Aida Reviews

Verdi's classic Egyptian love triangle finds voluptuous Loren as a captured princess used as a personal slave by Maxwell. When Marra, captain of the king's guard, rebuffs the king's daughter, opting for Loren, both he and Loren are entombed alive while vowing their love for each other. The singing is superb but the cast is wholly inept, particularly Loren as the ill-fated Ethiopian princess. Loren mouths her vocals as if gulping water, but this second lead role of her career brought her to the attention of DeMille and Carlo Ponti, the latter quickly putting her under contract and later marrying her. The film was shot at an Italian studio during the winter on a low budget, and the heat was often turned off to save money, which caused clouds of breath to emit from the mouths of the actors. Hair driers were then aimed at the faces of the actors to evaporate the steam. For dedicated opera fans only.