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 Małas-Godlewska) and a countertenor (Derek Lee Ragin) were recorded separately, then their voices were digitally merged to reproduce the sound of a castrato. Farinelli (January 24, 1705-July 15, 1782), whose real name was Carlo Broschi, was one of the most famous Italian soprano castrato singers of the 18th century. ... Look up Soprano on Wiktionary, the free dictionary In music, a soprano is a singer with a voice ranging approximately from the A below middle C to the C two octaves above middle C (i. ... The countertenor is a unique and somewhat controversial vocal class for men, being the highest voice class for them. ... A castrato is a male soprano, mezzo-soprano, or alto voice produced by castration of the singer before puberty. ...

Although based on real life events, some dramatic license is taken. For example, Farinelli's brother is given much importance and Porpora is de-emphasized, while the movie offers a different explanation for how Carlo Broschi came to take the stage name Farinelli. 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. George Frideric Handel (German Georg Friedrich Händel), (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German Baroque music composer who lived much of his life in England, a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... Krabbé (blue shirt) on cover of Cookbook with co-author Marjan Berk Jeroen Krabbé (born December 5, 1944 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands) is a Dutch actor and film director. ...

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. It can be rented at zip.ca This article is about the year 2000. ... The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) is a non-profit trade association formed to advance the interests of movie studios. ...

External link

• Farinelli: il castrato at the Internet Movie Database