Verdi - Jonathan Miller's Rigoletto [DVD]

In Jonathan Miller's brilliant interpretation of Verdi's opera, the story of Rigoletto unfolds in New York's mob-controlled Little Italy in the 1950's. Rigoletto, a clowning bartender, moves about in a world of criminals, thieves, and murderers - a world he keeps his beloved daughter, Gilda, well away from. During a party to celebrate the Feat of San Gennaro, Rigoletto makes one joke too many, angering Don Monterone, who puts his curse on him. And so, a fatal chain of events are set in motion as Gilda meets the philandering Duke and the story moves toward its tragic conclusion.