Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice(2009)

Gluck: Orfeo ed Euridice is a film of Mark Morris's acclaimed operatic production, which transplants the ancient myth of doomed love into a contemporary setting. Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe stars as Orfeo, a musician so devastated by his lover Euridice's death that the gods grant him a chance to retrieve her from the underworld—on one impossible condition: he must not look back at her during their ascent. Morris's choreography interweaves the Met's chorus, costumed as historical figures by Isaac Mizrahi, with dancers to create an inseparable visual and musical whole. The production explores how love transforms mortals and immortals alike, culminating in a moment of divine mercy that defies the original tragedy. With set design by Allen Moyer, this film captures the emotional power of Gluck's baroque masterpiece for the screen.