Country: Germany / Austria
Language: Italian
Genre: Opera
Year of Production: 2008
Format: 35mm
Running Time: 115 minutes
Certificate: PG
Theatrical Release date: 19th December 2008
DVD Release date: 2nd March 2009
Blu-ray Release date: 26th October 2009

Giacomo Puccini's immortal opera in a big budget feature-film version directed by Academy Award nominee Robert Dornhelm, starring the opera world's dream team, soprano Anna Netrebko and tenor Rolando Villazon. The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra plays under Bertrand de Billy.

Paris in the 1830s. Four friends share a drafty Parisian garret. Though leading a life of privation, they are buoyed by good spirits: the writer Rodolfo, the painter Marcello, the musician Schaunard and the philosopher Colline. It is Christmas Eve, and they decide to celebrate in their favourite pub, the Cafe Momus. Rodolfo stays behind to finish an article. There is a knock at the door; their neighbour Mimi, whose candle has gone out, asks for fire. Rodolfo is fascinated by her. It is love at first sight!

The new lovers catch up with Rodolfo's friends at the Cafe Momus, where Marcello's former mistress Musetta turns the evening into a spirited event. The light-hearted mood of Rodolfo's and Mimi's first days together does not last, however, for Mimi develops a fatal illness. Though they agree to stay together, Mimi leaves her lover. Only when she is desperately ill and dying does she return to the garret where she once was so happy - and to Rodolfo, the man she still loves with all her heart...

"The first proper version that doesn't draw on a distinguished stage production... beautifully sung all round with a particularly vivacious and alluring Musetta by African-American soprano Nicole Cabell"
Philip French, THE OBSERVER

"Breathtakingly dramatic and emotional... full to the brim with some of the best vocal talents of today... director Robert Dornhelm has not only managed to stay true to Puccini's story, but has also succeeded in adding another exciting and dynamic dimension to the opera."
OPERA NOW MAGAZINE

"Villazon sings with the passion for which he is renowned... the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra swoop through Puccini's surging score."
THE SUNDAY EXPRESS

"The lavish sets and special effects give rise to an extraordinary theatrical opera film"
CLASSIC FM MAGAZINE

"lavishly detailed... Dornhelm translated the opera to the screen with imaginative, occasionally arty, touches... [Villazon's] singing is glorious."
THE SUNDAY TIMES

"chocolatey richness directly into the vein"
THE GUARDIAN

"strongly sung and robustly acted throughout. Dornhelm offers viewers the opportunity to hear big singing at a reasonable price."
THE IRISH TIMES

"a film starry and sumptuous"
THE TIMES

"Dornhelm's searching camera, clever juxtapositions, and carefully marshalling of the performers bring out the wit and passion of the source material in ways that feel consistently cinematic... this is very much a Boheme de nos jours"
THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

"An intimate staging of Puccini's tragic love story, which nevertheless retains the feel of a live performance and shows why Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon are currently considered two of opera's biggest stars."
THE INDEPENDENT

"a handsome new production... sympathetic, concise and very accessible"
THE DAILY EXPRESS

"imaginative staging and camera work... Dornhelm has managed to reinvent the wheel of tradition"
GRAMAPHONE MAGAZINE

"the exuberant, world-class performers blast you away... the screen fizzes with charismatic interplay and fun... exquisite music."
METRO

"soaring music and big emotions... a fluid piece of cinema that makes inventive use of its handful of sets and uses its Christmas Eve setting to create a warm seasonal glow."
THE SCOTSMAN

"[La Boheme]... has the advantage of the world's finest soprano-tenor team in the principle roles. Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon don't only sing with beauty and power; they can also act."
THE EVENING STANDARD

"this big-screen adaptation is a fine place to start expanding your cultural horizons... with pleasing camerawork and subtle stylistic flourishes... and an impressively stark finale."
SKY MOVIES