''The Full Monteverdi'' is a 2007 British film written and directed by John La Bouchardière and based on his live production of the same name, itself based on

Claudio Monteverdi Claudio Giovanni Antonio Monteverdi (baptized 15 May 1567 – 29 November 1643) was an Italian composer, choirmaster and string instrument, string player. A composer of both Secular music, secular and Church music, sacred music, and a pioneer ...

's fourth book of madrigals (1603) which, in turn, is a collection of settings of poems by such Italian Renaissance poets as

Giovanni Battista Guarini Giovanni Battista Guarini (10 December 1538 – 7 October 1612) was an Italian poet, dramatist, and diplomat. Courtier at Ferrara, diplomat and secretary to several ruling families, he served also at Florence and Urbino. He is best known as the a ...

Ottavio Rinuccini Ottavio Rinuccini (20 January 1563Firenze, Registro dei battezzati al fonte di S. Giovanni tenuto dal preposto di S. Giovanni, Registro 14, Carta 76v. – 28 March 1621) was an Italian poet, courtier, and opera libretto, librettist at the end of th ...

and

Torquato Tasso Torquato Tasso ( , also , ; 11 March 154425 April 1595) was an Italian poet of the 16th century, known for his 1591 poem ''Gerusalemme liberata'' (Jerusalem Delivered), in which he depicts a highly imaginative version of the combats between ...

. The film features the British vocal ensemble I Fagiolini and the original cast of actors from the live production. The title is a play on the name of the 1997 film ''

The Full Monty ''The Full Monty'' is a 1997 comedy film directed by Peter Cattaneo, starring Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, William Snape, Steve Huison, Tom Wilkinson, Paul Barber and Hugo Speer. The screenplay was written by Simon Beaufoy. The film is set ...

'' – a pun vindicated, according to academic Peter Conrad, by The Full Monteverdi's "raw, emotional striptease". The plot concerns six couples who are breaking up simultaneously in a restaurant. During the course of their meals, revelations about the past drive the couples to separation. The apparently avant-garde structure and

nonlinear narrative Nonlinear narrative, disjointed narrative, or disrupted narrative is a narrative technique where events are portrayed, for example, out of chronological order or in other ways where the narrative does not follow the direct causality pattern of the ...

of the film are based in the musical material, which is often of highly

contrapuntal In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous Part (music), musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and Pitch contour, melodic contour. The term ...

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chord ...

, and follows the stories of the different couples in a manner similar to the vocal interchanges in the madrigals.

Production

Shot in HD on location in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a historic spa town and borough adjacent to the Cotswolds in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham became known as a health and holiday spa town resort following the discovery of mineral springs in 1716, and claims to be the mo ...

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

and London, including the

London Eye The London Eye, originally the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and the most popular paid Tourist attractions in the ...

, the central restaurant scenes were filmed on a studio set designed by Chloe Lamford. The sound was recorded in advance and lip-synched in post-production.

Release

''The Full Monteverdi'' had a limited initial theatrical release, primarily through music festivals. It has been broadcast in Australia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. The film was released on DVD by

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

. The film was given a further theatrical release in South Africa by

Ster-Kinekor Ster-Kinekor is a South African-based cinema company, and the country's largest movie exhibitor. It represents 60-65% of the market, having 32 cinema complexes consisting of 342 screens, 47 961 seats and 124 3D screens across the country (Comme ...

, opening on 2 April 2010, and in New Zealand by Rialto Distribution, on 24 June 2010.

Critical reception

The film's reception was largely favourable, particularly from classical music critics, though some found La Bouchardière's matching of contemporary realism with

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

'' music uncomfortable; most acclaimed it for its innovation, fidelity to the spirit of the original music and unrelenting emotional depth. Film and literary scholar William E.B. Verrone hailed The Full Monteverdi as "both visually and narratively dazzling... an innovative and

experimental film Experimental film or avant-garde cinema is a mode of filmmaking that does not apply standard cinematic conventions, instead adopting Non-narrative film, non-narrative forms or alternatives to traditional narratives or methods of working. Many e ...

, the kind of adaptation that rarely is attempted or gets made: one that flies in the face of convention daring to be different."William Verrone: ''Adaptation and the Avant-Garde: Alternative Perspectives on Adaptation Theory and Practice'' (Bloomsbury, 2011) It was awarded a Choc du Monde de la Musique.

References

External links

* * * https://www.johnlabouchardiere.com/the-full-monteverdi-film {{DEFAULTSORT:Full Monteverdi, The 2007 films British romantic musical films 2000s Italian-language films British romantic drama films Films about classical music and musicians Early music 2000s musical drama films 2000s romantic musical films British musical drama films 2007 directorial debut films 2007 drama films 2000s British films 2007 musical films