I think this needs more than a single viewing; it helps to have some inkling of the plot, but most of what occurs can be enjoyed simply on the simplest plot level as a young sleepy lad dreams himself into the magic of a vase, and follows his imagination into a folkland of lyrical dreams, nightingales, emperors, and oddly, flying universal price stickers... One can go onto Wikipedia and follow the beginnings and development of the work in composer Stravinsky's mind, and there is also a curious "making of" document that accompanies the DVD, but for about an hour of colorful and imaginative, dreamlike and striking filmmaking, this is more than worth your time--but then--watch it again! The soprano Natalie Dessay is marvelously skilled, absorbing with her command of her considerable a abilities, and mesmerizing with a care to the work itself, and filmmaker Christian Chaudet is in command of a often funny, curious and genuinely imaginative world.
Review of Le rossignol
