, Opera Fanatic has immediate appeal to audiences outside the genre. This is a documentary about what happens to some of the biggest names in the business, left behind by the passage of time.