Butler's Cinema Scene

Luciano Pavarotti

“PAVAROTTI” My rating: B+ 

114 minutes | MPAA rating: PG-13

One needn’t be an opera fan to be swept up in Ron Howard’s “Pavarotti,” a sympathetic but never sycophantic documentary about the man (1935-2007) widely regarded as the greatest tenor ever.

Sure, the film’s two hours are crammed with great music, but perhaps even more importantly, “Pavarotti” provides an indelible study of an outsized personality who, at his best, showered joy on just about everyone he encountered.

Through liberal use of archival footage and photos, Howard’s film describes Pavarotti’s rise, fueled by that incredible voice (he could  hit a high C that would raise the hair on the back of your neck).

It describes how he became a phenomenon in the U.S. giving recitals in small towns (William Jewell College in Liberty MO hosted the tenor on several occasions), how he teamed up with manager Herbert Breslin (often described as the most ruthless man in opera), who promoted his client from mere singer to world-recognized figure. (“A nice guy needs a bastard,” one talking head observes.)

Indeed, Pavarotti appears to have been a genuinely nice man, which is not to say he was perfect.

We learn that he was capable of bad moods and could be demanding. He traveled with a huge entourage — not out of ego (he appears to have been disarmingly modest) but because he hated being alone on the road.

That in part explains the joy he felt as one of the Three Tenors, sharing the stage with Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras for innumerable concerts and recordings.

His private life was for many years idyllic:  supportive wife back in Italy, three daughters. He relished his family.

In middle age, though, he strayed.  His first big extramarital relationship was with soprano Madelyn Renee, whom he met in a Juilliard master class, hired as his tour coordinator and Girl Friday and often sang opposite.

Much later he fell for Nicoletta Mantovani, a student more than 30 years his junior. The revelation of their relationship resulted in his divorce from his first wife, off-and-on estrangement from his daughters, and a scandal that tarnished his reputation in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy. He married Nicoletta and they had a daughter.

But here’s the disarming thing:  All of these women — wives, lovers, daughters — appear to be wonderful people (Pavarotti seems to have attracted only quality females) who to this day adore him, forgiving his trespasses and speaking fondly of the big  man with the big  voice.

Some of the most moving material in “Pavarotti” comes in his later years, when he found his love of opera being supplanted by his determination to make a positive impact on the world.  He teamed up with pop and rock stars like Bono and Sting for an annual charity concert, and lent his name and wealth to numerous philanthropies.

“Pavarotti” falls short of being encyclopedic…there’s no mention whatsoever of “Yes, Giorgio,” the 1982 movie romance in which the tenor starred opposite Kathryn Harold.

But there’s enough here to convince us that despite some blips this was a life well lived.

| Robert W. Butler