New York State Writers Institute - Classic Film Series

THE TURANDOT PROJECT April 26, 2002 (Friday) at 7:30 p.m. Page Hall, 135 Western Avenue (Free and Open to the Public) (American/German, 2000, 87 minutes, color, 35mm) Directed by Allan Miller II Starring Lando Bartolini, Barbara Hendricks, Zubin Mehta, Zhang Yimou

This film is a documentary on the ins and outs of the Chinese production of Puccini's opera Turandot. Conductor Zubin Mehta conceived the project and brought in Zhang Yimou, one of China's best and most controversial filmmakers to direct the production. The documentary focuses on the opera's extravagant pageantry of sets and costumes, the conflicts of staging the production in Beijing's Forbidden City, and Zhang's directorial work.