Ernani

Ernani (1983) is a feature film. Top cast includes Luciano Pavarotti, Leona Mitchell, and Sherrill Milnes. It draws from real-world events while keeping the focus on character stakes.

Actor: Luciano Pavarotti

Verdi's early masterpiece is based on a Victor Hugo play with a complicated plot concerning a young woman and the three men vying for her affections—her elderly uncle, a king destined to become Holy Roman Emperor, and a bandit who is actually an overthrown nobleman. Though there is plenty of action arising from the various passions and grudges scattered among these characters, the opera is best appreciated as a feast of beautiful and dramatic Italianate singing. With virtuosic roles for a quartet of principals, the opera delivers one feat of heroic vocalism after another.