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French title: ''Les Contes d’Hoffmann''. A five-act opera in French, with score by Music/JacquesOffenbach and libretto by Jules Barbier. The writer protagonist is a fictionalized version of [[Creator/ETAHoffmann E. T. A. Hoffmann]], and the plot draws from three of the real Hoffmann’s stories: [[Literature/TheSandman1816 "The Sandman"]], “Councillor Krespel”, and the “The Lost Reflection” episode from ''A New Year Eve's Adventure''.

Hoffmann is a writer and bon-vivant who at the start of the opera visits Luther's Tavern during the entr’acte of a production of ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'' (starring Stella, the current object of his affection). The other patrons ask him to entertain them with stories. In the mix of drinking and storytelling, Hoffmann's mind starts to wander, and he blurts out mentions of his old loves. This intrigues the patrons and so he starts telling how he met and lost each of his previous three great loves: [[KissMeImVirtual Olympia]], [[DelicateAndSickly Antonia]], and [[HighClassCallGirl Giulietta]]. Meanwhile, the sinister Councillor Lindorf, his UnknownRival for the affections of Stella, and his seemingly normal friend Nicklausse, carry their own agendas and interests for Hoffmann.

The opera was Offenbach's final work and he died before completing it. Most operas tend to change and alter the opera and make changes to the ending as per the vision and design of the directors, composers and singers, and there's no final consensus on the true vision of Offenbach's works since his papers burned in the 1887 fire at the Opéra-Comique.

The opera is especially famous for the Duet that opens the "The Tale of Giullietta" (Venice section), known as the Barcarolle, featured in many movies like Film/LifeIsBeautiful, Film/MidnightInParis and whose tune was borrowed by Music/ElvisPresley for "Tonight is so right for love". The opera has been adapted to the screen multiple times, including:

* ''Film/TheTalesOfHoffmann1916'' — A German silent film, directed by Richard Oswald of ''Film/DifferentFromTheOthers'' fame. Cuts the FramingDevice and presents the tales as leading right into each other, while adding a prologue depicting Hoffmann’s youth. Stars Kurt von Wolowski [[TimeShiftedActor and]] Erich Kaiser-Titz as Hoffmann.
* ''The Tales of Hoffmann (1923)'' — An Austrian silent film. Directed by Max Newfield, who also stars as Hoffmann. Reportedly [[RevisedEnding revises the ending]] to [[SparedByTheAdaptation keep Antonia alive.]] Fairly [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes difficult to find.]]
* ''The Tales of Hoffmann (1951)'' — The famous film version by Creator/MichaelPowell and Emeric Pressburger, which in addition to being an opera is also a ballet, and converts recitative sequences in the opening prologue into silent ballet pieces, featuring much of the same cast as ''Film/{{The Red Shoes|1948}}''.
* ''The Tales of Hoffmann (1970)'' — TheMovie of Walter Felsenstein’s German-language production, directed by Georg Mielke. A TruerToTheText adaptation which keeps the intended order of the acts and the SignificantDoubleCasting. Stars Hanns Nocker as Hoffmann, Melitta Muszely as his love interests and Rudolf Asmus as the villains.
* ''The Tales of Hoffmann (1983)'' — A Hungarian adaptation, made as part of the ''Musical TV Theatre'' anthology series. Directed by Miklós Szinetár and starring Péter Kelen as Hoffmann, György Melis as the villains and Jolán Sánta as Nicklausse ([[AdaptationNameChange here renamed “Miklós“]]). Notably has even more of a DownerEnding than usual.
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!! Tropes used in ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' include:

* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: The endings of the original tales are all changed to varying extents.
** ''The Tale of Olympia'' is fairly faithful to the plot of Literature/TheSandman1816, but doesn't feature the protagonist's SanitySlippage or -- [[DidYouDie for obvious reasons]] -- his death.
** ''The Tale of Antonia'' still ends with the death-by-singing of the title character, but it's no longer an AccidentalMurder / MercyKill by her fiancé, but rather an insidious assassination by her doctor.
** ''The Tale of Giulietta'' cuts the latter part where the protagonist ties to hide but eventually admits what happened between him and the title character to his family, finally banishing the seductress from his life. Said part ''explicitly'' doesn't happen in the 1951 film, where Hoffmann successfully regains his reflection. [[KarmaHoudiniWarranty Giulietta also sometimes dies, which certainly wasn't the case in the original story.]]
* AdaptationalContextChange: Both the 1970 and 1983 films have Nicklausse/Miklós tell Stella ”[[YouAreTooLate Too late, madame]]” when she comes to greet Hoffmann at the end. In the former they say it coldly, as Hoffmann has just rejected Stella to her face. In the latter it’s said empathetically, as Hoffmann has just drunken himself to death, never learning that Stella still had feelings for him.
* AdaptationExplanationExtrication:
** The 1951 film never establishes that Nicklausse is a muse in disguise, portraying them mostly as some androgynous person who just kinda hangs around. Also the case in the 1983 film, where it’s not clear if the Muse actually exists given that she only appears in Hoffmann’s DyingDream.
** The opera cuts the opening from Literature/TheSandman1816 which shows the backstory and start of the rivalry between the protagonist and Coppélius, explaining why the latter was so keen on selling spectacles to the former. The 1916 film partially restores this, however.
** Also [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]: in the 1916 film, which ''adds'' a motive for Miracle's murder of Angela and her daughter Antonia. ([[NotGoodWithRejection Specifically, spite over having had his advances toward them refused.]])
* TheAlcoholic: The framing narrative is all about Hoffmann getting drunk and regaling tavern revelers with his tales and ultimately getting so intoxicated that he forgets ''about Stella''. The real Hoffmann incidentally ''did'' have a drinking problem.
* AlternateShowInterpretation: ''The Tales of Hoffmann'' has become prime fodder for this, with some stagings downplaying the UnintentionalPeriodPiece elements in favor of more {{Surrealism}}, alter the SignificantDoubleCasting to suit the ranges of the actors, and/or put new spins on the costuming.
* AnachronicOrder: Offenbach intented the acts to go in the order Olympia-Antonia-Giulietta, giving Hoffmann a clear CharacterArc. However, several productions instead use the order Olympia-Giulietta-Antonia, with the logic that the climax of ''The Tale of Antonia'' works better as a GrandFinale. (Incidentally, the actual Hoffmann stories were published [[TakeAThirdOption in the order Giulietta-Olympia-Antonia.]])
* ArtisticLicenseHistory: It's not intended to be a {{Biopic}} exactly of Hoffmann's life, but since the Opera (and its film adaptation) tends to be the introduction for many people to Hoffmann, a few facts have to be pointed out:
** Unlike the hapless loser of Offenbach's opera, the real Hoffmann was the son of Prussian nobility (a long line of civil servants) who was quite functional and rational. While he did have a drinking problem, he never quite descended to the ButtMonkey status of the opera's version. He did experience crippling poverty and loneliness but that came out thanks to unemployment on account of Napoleon's invasion of Prussia (which ended the old bureaucratic corps for which Hoffmann had a post in place).
** Likewise, Hoffmann was a married man with children, and while he did have a few unconsummated crushes and perhaps some extra-marital liasions, he was outwardly a family man, an attorney and bureaucrat who had no real problems managing his artistic activities and his real life responsibilities, unlike the Hoffmann of the opera.
** Stella and Lindorf seem to be inspired by characters from ''A New Year's Eve Adventure'', who are in turn believed to have been based on real people Hoffmann knew. However, the opera changes their names, occupations ''and'' personalities, essentially turning them into [[OCStandIn O. C Stand-ins]].
* BeastAndBeauty: In the original version of the opera, as restored by Michael Kaye and Jean Christoph-Keck, Giulietta, a gorgeous courtesan, would be in love with her jester, a hideous hunchback Pitichinaccio. When Hoffmann kills him at the end of the act Giulietta is left heartbroken.
* BeethovenWasAnAlienSpy: This [[Creator/ETAHoffmann Hoffmann's]] stories are autobiographical.
* BiographyAClef: The conceit of the opera is that Hoffmann's famous tales were grounded in real-life trauma and bad experiences and that he finally got out of that rut, by writing them down.
* BittersweetEnding: Most productions and Offenbach's original notes, end with Hoffmann encouraged by the Muse to make his [[MiseryBuildsCharacter suffering count]] by refocusing attention on his art.
** The 1970 film takes it even further by letting Hoffmann publicly humiliate Lindorff at Luther's Tavern, and while our protagonist DidNotGetTheGirl, it's implied that his rival didn't either.
* BreakTheCutie: A typical example in that Hoffman, at the start of Act I, is full of love and optimism, and by the end of Act III is a miserable drunkard. A more ''literal'' example is when Coppelius breaks harmless Olympia to pieces to get back at Spalanzani.
* BrickJoke: In the prologue, Hoffman amuses his drinking buddies by beginning the comic-grotesque story of a dwarf jester named Kleinzach. Three acts later, in the epilogue, Hoffman remembers to ''end'' the tale of Kleinzach.
* ButYouWereThereAndYouAndYou: [[OriginalCastPrecedent Going all the way back to the original run,]] several actors are often [[SignificantDoubleCasting very deliberately]] cast in similar roles in each act.
** Hoffmann’s four nemeses are traditionally all played by the same baritone: Councillor Lindorf (frame story), Coppélius (Olympia’s story), Dr. Miracle (Antonia’s story), and Dappertutto (Giulietta’s story). They can be interpreted as a single demonic nemesis who takes multiple forms, like Robert Helpmann's performance in the 1951 film.
** There are also four different servants usually played by the same character tenor.
*** The 1951 film plays with this by casting Leonide Massine as Spalanzani, Franz and Schlemil, who are all ButtMonkey characters to some extent.
** And some productions cast the same soprano as all four of Hoffmann’s love interests.
* ButtMonkey: Hoffmann is among the unluckiest of all opera protagonists and every tale ends with him repeatedly humiliating himself.
* CanonWelding: The opera connects three unrelated Hoffmann stories -- [[Literature/TheSandman1816 "The Sandman"]], “Councillor Krespel”, and ''A New Year Eve's Adventure'' -- by framing them as (maybe) real events which happened to the author himself, [[CompositeCharacter combining him with his various protagonists.]] The framing device might be ([[InspiredBy quite loosely]]) based on his stories "Don Juan" and "The Serapion Brethren." Hoffmann also sings a song about the title character of "Klein Zaches genannt Zinnober."
* CastsNoShadow: Peter Schlemil, the previous victim of Giulietta and Dapertutto, has no shadow, due to giving it up for Giulietta's love.
* CoatFullOfContraband: The ''Musical TV Theatre'' adaptation presents [[MorphicResonance both Coppélius’s glasses and Dr. Miracle’s medicine]] in this manner.
* ContinuitySnarl: The opera has become infamous for this, as Offenbach was still workshopping it by the time of his death, with numerous writers later finishing it in their own ways. As a result, characterizations and story elements can vary quite a bit between productions. At least four main versions exist of ''The Tale of Giulietta'', with the most drastic difference perhaps being the ultimate fate of the title character.
* CrosscastRole: Nicklausse, sort of – he’s a form taken by the (female) Muse.
* DidNotGetTheGirl: Hoffmann is perennially unlucky in love, and loses every girl he falls for. The Muse insists that he direct his passions to art instead.
* DownerEnding: Many productions and the 1951 film, end with Hoffmann falling so drunk that he misses to meet Stella who finally walks out with Lindorf. In these productions, Stella [[LongLastLook back longingly]] at Hoffmann, and even leaves a flower, suggesting that Hoffmann really did miss out on his true love.
* DrowningMySorrows: Hoffmann starts out drunk and grows more and more intoxicated as he keeps recounting his tales and finally passes out.
* DuelToTheDeath: Hoffmann and Peter Schlemil, Giulietta's lover, engage in a swordfight. The former wants the key from Giulietta's boudoir, while the latter is jealous of Hoffmann wooing Giulietta.
* EverybodyLaughsEnding: A rather cruel example: act I ends with the guests mockingly laughing at Hoffmann’s infatuation with Olympia.
* EvilSorcerer: Dapertutto, through and through. Kinda expected, as he is clearly a DevilInDisguise.
* EvilSoundsDeep: Councillor Lindorf, Coppélius, Dr. Miracle, and Dappertutto, are all baritone parts, and usually played by the same actor.
* FantasyForbiddingFather: Crespel orders his daughter Antonia never to sing again and to give up her dream of becoming a famous singer. To an outside world this may seem strange, considering Antonia has a lovely voice and Crespel himself is a famous orchestra conductor and violin-maker, but he has a pretty solid reason to act this way: Antonia has an inherited illness, which would eventually kill her if she continues to sing.
* FramingDevice: The opera starts and ends in a bar, where the patrons have asked Hoffmann to entertain them with stories. The three inner acts are the stories that he tells.
* GermanicDepressives: It's a French opera about a German writer, and while Hoffmann tries to be a party animal and boozehound, he eventually falls into morbid loneliness, pining after romantic rejection and lack of fulfillment.
** In fact, Offenbach himself was born in the Germanic state of Prussia before moving to France.
* GogglesDoSomethingUnusual: Coppélius gives Hoffmann a pair of spectacles which changes the wearer's perception, making him think that she's alive. (In [[Literature/TheSandman1816 the original story]], a spyglass filled the same role.) They are conveniently destroyed just in time for the RoboticReveal.
* GreedyJew: [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] with the banker Elias. Coppélius is unable to cash out a check from him... but that's only because he's legitimately gone bankrupt. Ultimately, the character is treated like a reputable man who became an UnwittingPawn in Spalanzani's scheme. (It's worth mentioning that Offenbach himself was Jewish.)
* HerosMuse: The Muse, who protects and inspires Hoffmann throughout all his adventures, and ultimately encourages him to choose art over earthly romance.
* KissMeImVirtual: In Act I, Hoffman is deeply in love with Olympia, and has failed to notice that she's mechanical, complete with a wind-up key on her back - and [[SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence she ain't one of the smarter robots, either.]] He doesn't take the revelation that she's mechanical very well.
* {{Leitmotif}}: There’s a recurring ominous riff that introduces each new incarnation of the baritone villain.
* LongNeck: One of Spalanzani's dolls grows one in the 1951 film.
* LoveAtFirstNote: Played with. Hoffmanns is already in love with Olympia, but when he hears her singing he becomes completely obsessed. In the original version of Act 3 Giulietta is supposed to sing a romantic aria to her guests, which makes Hoffmann (who was indifferent towards her before) to become smitten with the courtesan.
* MadScientist: Spalanzani is often played this way.
* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter: Played with - Olympia is introduced as Spalanzani's daughter, when she's actually his creation.
* MadeMyselfSad: The opera plot and the telling of tales kicks in during the middle of Hoffmann's Kleinzach song, where the song suddenly shifts when he describes Kleinzach's impossible desire for love, reminding himself of his own loss. The music itself suddenly shifts in tone, going from light and bouncy to romantic and passionate. Hoffmann's own mood kicks in needless to say by the end.
* MatchCut: The 1951 film uses this toward the end, where a fade transforms the flower motif on a lowered stage curtain into the patrons at Ludvig's Tavern.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: It's never clear if the stories of Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta really happened, or if Hoffmann just made them all up as fantastical allegories for his failing romance with Stella, with each "lost love" representing a different aspect of her. Productions where all the heroines are sung by the same soprano highlight the ambiguity. To make matters more complicated, there's also the implication that the poet is BelievingTheirOwnLies.
** Interestingly enough, both interpretations manage to be fairly in line with Hoffmann's stories. On one hand, they often feature supernatural beings masquerading as normal people. On the other hand, he did also draw much upon real people and personal experiences while writing them.
* MindControl: In the original ending of Act 3 Hoffmann would try to stab Giulietta, only for Dapertutto to cast a spell on his sight and poet ends up killing Giulietta's jester and lover Pitichinaccio. It could be suggested that Dapertutto is the one who influenced Hoffmann to try to murder Giulietta in the first place.
* MissingReflection: By the end of Act 3 Hoffmann has no reflection, as he gave it up to Giulietta and Dapertutto. Very few productions or adaptations reveal whether he managed to get it back or not.
** The 1951 film is a rare exception, as Hoffmann regains it after breaking Giulietta's mirror.
* MistakenForProfound: Olympia. Her long silences, broken only by exclaiming "Ah!" or "''Oui!''" are taken by Hoffman to be signs of feeling - feelings for ''him'', naturally.
* MorallyAmbiguousDoctorate: Dr. Miracle
* MuseAbuse:
** A literal example. In the Epilogue, Hoffmann gets so drunk and angry that at one point he attacks Nicklaus (who unbeknownst to him is TheMuse).
** An inverted example is the case of recent productions, where the Muse is shown manipulating Hoffmann into dead-end relationships in a BatmanGambit to provide Hoffmann the suffering he needs to become a great artist. In the 2009 Met version, the Muse is shown collaborating with the Villain to make sure Hoffmann never sees Olympia's wind-up actions, and generally looking the other way whenever the Villain concocts his schemes. In other words, [[DontExplainTheJoke the Muse is abusing the artist to help him make better art]].
* {{Necromancer}}: Dr.Miracle is seemingly this. At the end of Act 2 he summons a spirit of Antonia's late mother.
* OldFashionedRowboatDate:
** It's pretty much obligatory for ''The Tale of Giulietta'' to start with a gondola ride through Venice set to the barcarolle. Who the lovebirds actually ''are'' varies. It might be Giulietta and Nicklausse, Giulietta and Dapertutto, of some random couple who are never seen again.
** Gets somewhat of a DarkReprise in the 1983 film, where — before Hoffmann’s duel against Schlemihl — we see Antonia, Olympia and Stella seated in gondolas. The effect is less “romantic” and more “[[AndIMustScream souls trapped in purgatory]].”
* ParanoiaFuel: Dr.Miracle and Hoffmann never meet face to face until the end of the act. Neither was the former physically present during Hoffmann's and Antonia's reunion. Yet when Miracle appears in Antonia's room (through supernatural means) it becomes clear he knows perfectly well about Hoffmann and his plan to elope with Antonia.
* RobotGirl: Olympia, whom Coppelius introduces to high society. The partygoers coo over her music-box like singing and jerky dancing.
* RoboticReveal: Olympia is revealed to be a robot at the end of Act 1.
* SelfPlagiarism:
** Offenbach recycled some compositions from his earlier work. The famous Barcarolle originated as the overtune of his 1864 production ''Die Rheinnixen'' (The Rhine Fairies). Hoffmann's DrunkenSong was also originally performed by the character Conrad from the same opera.
** In a strange mixture of this and pure plagiarism, the Diamond Aria was set to the overtune of Offenbach's ''Le voyage dans la lune'' (an adaptation of Creator/JulesVerne's ''Literature/FromTheEarthToTheMoon''). Unlike the earlier examples, [[NewerThanTheyThink it was only added in 1905, 25 years after Offenbach's death.]]
* SettingUpdate: The early nineteenth century ''time period'' is usually kept, but the opera still changes the ''setting'' of Hoffmann's stories.
** "Updated" from RealLife, the inspiration for Luther's Tavern is actually found in Berlin, not in Nuremberg as the opera claims. This change was probably made because of RuleOfSymbolism. (Worth pointing out is that the 1970 film uses the "proper" city.)
** The Tale of Olympia, originally set in an unnamed German university town -- [[EpilepticTrees possibly Göttingen]] -- has now been moved to Paris, France. Some CreatorProvincialism ''may'' have been involved here...
** The Tale of Giulietta was moved from Florence -- the setting of the short story and the earlier play adaptation -- to Venice at Offenbach's own request. This also allowed for the inclusion of the famous Barcarolle.
** The Tale of Antonia is generally set in Munich, and while [[WhereTheHellIsSpringfield it's not clear where in Germany the original tale was set]], the name ''did'' start with an "H". The original staging moved the story to Venice to get some use out of the sets constructed for the then-cut Giulietta act. (Ironically, the original story ''does'' have Antonia's parents meeting in Venice, in a flasback cut from the opera.) The 1951 film instead uses a remote Greek island as its setting.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: In the intended order of the acts, Hoffmann goes from an idealist to a cynic after a series of failed romances. Depending on the production, the Muse may or may not show up at the end and restore some of his lost idealism.
* SlidingScaleOfRobotIntelligence: Olympia is "smart" enough to sing a complicated aria and dance the waltz - but not smart enough know when to ''stop'' dancing (such as when her human partner is nearly dead on his feet).
* {{Shapeshifting}}:
** The Muse takes the form of Hoffmann’s friend Nicklausse.
** The 1951 film plays up this aspect of the villain(s). Dapertutto transforms into a pole to spy on our heroes. He also appears as a cloaked figure to observe the duel, and Miracle later uses the same disguise while preying on Antonia. Finally, the end of the film has Miracle, Dapertutto, and Coppélius all remove LatexPerfection masks, revealing the face of Lindorff underneath.
* ShoutOut: When Nicklausse/The Muse greets Hoffmann, he sings out the opening bars of Leporello's first aria from ''Theatre/DonGiovanni'' to imply that Hoffmann treats him like a servant. (As mentioned, said play is also performed InUniverse.)
* ShowWithinAShow: The 1970 film gives a brief glimpse of Stella performing in Theatre/DonGiovanni. The 1951 film instead uses the fictional ballet ''The Dance of the Butterflies''.
* SignificantDoubleCasting: Robert Helpmann plays all four of the main villains in the 1951 film.
* SoundtrackDissonance: The 1951 film ends with the cheerful "Drinking is divine" song playing over... Stella reluctantly going off with the manipulative Lindorf while Hoffmann is DrowningHisSorrows. (The song also appears in the 1970 movie, but more as background noise and as a lead-in to Hoffmann's meeting with his muse.)
* SupernaturalAid: Hoffmann manages to kill his rival Schlemil with the help of Dapertutto, who gives poet a magic sword. Some productions also depict Dapertutto either controlling Hoffmann's movements during the duel or obstructing Schlemil's sight, allowing Hoffmann to strike him dead.
* SurprisinglyCreepyMoment: In a staging-wise sense. Olympia's act is followed by Antonia's act. The former cheerful, bright and almost comedic in nature thanks to the work being a comic opera, while the latter is sinister, somber and tragic.
* SymbolicBlood: The 1970 film cuts straight from Olympia’s head being thrown to the floor to a porcelain pot being smashed at Lutter’s, spilling red punch everywhere.
* TwoGuysAndAGirl: The main conflict in the FramingDevice is formed by Hoffmann and Lindorf competing over Stella's affections.
* VillainousHarlequin: Pitichinaccio- Giulietta’s hunchbacked jester and willing accomplice (as well as a lover). Doubles with MonsterClown.
* YouAllMeetInAnInn: While the characters are generally indicated to already know each other, the plot still kicks off with Hoffmann, Nicklausse and Lindorff meeting at Luther's Tavern, while Stella performs next door.
* YourSoulIsMine: Giulietta steals her clients’ reflections/souls for Dapertutto. In the 1951 Powell-Pressburger version, she sings the Barcarolle in duet with her own reflection, implying that her own soul was lost to Dappertutto, which suggests that she entraps others for her own freedom rather than malice.
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