Aria is a 1987 British anthology film consisting of ten shorts, each directed by a different famous director. As the titles implies, the segments are all set to music from famous operas as follows:
- Excerpts from Un ballo in maschera, directed by Nicolas Roeg, about a kind (Theresa Russell) who goes to visit his lover when assassins try to kill him.
- "La Vergine Degli Angeli", from La forza del destino, directed by Charles Sturridge, about three children who steal a luxury car and set fire to it.
- Excerpts from Armide, directed by Jean-Luc Godard, about two cleaning women who get turned on by male bodybuilders at the gym where they work.
- Excerpts from Rigoletto, directed by Julien Temple, about a man (Buck Henry) at a hotel with his lover (Beverly D'Angelo) in Las Vegas, while his wife (Anita Morris) is with her lover at the very same hotel. Features an Elvis Impersonator lip-synching to part of the opera.
- "Gluck, das mir Verblieb", from Die Tote Stadt, directed by Bruce Beresford, about two lovers (Elizabeth Hurley and Peter Birch) who lip-sync the aria while in bed in a desolate city.
- Excerpts from Abaris ou les Boreades, directed by Robert Altman, about a preview of the opera being shown to inmates at an insane asylum.
- "Liebestod" from Tristan und Isolde (Wagner), directed by Franc Roddam, which casts the doomed lovers (James Mathers and Bridget Fonda) in modern-day Las Vegas.
- "Nessun Dorma" from Turandot, directed by Ken Russell, about a young woman who's being operated on in a hospital after a car accident, while she dreams she's part of a tribal rite.
- "Depuis Le Jour" from Louise, directed by Derek Jarman, about an opera singer giving her final performance while she remembers her life (Tilda Swinton plays the younger version of the singer in flashbacks).
- "Vesti La Giubba" from Pagliacci, directed by Bill Bryden, a Framing Device about an aging opera star (John Hurt) preparing for his last performance.
Tropes Found In This Film Include:
- Anthology Film: Well, naturally.
- At the Opera Tonight: The first segment, Un ballo in maschera is set in part at an opera performance.
- Genteel Interbellum Setting: The first short, set in 1931, fits this trope. There are certainly lots of beautiful period costumes.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: Much of the music is quite old and, thus, qualifies.
- Opera: The music the film counts.
