Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Portia Hilton Blistering performances.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Daniella This is, definitely, one of the most beautiful and poignant interpretations/performances of this classic opera. The director, Baz Luhrmann (best known for Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge!), revamped it and set it in the 1950s French Latin Quarter. Not only is the acting strong, but the singing is superb. The leads, David Hobson (as the poet, Rudolfo) and Mimi (the ailing Mimi) are absolutely mesmerizing.Even watching it, back in 1994, I could tell it was going to go on to be legendary. The artistic direction is vibrant, the music is beautifully performed and there are even warm, humorous moments, sprinkled between the seams of tragedy and mournfulness. You feel a connection to the actors, and it ultimately tugs at your heartstrings........Note: Watch this with a box of tissues and someone you love........

Jessica Carvalho I had never seen the Opera La Bohéme before, then,I cannot say that this version is better than the other ones.In my opinion, I found it quite interesting, not only for the love story, which is beautiful spite of being simple, but also because it take place in modern times. Most of the Operas that I watched, happened in remote time, or in the last century.La Bohéme has its story in France, after the Second World War and tells about Rodolfo and Mimi , neighbours that fall in love to each other.As all the operas, it finishes in a tragic way, that it is the death of Mimi.

jynnantonnix I first saw this production (at least, part of it) on Public Television a few years ago, and was just smitten with the look and atmosphere.I had been haunted by it since, but unable to find it until recently. Anyway, suffice it to say I enjoyed it as much as I had remembered! The setting of the story in the 50's makes it truly accessible, and while I agree that the cast is vocally somewhat lightweight, this is not, in my mind, a flaw in this sort of production.It is not about huge and beautiful singing...this is an intimate production in which the personalities themselves are more important than some pinnacle of musical excellence.Personally, I found David Hobson's (Rodolfo)light yet musical voice perfect for the character. This seems to me a wonderful production with which to introduce young people to the world of opera (which is a tremendous merit in itself!).There is not the problem of having to look "beyond" the physical appearance of a character (no robust Mimi here, nor middle aged,rotund Rodolfo), and the very lightness of the voices may make it somewhat easier to swallow for those not accustomed to operatic style.In short, if you are a diehard, pure "Opera" fan, you are likely to be somewhat ambivalent toward this, but if you can handle opera with a popcorn factor,it just might be a really enjoyable experience.

maggie-9 With Moulin Rouge doing well at the box office at the moment, I decided to see whether the IMDB contained an entry for the video of Luhrmann's original opera production La Boheme, the one that contains the huge rooftop sign saying L'Amour, which also features in Moulin Rouge. Well, it's here but no user comments at all. What a shame!This Australian production is a wonderful La Boheme, more like a musical than an opera and not really for opera buffs. At the time of its first production it really was a production of the young, all the main singers as well as designer Catherine Martin and Baz himself being under thirty. The singers are good but not the very best, but most non-opera lovers will trade that in for singers who look the part. David Hobson is great looking as is Cheryl Barker who really does look consumptive at the end. And they can act. In the curtain calls at the end Hobson is really crying. This is emphatically not one of those opera productions where you desperately try to forget that the singers are middle-aged, decidedly rotund and definitely not suffering.The design is beguiling, setting the opera in 1950s Paris complete with cool leather jackets, new look dresses and bright lights amid post-war drabness. It is stagey, because this is a video of a stage production but the original direction was very fluid and the set works beautifully. As with all updating there are problems with anachronisms (no wall around Paris is a problem). But these are small points. This was Baz Luhrmann's first hurrah and a great one too. Don't know how readily available it is but rush to see it if you can.