The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006–…): Season 4, Episode 4 - Offenbach: Les contes d'Hoffmann - full transcript
Three acts, book-ended by a Prologue and Epilogue, tell the poet Hoffman's failed loves. The first was just a doll, the second a dying singer, and the third a lady of the evening. That's Hoffman, looking for love in all the wrong places.
I am wine....
I am beer....
We're man's best friends.
We chase away all his cares.
The truth, they say, sprang from a well.
We muses come from a barrel of wine!
That's why my good friend Hoffmann
spends his nights here...
...Hoffmann, that poet and musician
who never drinks water.
I've always protected him,
as any good muse would.
As his muse, I must discourage
his mad love for a frivolous actress.
Disappear, you siren,
who haunts his dreams.
You pursue him in vain.
I will break the chains
that bind him to you.
As his muse, I will rescue him
from this woman who toys with his heart.
Disappear, you siren,
who haunts his dreams.
You will not have him.
I will break the chains
you use to enslave him.
She is on stage.
The audience applauds.
Divine Mozart lends
a deceptive warmth to her voice.
Her false ardor inflames
Hoffmann's senses.
In this fatal hour,
he must choose between us.
He will be hers or mine...forever.
I'll disguise myself as his friend
Nicklausse, a student.
Help me, bottles and barrels.
Let intoxication make him forget!
Drink is the friend of man.
It chases away all his cares.
I am Counselor Lindorf.
I said, I am Counselor Lindorf, damn you.
Are you in the service
of the enchanting Stella?
She came here from Milan...
...with a trail of lovers.
And you're taking that message
to one of them?
I'll buy it from you.
Ten thalers.
Twenty? Thirty?
Let money talk. Forty!
Take it, you thief, and go to the devil!
"For Hoffmann."
I suspected as much.
Women! Who is the master
of their hearts?
Who is the happy conqueror
of their souls?
A poet! A drunkard!
"I love you! If I made you suffer..."
"...and if you love me,
my friend, forgive me."
"This key will open the door
to my dressing room."
"Don't forget!"
So this is my rival,
a man shattered by love.
A man who takes his hopes
and regrets to the taverns.
And he is the one
who captures this diva? Never!
I'm pitiful in the role
of a languishing lover.
But I have the spirit of a devil!
My eyes flash lightning.
Even my appearance is satanic!
I jolt the nerves like electricity!
Through the nerves, I reach the heart.
Then I triumph through fear.
Yes, prima donna,
when one has perfect beauty...
...one should have
nothing to do with a poet!
Damn it, I'll open the door
to her perfumed bedroom.
She loves my rival,
but I couldn't care less.
I'll succeed and I'll thrive,
I may be old, but I'm alive.
I have two hours ahead of me.
Wild youths come to this tavern.
Hoffmann joins them to gossip and drink.
I'll watch him until
it's time for his rendezvous.
Hurry, get the jugs and cups!
And the lamps!
Toasts will follow the bouquets.
Then we'll welcome
the brightest star in the firmament!
Drink! Drink! Drink!
Bring us beer! Bring us wine!
Luther, we're all feeling fine!
Bring us beer! Bring us wine!
Keep filling my cup
until the sun comes up.
Keep filling my cup.
Luther's a good old clown.
Let's knock him down!
Wine! Wine! Wine!
Gentlemen, please!
His wine cellar has taste and grace.
Let's ransack the place!
Gentlemen, please!
His wife is a daughter of Eve.
Born to lie and deceive!
She surely is a daughter of Eve,
she's only born to lie and deceive!
Gentlemen, please!
Keep filling my cup
until the sun comes up.
Bring us wine! Fill our cups!
What about Stella?
To Stella, that beautiful creature!
Her lovely voice adds grace
to the masterpieces of Mozart.
Her voice is a gift of nature
and a triumph of art.
My first toast is to her.
I drink to Stella!
We drink to Stella!
Why isn't Hoffmann here
to celebrate this new star?
Luther, what have you done
with our Hoffmann?
Your wine has poisoned him!
(To the devil with Hoffmann!)
Bring him to us,
or you won't live to see another day.
Gentlemen, he's at the door,
and Nicklausse is with him.
(I'll watch him closely.)
Good evening, friends.
A stool, a glass, and a pipe!
Pardon me, supreme lord and master...
...I drink, smoke, and sit, too.
Then places for two!
"Notte e giorno mal dormire...."
Shut up, for the devil's sake!
Yes, my master.
Why such an angry look?
It's not like you.
Where have you been, anyway?
Tramping through icy winds,
over dead grass.
And stumbling over the drunk
in the doorway!
I envy that inebriated rascal.
Let's drink!
Then let's lie down in the gutter.
On the cobblestones!
Under the sky!
In the rain!
Another nightmare, Hoffmann?
No, but earlier, in the theater...
...I thought I saw-
Enough! Why open an old wound?
Life is short. Let's be merry.
Drink, and laugh at life's adventures.
Even if we weep tomorrow.
Then sing something.
Don't make us beg you.
Something cheerful!
The song of the rat!
No, I'm tired of that.
Sing us the story of Kleinzach.
Here's to Kleinzach!
Here's a tale from the court of Eisenach.
About a little runt named Kleinzach.
He wore a huge Hussar's hat.
And his legs, they went...click-clack.
He had a hump instead of a stomach.
His webbed feet
hit the ground with a whack.
His nose was a smoky black.
And his head, it went...crick-crack.
As for his face....
As for that face....
Oh, her face was charming!
I can see her before me,
so beautiful, as I ran after her.
I fled from my family home,
mad with love.
And I pursued her
through the valleys and forests.
Her hair fell in cascades
upon her elegant neck.
Her eyes were the deepest blue.
What chaste looks they cast!
And, as our carriage gently bore
our hearts and affections...
...she sang with
a sweet and vibrant voice.
Even the heavens
were enchanted by her song.
Yes, the very heavens
thrilled to her song.
The eternal echo of her voice...
...forever resounds in my heart!
What a strange mind!
Who the devil do you mean...Kleinzach?
Kleinzach?
I was talking about her-
Never mind, I'm not myself tonight.
My mind was wandering.
And Kleinzach would be better-
deformed as he is!
When he drank too much gin or cognac...
...his coattails flopped
like two fish in a sack.
First in front, then in back.
And the monster went...flick-flack!
This beer is disgusting.
Light the punch!
Let's get drunk.
And let the craziest roll under the table!
Tomorrow we'll chase Luther
through the village.
He has a well-stocked
cellar we can pillage.
Let's pride ourselves on common sense.
A curse on lovesick hearts!
I bet Hoffmann is in love.
May the devil take me
if I ever fall in love.
Impertinent fool!
One should never swear such a vow.
Speak of the devil and his horns appear!
No, his hat hides his horns.
A gift from his overly loving wife!
How did you get in here,
you bird of misfortune?
Through the same door the drunks use,
you dose of hemlock!
Do you take me for a genie
you can trap inside a bottle?
You are the author of my woes!
You take me for an idiot.
Drunken hotheads need time to cool.
You spouter of witty words!
If what they say is true,
the drunk is really you.
When I drink, I pay,
you whorehouse orator!
With the money you steal from me,
you vulture?
As if a writer ever made any money!
Here's to your wife,
you friend of Lucifer.
She'd spit on your toast,
you fugitive from hell.
A simple exchange of courtesies.
They're like two shepherds
bragging about their sweethearts.
They alternate between
insults and praise.
I tell you, he's threatening me!
Whenever he appears,
misfortune threatens me.
If I gamble, he makes me lose.
You're a rotten player.
If I drink, he makes me choke.
You don't know how to drink.
If I'm in love....
So the gentleman
does fall in love sometimes?
No reason to blush about it.
Our friend Wilhelm loves his Leonore.
Hermann burns with passion
for his Gretchen.
And I'm going bankrupt
because of Fausta.
Leonore is a clod.
Leonore is a clod.
Gretchen has a heart of ice.
And your Fausta, you poor idiot,
is a brazen slut.
Why mock our sweethearts?
Is your mistress such a treasure?
My mistress?
Yes, Stella. She's three women in one.
Three souls united within one soul.
Artist, innocent girl, and courtesan.
My mistress?
No, better say my three mistresses.
A charming trio of enchantresses...
...each one a part of my past.
Want to hear about those mad loves?
What do you mean, three mistresses?
Before this pipe goes out,
you'll understand.
In the drama that consumed my heart,
good sense never won out!
The curtain is going up!
Let it go up.
That's the least of our worries.
(While I wait for the opera to end,
I'll listen to him, too.)
It's sweet to drink while
listening to a mad story of love.
Watching the smoke
waft through the air.
I'll begin.
Silence!
(In an hour, I hope,
he'll be totally drunk!)
The name of my first love was Olympia.
There! She's sleeping peacefully now.
She's quiet, modest, and beautiful.
Through her, I'll regain the money
I lost in the Jew Elias's bankruptcy.
But I still have Coppelius to deal with.
He may claim paternity rights to her,
just to get money out of me.
He's a devil,
but luckily, he's far away.
Am I too early?
My favorite student? Never.
I'm not worthy of my master.
No more poetry, no more music.
Now you'll be a professor of science!
You'll meet my daughter.
She's an angel!
Thanks to science,
my Olympia is a treasure.
(What has science
got to do with his daughter?)
Hey! Cochenille!
Light the lamps!
I'll bring the champagne.
Pardon me, I'll be back in a moment.
Courage and confidence!
I must become a scientific expert!
I must please the father...
...If I'm to win the girl I love.
I must find in myself
the essence of a scientist.
She's in there.
If only I dared....
She's in there, asleep.
How beautiful.
I was sure I'd find you here.
There is the fair Olympia.
Admire her, dear boy.
She's an angel.
Yes, I adore her.
Before you even know her?
The heart has its own certainty.
After one glance past the curtain?
One glance is enough to glimpse heaven!
Does she know you love her?
-Write to her!
-I don't dare.
-Then talk to her.
-I can't.
Sing to her, then.
Spalanzani doesn't like music.
I know. "Science is everything!"
Well, I'll explore the mystery
of her heart by singing for you.
I have a right to sing.
A guitar? Good!
Please don't.
She stares from behind her fan.
She can even turn her head.
She blinks her enamelled eyes,
but what has she ever said?
"Yes, yes, yes...stop!"
That's your beautiful Olympia.
Only in a wooden clock
do some cuckoo birds thrive.
They crow, flap their wings,
and even seem alive.
Those cuckoo birds remind me
of the beautiful Olympia!
I hope she's awake.
No sign of life....
Go on, sing your mocking songs.
She's asleep.
It is I, Coppelius!
Watch out!
Who is he?
And whom is he watching?
Our Olympia!
("Their" Olympia?)
Young man! Monsieur!
-He doesn't hear you.
-Someone else is here....
Wake him from his trance.
My name is Coppelius,
a friend of Monsieur Spalanzani.
I sell barometers, hydrometers,
thermometers. On sale! Cash only!
I don't need them.
But they're a bargain!
Buy just one!
(This old man is crazy.)
Perhaps you'd prefer
an optical illusion?
I sell beautiful eyes,
both brown and blue.
Buy a pair of eyes.
Real eyes! Beautiful eyes!
Black and blue eyes!
He's selling eyes?
This is an outrage!
He's raving!
He means "eyeglasses."
He's selling visions,
though it may seem strange.
And it drives Hoffmann mad!
I swear the visions I sell
are as real as nature's own.
These spectacles
can turn things jet-black...
...or as white as ermine.
They obscure, they illuminate.
They make you see your fantasies!
-You're joking.
-No, I'm not.
-Magic!
-Good heavens!
I see such grace glowing from her face!
Three ducats.
She intoxicates me.
Angel from heaven, is it really you?
Your eyes burn me with their flames.
I look upon you,
and I see my heart's dream.
Dear angel, is it really you?
Three ducats!
Don't rob me of this vision
of happiness and love!
He wants his three ducats.
Now don't bother me anymore.
It's a common fact.
All lovers see through such glasses!
You again?
-You agreed not to come back.
-But not in writing!
You'll soon be swimming in money,
and I want my share.
Am I not Olympia's father?
Sorry, she has my eyes.
Not so loud. Not so loud!
(His eyes - if only I knew his secret.)
Do you want another 500 ducats?
Then sign her eyes over to me,
along with the rest of her.
Here's my note, guaranteed by Elias.
A reliable firm.
What bargain are they making?
We have a deal.
My trusted friend.
Go on, collect your money.
I have an idea.
Marry off Olympia.
Get that young madman
to ask for her hand.
Science, my friend!
(It's a mania with him!)
Sir, your guests have arrived.
No other host entertains so lavishly.
His parties radiate good taste.
They're full of surprises!
Come, Monsieur Spalanzani,
introduce us to your daughter.
They say she's ravishing,
lovable, free from all vices.
And we're looking forward to dining
after her performance.
No other host entertains so lavishly.
His parties radiate good taste.
They're full of surprises!
Your curiosity will soon be satisfied.
Finally, we'll get a good look
at this marvel.
Ladies and gentlemen...
...I present my daughter, Olympia.
Look at her eyes! Her figure!
This young lady has everything!
Her eyes! That figure! She has it all!
How adorable she is!
Charming! Incomparable!
Daughter, you're a success.
She's truly remarkable!
Her eyes! That figure! She has it all!
She's delighted by your compliments
and eager to win more.
Now, if it pleases you,
my daughter will-
Do some more drills!
My daughter will sing a lovely song
accompanied by the guitar.
Or the harp, if you choose.
The harp!
Very good, Cochenille!
Go quickly.
Bring my daughter's harp!
I'll hear her at last!
What mad passion!
Control your emotions, my child.
The birds are in their bower.
The sun shines in the sky.
Everything speaks to this young maiden.
Everything speaks of love.
Hear Olympia's charming song.
The world about her sings and resounds.
And, in turn, her heart sighs.
Her tender heart trembles.
It trembles with love.
Hear Olympia's charming song.
My friend, what emotion!
What scales! What scales!
Come, gentlemen,
lead your ladies to dinner.
Let's go!
Or do you prefer to dance first?
No, dinner and then dancing.
Do I dare...?
She's a little tired and should rest.
Yes, yes.
Would you be good enough
to keep my Olympia company?
(We'll see what he has to say to her!)
She's not dining?
What a poetic soul!
That was nothing.
Only science!
Dinner is ready.
Dinner is served!
No host could be more generous!
They're gone at last.
Alone!
Just the two of us.
I have so much to tell you.
My Olympia, let me admire you.
Your charm intoxicates me.
Is this a dream?
I thought I heard a sigh
escape from your lips.
A pledge of love!
You are mine!
Our hearts are joined forever.
Do you understand me?
Our hearts will know eternal joy.
We shall be as one soul.
One heartbeat will lift us to the heavens.
Let my passion warm you like the sun.
Open your heart to the warmth of love.
You flee from me?
You don't answer me?
Speak! Have I angered you?
I'll follow you anywhere!
Do you want us to get drunk without you?
Nicklausse, she loves me!
Do you know what they say
about your beloved?
That she's dead-
Or that she's never been alive.
Nicklausse, she loves me!
The thief! This is an outrage!
Elias is bankrupt!
I'll find the right moment
to take my revenge.
I've been robbed! Robbed!
I'll kill someone!
The dancers are ready.
And so is the music.
The waltz is calling to us.
Take the gentleman's hand, my child.
She dances in time! Miraculous!
Make room!
She moves about like lightning!
Someone stop them!
She's out of control!
That's enough, my daughter.
No more waltzing.
That's enough, my daughter.
Cochenille, lead her away.
Is he dead?
No, but his glasses are broken.
He'll regain consciousness.
Poor man!
He's reviving.
Help! The man with the glasses!
Olympia!
Disaster! She's broken!
Yes, destroyed!
-Brigand...bandit!
-Thief...pirate!
A robot!
A robot!
What a spectacle!
In love with a robot!
Your turtledove has flown away.
Sweet, bitter memory...cruel vision.
I can still see him kneeling before me.
I can hear him.
I can see him.
Your turtledove has flown away,
Far, far away from you.
But I swore to remain true forever.
My beloved, my voice calls to you.
My heart is completely yours.
All my heart is yours.
Your turtledove has flown away,
Far, far away from you.
Lovely book of songs,
for pity's sake, answer me.
You know if he loves me still.
My beloved, my voice implores you.
Return to me!
Your turtledove has flown far away.
Unhappy child...beloved daughter.
You promised me never to sing again.
My mother came back to life through me.
As I sang, I thought I could hear her.
It torments me that you inherited
your dear mother's voice.
When you sing, I hear her.
Do not cause me further pain.
Your Antonia will not sing again.
What despair! Once again I saw
that feverish flush on her face.
Am I to lose the child I adore?
After Hoffmann bewitched her...
After Hoffmann bewitched her...
...I took her away to Munich.
Frantz, don't open the door to anyone.
Do you think so?
You said to see if anyone came in.
I said, don't open the door to anyone!
Do you understand?
Of course. I'm not deaf!
The devil take you!
Yes, I'll leave the key in the door.
You imbecile!
That's me!
That man! Always angry.
Quarrelsome, demanding, unreasonable.
It's hard to please him...
...and for lousy wages.
I slave away, night and day,
and I never complain.
I should take up singing.
If I could sing, he wouldn't be
so contemptuous of me.
I sing to myself sometimes.
But singing isn't easy.
Not because of my voice.
That's not my problem.
No, I don't have the technique!
It's the technique!
Well, no one does everything well.
My singing may be pitiful...
...but I dance quite nicely.
That's it. Dancing is my talent.
And dancing isn't easy.
With the ladies, I'd be nimble enough.
That's not what would do me in.
No, I don't have the technique.
It's Frantz. This is the place!
Get up, my friend.
Where's Antonia?
He went out, sir.
Even deafer than last year!
Sir, you flatter me.
Call Antonia, I must see her.
How pleased Monsieur Crespel will be!
I must find out why
she fled from me, without a word.
It was obvious
her father didn't like you.
Are you sure about this heavenly
object of your new obsession?
Why is she better than the others?
What others?
Has your fickle heart
forgotten the beautiful robot?
Antonia has nothing in common
with that mechanical doll.
Nothing?
Well, she's alive and has a soul.
She's an angel.
No! She's an artist.
That's why her soul is as strange...
...as that musical instrument.
See how the trembling strings
make the violin sing.
Listen to the heavenly tones
of this disembodied soul.
Listen as its clear voice
rings through the air.
Music will console your grief.
It mixes its sorrow with your sorrow.
It's love, all-powerful love.
Give over to its power!
Surrender your heart to love.
Music will console your grief.
It will mingle its sorrows with yours.
It's love...all-conquering love.
Poet, surrender your heart!
Surrender your heart to love.
A song of love takes flight,
sometimes sad, sometimes bright.
I knew that you still loved me!
I knew in my heart
that you loved me still.
Joy now fills my soul.
Tomorrow, you shall be my wife.
A happy future will be ours.
Joy now fills my soul.
Tomorrow, I shall be your wife.
A happy future will be ours.
Let us be true to love.
May it bind us for eternity.
What joy fills my soul!
A happy future will be ours.
One thought troubles me,
in spite of myself.
I'm a little jealous of your music.
You love it too much.
What a strange notion!
Did music make me love you?
Or did you make me love music?
You won't forbid me to sing,
as my father has?
My father has ordered me to be silent.
Do you wish to hear me?
Strange! Could it be?
Come sing with me,
as we did in the past.
See if I've lost my voice.
How your eyes shine!
How your hand trembles!
Here's that sweet love song
we used to sing together.
Yes, the love song....
The one we sang together.
A song of love takes flight,
sometimes sad, sometimes bright.
Love's melody takes wing,
its pain and joy to sing.
The blossoming rose smiles
at the springtime.
The blossoming rose smiles
at the springtime.
Alas! How long will it live?
Love's song takes flight.
Sometimes sad, sometimes bright.
Yes, love's sweet song.
Our song of love.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
It's my father! Hide!
I'll solve this mystery.
I thought Hoffmann was here.
The devil take him!
It's Doctor Miracle.
That criminal!
Lock the door!
Yes, sir - the doctor.
He's no doctor.
He's a gravedigger! A murderer!
He'd kill my daughter
just as he killed my wife.
I can hear the clinking of his flasks.
Chase him far away from me!
Here I am, in person!
To visit my dear friend Monsieur Crespel.
I was looking for our Antonia.
And what of the illness
she inherited from her mother?
Is she still suffering?
We shall cure her.
Lead me to her.
To murder her?
I'll throw you out a window!
I don't want to upset you.
What do you want, traitor?
To overcome danger...
...we must first recognize it.
(He fills me with horror!)
Let me examine her.
Let your fears subside.
Give in to my power!
(What fear! What anguish!)
(A strange terror grips me!)
(I'm stricken with fear.
My blood runs cold.)
Give in to my power.
Don't try to resist.
Go on, speak. Be brief!
Please sit here.
I'm already sitting.
How old are you-
I'm speaking to your daughter!
Tell me your age.
Twenty years old.
The springtime of life!
Let me take your pulse.
(Am I trapped in a nightmare?
Is he a phantom?)
Her pulse is rapid and uneven.
A bad sign.
Sing!
No! Don't make her sing!
Her face lights up. She presses
a hand to her wildly beating heart.
It would be a pity...
...to let death claim such a lovely victim.
You should accept my help
if you want to save her life.
I have certain flasks
that I keep for emergencies.
She must-
God protect me from
your advice, you murderer!
She must drink
from them each morning.
Yes, I hear you!
All in good time!
Unhappy father,
these flasks will cure her.
Away with you!
Out of this house, Satan!
How can I save you
from death, dear child?
Beware a father's rage and sorrow.
Never to sing again.
How could she make such a sacrifice?
What did my father say?
Don't ask anything now.
Later, you shall know everything.
A new life is opening to us.
Antonia, to follow me, you must banish
those old dreams from your memory...
...the dreams of success and fame
which you confided to me.
You, too!
Love calls to us both.
I want only you.
There can be nothing else in my life.
I accept.
I'll give you my hand.
How can I ever thank you
for the joy you've given me?
Your father may be coming back.
I'll leave you until tomorrow.
Until tomorrow.
He's in league with my father!
Tears are useless now.
I made a promise to him.
I shall sing no more.
Sing no more?
Do you realize what a sacrifice
they're imposing on a young artist?
Grace, beauty, talent!
Heaven bestowed
these blessings upon you.
Must they be hidden away
in the shadow of domesticity?
Haven't you dreamed of the sound
of the wind stirring the trees...
...which becomes the hushed whisper
of an eager audience...
...murmuring your name
as all eyes are upon you.
There lies your greatest joy
and your eternal fame!
At twenty years of age,
you'd abandon all that?
You'd let them chain you
to dull, bourgeois pleasures?
To a swarm of brats
who will coarsen your beauty?
What is this voice that disturbs me so?
Is it hell that speaks,
or God who warns me?
That is not happiness, cursed voice.
Love will protect me against pride.
No glory can match the happiness
of a home with my beloved.
What kind of love is that?
Hoffmann sacrifices you selfishly.
He loves you only for your beauty.
Soon enough, he, like all men,
will be unfaithful.
Do not tempt me anymore!
Leave, demon!
I won't listen to you!
I swore to be his!
My beloved is waiting for me.
I made a sacred vow,
and I shall never break it.
He has once more pledged
his eternal love to me.
Who will save me from
this demon, and from myself?
My mother!
I love Hoffmann!
Your mother?
You dare invoke her name?
It is she who speaks through my voice.
Ungrateful girl!
Remember the splendor
of the name that you deny.
Listen!
Antonia!
It is my mother's voice!
Dear daughter, I am calling to you
as I did in the past.
I am your mother.
Listen to my voice.
It is my mother!
Her soul is calling to me.
Listen! Her voice will best advise you.
She bequeaths to you the talent
that the world has lost.
She seems to have come back to life.
The audience applauds her once more.
Sing to her!
Her soul is calling me....
Yes, her soul is calling to you,
calling to you as before.
Dear child, I am calling to you.
Enough! I am succumbing!
What passion overwhelms me?
It is your mother. Her soul
is calling to you as in the past.
My mother!
I hear her voice....
Yes, her soul is calling.
I yield to the rapture
that overwhelms me.
What is this flame that blinds my eyes?
What flame blinds my eyes?
One more moment to live!
Then may my soul fly to heaven!
Your mother's soul is calling to you....
Sing forever!
May my soul fly to heaven!
My child...my daughter!
Antonia!
Father!
Listen!
It is my mother calling to me...
...and Hoffmann has come back.
A song of love takes flight....
Sometimes sad, sometimes bright....
Speak to me, my daughter!
Hateful death, have pity!
Spare her!
Hoffmann, you criminal!
It's you who killed her!
I'll avenge her!
I swear it!
Help! Call a doctor!
Here I am!
She is dead.
Oh, God! My child!
My daughter!
Night of beauty, night of love,
smile upon our ecstasy.
Night, sweeter than any day...
oh, beautiful night of love.
Time flees and carries away
our fondest loves forever.
Time flees from this happy shore,
never to return.
Breezes, caress us
in your sweet embrace.
Night of beauty, night of love,
smile upon our ecstasy....
As for me,
nothing here enchants me.
Must pleasure be held
captive by this beauty?
Must she make us sigh?
Smile and listen as I explain.
Tender love, its dreams and song....
Wrong!
Love born of revelry and wine....
Divine!
Let your heart burn with wild desire.
Let pleasure consume you in its fire.
Love's rapture, for all they say,
can only last for a day.
Damn the man who cries
over two pretty eyes.
Let song be our prize!
Our one hour in the skies!
Let the devil take him
who is smitten by two lovely eyes.
We'd rather choose the greater joy-
our songs of bliss!
Yes, we prefer
our joyous songs of bliss!
I see there's a party!
I'm shocked, madame.
Why? I've pined for you
for three whole days.
Enough!
We have a foreign poet
with us...Hoffmann.
Smile, for goodness sake.
Then on to the gambling tables.
To the game room, gentlemen.
To gambling!
(I have two horses saddled.)
(I won't let my Hoffmann go mad.
I'll carry him away first.)
How could this place ever inspire love?
Does one fall in love with a courtesan?
Schlemil did-
Careful, the devil is clever.
If he can make me love her,
then I deserve to be damned!
Go to battle.
Giulietta's eyes are invincible weapons.
They made Schlemil succumb.
By my word as a demon...
...Hoffmann will share that fate.
Giulietta will bewitch him tonight.
Shine, dazzling diamond.
Your sparkle can ensnare the lark.
Fascinate her. Draw her here.
Both the lark and the woman
fall prey to this temptation.
The lark loses its life,
and the woman loses her soul.
One loses its life.
The other, her soul.
Shine, dazzling diamond.
Your sparkle can ensnare the lark.
Draw her here!
Beautiful diamond, draw her here!
What do you ask of your servant?
You've already guessed.
No one is more experienced
in seduction.
You've already given me
Schlemil's shadow....
Tonight, it would please me
to have Hoffmann's reflection.
His reflection?
Yes, his reflection!
Do you doubt the power
of your lovely eyes?
Your Hoffmann has loftier dreams.
I overheard him just now.
He defies you!
I'll make him my plaything!
You're leaving me?
I've lost all my money.
What? You, too!
You insult me!
You're heartless,
leaving without mercy, without pity.
Why, you're weeping!
I love you,
though it may cost me my life.
Unhappy man, one moment
with me could be fatal.
My love could undo you if you stay.
Schlemil could kill you
while you were in my arms.
My life belongs to you.
Now you must leave.
I promise that tomorrow
I'll follow you anywhere.
You inflame my soul with rapture.
Your voice penetrates me
like divine music.
A sweet, burning fire devours my being.
Your eyes blaze about me
like radiant stars.
Your flashing eyes bathe me
in your sparkling light.
Your soft caress bewitches my very soul.
Your sweet perfumed breath
tenderly caresses my lips.
I tremble as your sweet breath
caresses my lips and my eyes.
You inflame my soul with rapture.
Your glances fan the flames
of my passion.
To give me courage,
let me have a keepsake.
-What do you mean?
-Listen, and don't laugh at me.
I want a true likeness of you,
one that captures your features.
Your glance...your face.
I want the reflection
that you see next to mine.
My reflection!
What madness!
No, for it can detach itself
from the polished glass.
Then I can hide your image
inside my heart!
I beg you, Hoffmann,
grant me my wish.
Whether it is wise
or foolish, I want it!
-If you are taken from me...
-Such sweet bliss!
-I shall keep you always.
-Strange sweet terror!
-Your reflection, soul and life...
-My reflection, soul and life.
...I want them all.
I give them gladly.
They will always be yours.
Today, there may be tears.
But tomorrow, the heavens!
Tomorrow we shall have paradise.
I have lost all reason.
Poor Hoffmann, in love again.
He burns, he suffers, but all in vain.
I both hate and adore her.
I want to die of her kisses.
Hoffmann, I adore you.
But I couldn't refuse.
I longed for that diamond.
Its fire rivaled the dawn.
It cost me one kiss!
Alas, he's lost his heart again!
Listen to me!
The gondolas are here.
It's time for songs of farewell.
You're not coming?
I'll keep watch over you.
What are you waiting for, sir?
Give me that key!
Not on my life!
Then I shall take both!
We shall see!
You have no sword? Take mine.
And that is the story of my loves.
Their memories will live
in my heart forever.
A great success!
They're cheering our prima donna.
(He is no longer to be feared.
The diva is mine.)
Where does Stella fit in?
I understand.
Three dramas in one drama.
Olympia.
Antonia.
Giulietta.
They are all the same woman...Stella!
Let's drink to this honest woman.
Not another word!
Or I'll smash you, as well!
That's how you treat a friend?
I've gone mad!
Let's revel in alcohol, in beer and wine!
Let ours be the madness of intoxication!
The nothingness by which one forgets!
Let's light the punch!
Let's get sotted!
Let the drunks roll under the table!
We all praise Luther's many riches.
He keeps us sotted and in stitches.
His cellars fill us with delight
from break of day to fall of night.
Look, my life is shattered.
You will have to decide!
It seems that we've met.
I can't remember anymore.
Time passes.
I'm sorry, I wish I could remember.
(And not a word about that love letter!)
Are you Olympia?
Shattered.
Antonia?
Dead!
Giulietta?
Damned.
Permit me, madame.
Making money was his only skill.
But he longed for love,
our poor hunchback.
So he opened his purse
and threw coins...frick-frack!
Here is Kleinzach!
Keep filling my cup
until the sun comes up.
Let the ashes of your heart
rekindle your genius.
Smile upon your sorrows with serenity.
Your muse will comfort you.
Your suffering will be blessed.
One grows through love...
...and grows more through tears.
Let the ashes of your heart...
...rekindle your genius.
Smile upon your sorrows with serenity.
Your muse will comfort you.
Your suffering will be blessed.
Love lends man greatness.
Tears make him greater still.
I am beer....
We're man's best friends.
We chase away all his cares.
The truth, they say, sprang from a well.
We muses come from a barrel of wine!
That's why my good friend Hoffmann
spends his nights here...
...Hoffmann, that poet and musician
who never drinks water.
I've always protected him,
as any good muse would.
As his muse, I must discourage
his mad love for a frivolous actress.
Disappear, you siren,
who haunts his dreams.
You pursue him in vain.
I will break the chains
that bind him to you.
As his muse, I will rescue him
from this woman who toys with his heart.
Disappear, you siren,
who haunts his dreams.
You will not have him.
I will break the chains
you use to enslave him.
She is on stage.
The audience applauds.
Divine Mozart lends
a deceptive warmth to her voice.
Her false ardor inflames
Hoffmann's senses.
In this fatal hour,
he must choose between us.
He will be hers or mine...forever.
I'll disguise myself as his friend
Nicklausse, a student.
Help me, bottles and barrels.
Let intoxication make him forget!
Drink is the friend of man.
It chases away all his cares.
I am Counselor Lindorf.
I said, I am Counselor Lindorf, damn you.
Are you in the service
of the enchanting Stella?
She came here from Milan...
...with a trail of lovers.
And you're taking that message
to one of them?
I'll buy it from you.
Ten thalers.
Twenty? Thirty?
Let money talk. Forty!
Take it, you thief, and go to the devil!
"For Hoffmann."
I suspected as much.
Women! Who is the master
of their hearts?
Who is the happy conqueror
of their souls?
A poet! A drunkard!
"I love you! If I made you suffer..."
"...and if you love me,
my friend, forgive me."
"This key will open the door
to my dressing room."
"Don't forget!"
So this is my rival,
a man shattered by love.
A man who takes his hopes
and regrets to the taverns.
And he is the one
who captures this diva? Never!
I'm pitiful in the role
of a languishing lover.
But I have the spirit of a devil!
My eyes flash lightning.
Even my appearance is satanic!
I jolt the nerves like electricity!
Through the nerves, I reach the heart.
Then I triumph through fear.
Yes, prima donna,
when one has perfect beauty...
...one should have
nothing to do with a poet!
Damn it, I'll open the door
to her perfumed bedroom.
She loves my rival,
but I couldn't care less.
I'll succeed and I'll thrive,
I may be old, but I'm alive.
I have two hours ahead of me.
Wild youths come to this tavern.
Hoffmann joins them to gossip and drink.
I'll watch him until
it's time for his rendezvous.
Hurry, get the jugs and cups!
And the lamps!
Toasts will follow the bouquets.
Then we'll welcome
the brightest star in the firmament!
Drink! Drink! Drink!
Bring us beer! Bring us wine!
Luther, we're all feeling fine!
Bring us beer! Bring us wine!
Keep filling my cup
until the sun comes up.
Keep filling my cup.
Luther's a good old clown.
Let's knock him down!
Wine! Wine! Wine!
Gentlemen, please!
His wine cellar has taste and grace.
Let's ransack the place!
Gentlemen, please!
His wife is a daughter of Eve.
Born to lie and deceive!
She surely is a daughter of Eve,
she's only born to lie and deceive!
Gentlemen, please!
Keep filling my cup
until the sun comes up.
Bring us wine! Fill our cups!
What about Stella?
To Stella, that beautiful creature!
Her lovely voice adds grace
to the masterpieces of Mozart.
Her voice is a gift of nature
and a triumph of art.
My first toast is to her.
I drink to Stella!
We drink to Stella!
Why isn't Hoffmann here
to celebrate this new star?
Luther, what have you done
with our Hoffmann?
Your wine has poisoned him!
(To the devil with Hoffmann!)
Bring him to us,
or you won't live to see another day.
Gentlemen, he's at the door,
and Nicklausse is with him.
(I'll watch him closely.)
Good evening, friends.
A stool, a glass, and a pipe!
Pardon me, supreme lord and master...
...I drink, smoke, and sit, too.
Then places for two!
"Notte e giorno mal dormire...."
Shut up, for the devil's sake!
Yes, my master.
Why such an angry look?
It's not like you.
Where have you been, anyway?
Tramping through icy winds,
over dead grass.
And stumbling over the drunk
in the doorway!
I envy that inebriated rascal.
Let's drink!
Then let's lie down in the gutter.
On the cobblestones!
Under the sky!
In the rain!
Another nightmare, Hoffmann?
No, but earlier, in the theater...
...I thought I saw-
Enough! Why open an old wound?
Life is short. Let's be merry.
Drink, and laugh at life's adventures.
Even if we weep tomorrow.
Then sing something.
Don't make us beg you.
Something cheerful!
The song of the rat!
No, I'm tired of that.
Sing us the story of Kleinzach.
Here's to Kleinzach!
Here's a tale from the court of Eisenach.
About a little runt named Kleinzach.
He wore a huge Hussar's hat.
And his legs, they went...click-clack.
He had a hump instead of a stomach.
His webbed feet
hit the ground with a whack.
His nose was a smoky black.
And his head, it went...crick-crack.
As for his face....
As for that face....
Oh, her face was charming!
I can see her before me,
so beautiful, as I ran after her.
I fled from my family home,
mad with love.
And I pursued her
through the valleys and forests.
Her hair fell in cascades
upon her elegant neck.
Her eyes were the deepest blue.
What chaste looks they cast!
And, as our carriage gently bore
our hearts and affections...
...she sang with
a sweet and vibrant voice.
Even the heavens
were enchanted by her song.
Yes, the very heavens
thrilled to her song.
The eternal echo of her voice...
...forever resounds in my heart!
What a strange mind!
Who the devil do you mean...Kleinzach?
Kleinzach?
I was talking about her-
Never mind, I'm not myself tonight.
My mind was wandering.
And Kleinzach would be better-
deformed as he is!
When he drank too much gin or cognac...
...his coattails flopped
like two fish in a sack.
First in front, then in back.
And the monster went...flick-flack!
This beer is disgusting.
Light the punch!
Let's get drunk.
And let the craziest roll under the table!
Tomorrow we'll chase Luther
through the village.
He has a well-stocked
cellar we can pillage.
Let's pride ourselves on common sense.
A curse on lovesick hearts!
I bet Hoffmann is in love.
May the devil take me
if I ever fall in love.
Impertinent fool!
One should never swear such a vow.
Speak of the devil and his horns appear!
No, his hat hides his horns.
A gift from his overly loving wife!
How did you get in here,
you bird of misfortune?
Through the same door the drunks use,
you dose of hemlock!
Do you take me for a genie
you can trap inside a bottle?
You are the author of my woes!
You take me for an idiot.
Drunken hotheads need time to cool.
You spouter of witty words!
If what they say is true,
the drunk is really you.
When I drink, I pay,
you whorehouse orator!
With the money you steal from me,
you vulture?
As if a writer ever made any money!
Here's to your wife,
you friend of Lucifer.
She'd spit on your toast,
you fugitive from hell.
A simple exchange of courtesies.
They're like two shepherds
bragging about their sweethearts.
They alternate between
insults and praise.
I tell you, he's threatening me!
Whenever he appears,
misfortune threatens me.
If I gamble, he makes me lose.
You're a rotten player.
If I drink, he makes me choke.
You don't know how to drink.
If I'm in love....
So the gentleman
does fall in love sometimes?
No reason to blush about it.
Our friend Wilhelm loves his Leonore.
Hermann burns with passion
for his Gretchen.
And I'm going bankrupt
because of Fausta.
Leonore is a clod.
Leonore is a clod.
Gretchen has a heart of ice.
And your Fausta, you poor idiot,
is a brazen slut.
Why mock our sweethearts?
Is your mistress such a treasure?
My mistress?
Yes, Stella. She's three women in one.
Three souls united within one soul.
Artist, innocent girl, and courtesan.
My mistress?
No, better say my three mistresses.
A charming trio of enchantresses...
...each one a part of my past.
Want to hear about those mad loves?
What do you mean, three mistresses?
Before this pipe goes out,
you'll understand.
In the drama that consumed my heart,
good sense never won out!
The curtain is going up!
Let it go up.
That's the least of our worries.
(While I wait for the opera to end,
I'll listen to him, too.)
It's sweet to drink while
listening to a mad story of love.
Watching the smoke
waft through the air.
I'll begin.
Silence!
(In an hour, I hope,
he'll be totally drunk!)
The name of my first love was Olympia.
There! She's sleeping peacefully now.
She's quiet, modest, and beautiful.
Through her, I'll regain the money
I lost in the Jew Elias's bankruptcy.
But I still have Coppelius to deal with.
He may claim paternity rights to her,
just to get money out of me.
He's a devil,
but luckily, he's far away.
Am I too early?
My favorite student? Never.
I'm not worthy of my master.
No more poetry, no more music.
Now you'll be a professor of science!
You'll meet my daughter.
She's an angel!
Thanks to science,
my Olympia is a treasure.
(What has science
got to do with his daughter?)
Hey! Cochenille!
Light the lamps!
I'll bring the champagne.
Pardon me, I'll be back in a moment.
Courage and confidence!
I must become a scientific expert!
I must please the father...
...If I'm to win the girl I love.
I must find in myself
the essence of a scientist.
She's in there.
If only I dared....
She's in there, asleep.
How beautiful.
I was sure I'd find you here.
There is the fair Olympia.
Admire her, dear boy.
She's an angel.
Yes, I adore her.
Before you even know her?
The heart has its own certainty.
After one glance past the curtain?
One glance is enough to glimpse heaven!
Does she know you love her?
-Write to her!
-I don't dare.
-Then talk to her.
-I can't.
Sing to her, then.
Spalanzani doesn't like music.
I know. "Science is everything!"
Well, I'll explore the mystery
of her heart by singing for you.
I have a right to sing.
A guitar? Good!
Please don't.
She stares from behind her fan.
She can even turn her head.
She blinks her enamelled eyes,
but what has she ever said?
"Yes, yes, yes...stop!"
That's your beautiful Olympia.
Only in a wooden clock
do some cuckoo birds thrive.
They crow, flap their wings,
and even seem alive.
Those cuckoo birds remind me
of the beautiful Olympia!
I hope she's awake.
No sign of life....
Go on, sing your mocking songs.
She's asleep.
It is I, Coppelius!
Watch out!
Who is he?
And whom is he watching?
Our Olympia!
("Their" Olympia?)
Young man! Monsieur!
-He doesn't hear you.
-Someone else is here....
Wake him from his trance.
My name is Coppelius,
a friend of Monsieur Spalanzani.
I sell barometers, hydrometers,
thermometers. On sale! Cash only!
I don't need them.
But they're a bargain!
Buy just one!
(This old man is crazy.)
Perhaps you'd prefer
an optical illusion?
I sell beautiful eyes,
both brown and blue.
Buy a pair of eyes.
Real eyes! Beautiful eyes!
Black and blue eyes!
He's selling eyes?
This is an outrage!
He's raving!
He means "eyeglasses."
He's selling visions,
though it may seem strange.
And it drives Hoffmann mad!
I swear the visions I sell
are as real as nature's own.
These spectacles
can turn things jet-black...
...or as white as ermine.
They obscure, they illuminate.
They make you see your fantasies!
-You're joking.
-No, I'm not.
-Magic!
-Good heavens!
I see such grace glowing from her face!
Three ducats.
She intoxicates me.
Angel from heaven, is it really you?
Your eyes burn me with their flames.
I look upon you,
and I see my heart's dream.
Dear angel, is it really you?
Three ducats!
Don't rob me of this vision
of happiness and love!
He wants his three ducats.
Now don't bother me anymore.
It's a common fact.
All lovers see through such glasses!
You again?
-You agreed not to come back.
-But not in writing!
You'll soon be swimming in money,
and I want my share.
Am I not Olympia's father?
Sorry, she has my eyes.
Not so loud. Not so loud!
(His eyes - if only I knew his secret.)
Do you want another 500 ducats?
Then sign her eyes over to me,
along with the rest of her.
Here's my note, guaranteed by Elias.
A reliable firm.
What bargain are they making?
We have a deal.
My trusted friend.
Go on, collect your money.
I have an idea.
Marry off Olympia.
Get that young madman
to ask for her hand.
Science, my friend!
(It's a mania with him!)
Sir, your guests have arrived.
No other host entertains so lavishly.
His parties radiate good taste.
They're full of surprises!
Come, Monsieur Spalanzani,
introduce us to your daughter.
They say she's ravishing,
lovable, free from all vices.
And we're looking forward to dining
after her performance.
No other host entertains so lavishly.
His parties radiate good taste.
They're full of surprises!
Your curiosity will soon be satisfied.
Finally, we'll get a good look
at this marvel.
Ladies and gentlemen...
...I present my daughter, Olympia.
Look at her eyes! Her figure!
This young lady has everything!
Her eyes! That figure! She has it all!
How adorable she is!
Charming! Incomparable!
Daughter, you're a success.
She's truly remarkable!
Her eyes! That figure! She has it all!
She's delighted by your compliments
and eager to win more.
Now, if it pleases you,
my daughter will-
Do some more drills!
My daughter will sing a lovely song
accompanied by the guitar.
Or the harp, if you choose.
The harp!
Very good, Cochenille!
Go quickly.
Bring my daughter's harp!
I'll hear her at last!
What mad passion!
Control your emotions, my child.
The birds are in their bower.
The sun shines in the sky.
Everything speaks to this young maiden.
Everything speaks of love.
Hear Olympia's charming song.
The world about her sings and resounds.
And, in turn, her heart sighs.
Her tender heart trembles.
It trembles with love.
Hear Olympia's charming song.
My friend, what emotion!
What scales! What scales!
Come, gentlemen,
lead your ladies to dinner.
Let's go!
Or do you prefer to dance first?
No, dinner and then dancing.
Do I dare...?
She's a little tired and should rest.
Yes, yes.
Would you be good enough
to keep my Olympia company?
(We'll see what he has to say to her!)
She's not dining?
What a poetic soul!
That was nothing.
Only science!
Dinner is ready.
Dinner is served!
No host could be more generous!
They're gone at last.
Alone!
Just the two of us.
I have so much to tell you.
My Olympia, let me admire you.
Your charm intoxicates me.
Is this a dream?
I thought I heard a sigh
escape from your lips.
A pledge of love!
You are mine!
Our hearts are joined forever.
Do you understand me?
Our hearts will know eternal joy.
We shall be as one soul.
One heartbeat will lift us to the heavens.
Let my passion warm you like the sun.
Open your heart to the warmth of love.
You flee from me?
You don't answer me?
Speak! Have I angered you?
I'll follow you anywhere!
Do you want us to get drunk without you?
Nicklausse, she loves me!
Do you know what they say
about your beloved?
That she's dead-
Or that she's never been alive.
Nicklausse, she loves me!
The thief! This is an outrage!
Elias is bankrupt!
I'll find the right moment
to take my revenge.
I've been robbed! Robbed!
I'll kill someone!
The dancers are ready.
And so is the music.
The waltz is calling to us.
Take the gentleman's hand, my child.
She dances in time! Miraculous!
Make room!
She moves about like lightning!
Someone stop them!
She's out of control!
That's enough, my daughter.
No more waltzing.
That's enough, my daughter.
Cochenille, lead her away.
Is he dead?
No, but his glasses are broken.
He'll regain consciousness.
Poor man!
He's reviving.
Help! The man with the glasses!
Olympia!
Disaster! She's broken!
Yes, destroyed!
-Brigand...bandit!
-Thief...pirate!
A robot!
A robot!
What a spectacle!
In love with a robot!
Your turtledove has flown away.
Sweet, bitter memory...cruel vision.
I can still see him kneeling before me.
I can hear him.
I can see him.
Your turtledove has flown away,
Far, far away from you.
But I swore to remain true forever.
My beloved, my voice calls to you.
My heart is completely yours.
All my heart is yours.
Your turtledove has flown away,
Far, far away from you.
Lovely book of songs,
for pity's sake, answer me.
You know if he loves me still.
My beloved, my voice implores you.
Return to me!
Your turtledove has flown far away.
Unhappy child...beloved daughter.
You promised me never to sing again.
My mother came back to life through me.
As I sang, I thought I could hear her.
It torments me that you inherited
your dear mother's voice.
When you sing, I hear her.
Do not cause me further pain.
Your Antonia will not sing again.
What despair! Once again I saw
that feverish flush on her face.
Am I to lose the child I adore?
After Hoffmann bewitched her...
After Hoffmann bewitched her...
...I took her away to Munich.
Frantz, don't open the door to anyone.
Do you think so?
You said to see if anyone came in.
I said, don't open the door to anyone!
Do you understand?
Of course. I'm not deaf!
The devil take you!
Yes, I'll leave the key in the door.
You imbecile!
That's me!
That man! Always angry.
Quarrelsome, demanding, unreasonable.
It's hard to please him...
...and for lousy wages.
I slave away, night and day,
and I never complain.
I should take up singing.
If I could sing, he wouldn't be
so contemptuous of me.
I sing to myself sometimes.
But singing isn't easy.
Not because of my voice.
That's not my problem.
No, I don't have the technique!
It's the technique!
Well, no one does everything well.
My singing may be pitiful...
...but I dance quite nicely.
That's it. Dancing is my talent.
And dancing isn't easy.
With the ladies, I'd be nimble enough.
That's not what would do me in.
No, I don't have the technique.
It's Frantz. This is the place!
Get up, my friend.
Where's Antonia?
He went out, sir.
Even deafer than last year!
Sir, you flatter me.
Call Antonia, I must see her.
How pleased Monsieur Crespel will be!
I must find out why
she fled from me, without a word.
It was obvious
her father didn't like you.
Are you sure about this heavenly
object of your new obsession?
Why is she better than the others?
What others?
Has your fickle heart
forgotten the beautiful robot?
Antonia has nothing in common
with that mechanical doll.
Nothing?
Well, she's alive and has a soul.
She's an angel.
No! She's an artist.
That's why her soul is as strange...
...as that musical instrument.
See how the trembling strings
make the violin sing.
Listen to the heavenly tones
of this disembodied soul.
Listen as its clear voice
rings through the air.
Music will console your grief.
It mixes its sorrow with your sorrow.
It's love, all-powerful love.
Give over to its power!
Surrender your heart to love.
Music will console your grief.
It will mingle its sorrows with yours.
It's love...all-conquering love.
Poet, surrender your heart!
Surrender your heart to love.
A song of love takes flight,
sometimes sad, sometimes bright.
I knew that you still loved me!
I knew in my heart
that you loved me still.
Joy now fills my soul.
Tomorrow, you shall be my wife.
A happy future will be ours.
Joy now fills my soul.
Tomorrow, I shall be your wife.
A happy future will be ours.
Let us be true to love.
May it bind us for eternity.
What joy fills my soul!
A happy future will be ours.
One thought troubles me,
in spite of myself.
I'm a little jealous of your music.
You love it too much.
What a strange notion!
Did music make me love you?
Or did you make me love music?
You won't forbid me to sing,
as my father has?
My father has ordered me to be silent.
Do you wish to hear me?
Strange! Could it be?
Come sing with me,
as we did in the past.
See if I've lost my voice.
How your eyes shine!
How your hand trembles!
Here's that sweet love song
we used to sing together.
Yes, the love song....
The one we sang together.
A song of love takes flight,
sometimes sad, sometimes bright.
Love's melody takes wing,
its pain and joy to sing.
The blossoming rose smiles
at the springtime.
The blossoming rose smiles
at the springtime.
Alas! How long will it live?
Love's song takes flight.
Sometimes sad, sometimes bright.
Yes, love's sweet song.
Our song of love.
What's wrong?
Nothing.
It's my father! Hide!
I'll solve this mystery.
I thought Hoffmann was here.
The devil take him!
It's Doctor Miracle.
That criminal!
Lock the door!
Yes, sir - the doctor.
He's no doctor.
He's a gravedigger! A murderer!
He'd kill my daughter
just as he killed my wife.
I can hear the clinking of his flasks.
Chase him far away from me!
Here I am, in person!
To visit my dear friend Monsieur Crespel.
I was looking for our Antonia.
And what of the illness
she inherited from her mother?
Is she still suffering?
We shall cure her.
Lead me to her.
To murder her?
I'll throw you out a window!
I don't want to upset you.
What do you want, traitor?
To overcome danger...
...we must first recognize it.
(He fills me with horror!)
Let me examine her.
Let your fears subside.
Give in to my power!
(What fear! What anguish!)
(A strange terror grips me!)
(I'm stricken with fear.
My blood runs cold.)
Give in to my power.
Don't try to resist.
Go on, speak. Be brief!
Please sit here.
I'm already sitting.
How old are you-
I'm speaking to your daughter!
Tell me your age.
Twenty years old.
The springtime of life!
Let me take your pulse.
(Am I trapped in a nightmare?
Is he a phantom?)
Her pulse is rapid and uneven.
A bad sign.
Sing!
No! Don't make her sing!
Her face lights up. She presses
a hand to her wildly beating heart.
It would be a pity...
...to let death claim such a lovely victim.
You should accept my help
if you want to save her life.
I have certain flasks
that I keep for emergencies.
She must-
God protect me from
your advice, you murderer!
She must drink
from them each morning.
Yes, I hear you!
All in good time!
Unhappy father,
these flasks will cure her.
Away with you!
Out of this house, Satan!
How can I save you
from death, dear child?
Beware a father's rage and sorrow.
Never to sing again.
How could she make such a sacrifice?
What did my father say?
Don't ask anything now.
Later, you shall know everything.
A new life is opening to us.
Antonia, to follow me, you must banish
those old dreams from your memory...
...the dreams of success and fame
which you confided to me.
You, too!
Love calls to us both.
I want only you.
There can be nothing else in my life.
I accept.
I'll give you my hand.
How can I ever thank you
for the joy you've given me?
Your father may be coming back.
I'll leave you until tomorrow.
Until tomorrow.
He's in league with my father!
Tears are useless now.
I made a promise to him.
I shall sing no more.
Sing no more?
Do you realize what a sacrifice
they're imposing on a young artist?
Grace, beauty, talent!
Heaven bestowed
these blessings upon you.
Must they be hidden away
in the shadow of domesticity?
Haven't you dreamed of the sound
of the wind stirring the trees...
...which becomes the hushed whisper
of an eager audience...
...murmuring your name
as all eyes are upon you.
There lies your greatest joy
and your eternal fame!
At twenty years of age,
you'd abandon all that?
You'd let them chain you
to dull, bourgeois pleasures?
To a swarm of brats
who will coarsen your beauty?
What is this voice that disturbs me so?
Is it hell that speaks,
or God who warns me?
That is not happiness, cursed voice.
Love will protect me against pride.
No glory can match the happiness
of a home with my beloved.
What kind of love is that?
Hoffmann sacrifices you selfishly.
He loves you only for your beauty.
Soon enough, he, like all men,
will be unfaithful.
Do not tempt me anymore!
Leave, demon!
I won't listen to you!
I swore to be his!
My beloved is waiting for me.
I made a sacred vow,
and I shall never break it.
He has once more pledged
his eternal love to me.
Who will save me from
this demon, and from myself?
My mother!
I love Hoffmann!
Your mother?
You dare invoke her name?
It is she who speaks through my voice.
Ungrateful girl!
Remember the splendor
of the name that you deny.
Listen!
Antonia!
It is my mother's voice!
Dear daughter, I am calling to you
as I did in the past.
I am your mother.
Listen to my voice.
It is my mother!
Her soul is calling to me.
Listen! Her voice will best advise you.
She bequeaths to you the talent
that the world has lost.
She seems to have come back to life.
The audience applauds her once more.
Sing to her!
Her soul is calling me....
Yes, her soul is calling to you,
calling to you as before.
Dear child, I am calling to you.
Enough! I am succumbing!
What passion overwhelms me?
It is your mother. Her soul
is calling to you as in the past.
My mother!
I hear her voice....
Yes, her soul is calling.
I yield to the rapture
that overwhelms me.
What is this flame that blinds my eyes?
What flame blinds my eyes?
One more moment to live!
Then may my soul fly to heaven!
Your mother's soul is calling to you....
Sing forever!
May my soul fly to heaven!
My child...my daughter!
Antonia!
Father!
Listen!
It is my mother calling to me...
...and Hoffmann has come back.
A song of love takes flight....
Sometimes sad, sometimes bright....
Speak to me, my daughter!
Hateful death, have pity!
Spare her!
Hoffmann, you criminal!
It's you who killed her!
I'll avenge her!
I swear it!
Help! Call a doctor!
Here I am!
She is dead.
Oh, God! My child!
My daughter!
Night of beauty, night of love,
smile upon our ecstasy.
Night, sweeter than any day...
oh, beautiful night of love.
Time flees and carries away
our fondest loves forever.
Time flees from this happy shore,
never to return.
Breezes, caress us
in your sweet embrace.
Night of beauty, night of love,
smile upon our ecstasy....
As for me,
nothing here enchants me.
Must pleasure be held
captive by this beauty?
Must she make us sigh?
Smile and listen as I explain.
Tender love, its dreams and song....
Wrong!
Love born of revelry and wine....
Divine!
Let your heart burn with wild desire.
Let pleasure consume you in its fire.
Love's rapture, for all they say,
can only last for a day.
Damn the man who cries
over two pretty eyes.
Let song be our prize!
Our one hour in the skies!
Let the devil take him
who is smitten by two lovely eyes.
We'd rather choose the greater joy-
our songs of bliss!
Yes, we prefer
our joyous songs of bliss!
I see there's a party!
I'm shocked, madame.
Why? I've pined for you
for three whole days.
Enough!
We have a foreign poet
with us...Hoffmann.
Smile, for goodness sake.
Then on to the gambling tables.
To the game room, gentlemen.
To gambling!
(I have two horses saddled.)
(I won't let my Hoffmann go mad.
I'll carry him away first.)
How could this place ever inspire love?
Does one fall in love with a courtesan?
Schlemil did-
Careful, the devil is clever.
If he can make me love her,
then I deserve to be damned!
Go to battle.
Giulietta's eyes are invincible weapons.
They made Schlemil succumb.
By my word as a demon...
...Hoffmann will share that fate.
Giulietta will bewitch him tonight.
Shine, dazzling diamond.
Your sparkle can ensnare the lark.
Fascinate her. Draw her here.
Both the lark and the woman
fall prey to this temptation.
The lark loses its life,
and the woman loses her soul.
One loses its life.
The other, her soul.
Shine, dazzling diamond.
Your sparkle can ensnare the lark.
Draw her here!
Beautiful diamond, draw her here!
What do you ask of your servant?
You've already guessed.
No one is more experienced
in seduction.
You've already given me
Schlemil's shadow....
Tonight, it would please me
to have Hoffmann's reflection.
His reflection?
Yes, his reflection!
Do you doubt the power
of your lovely eyes?
Your Hoffmann has loftier dreams.
I overheard him just now.
He defies you!
I'll make him my plaything!
You're leaving me?
I've lost all my money.
What? You, too!
You insult me!
You're heartless,
leaving without mercy, without pity.
Why, you're weeping!
I love you,
though it may cost me my life.
Unhappy man, one moment
with me could be fatal.
My love could undo you if you stay.
Schlemil could kill you
while you were in my arms.
My life belongs to you.
Now you must leave.
I promise that tomorrow
I'll follow you anywhere.
You inflame my soul with rapture.
Your voice penetrates me
like divine music.
A sweet, burning fire devours my being.
Your eyes blaze about me
like radiant stars.
Your flashing eyes bathe me
in your sparkling light.
Your soft caress bewitches my very soul.
Your sweet perfumed breath
tenderly caresses my lips.
I tremble as your sweet breath
caresses my lips and my eyes.
You inflame my soul with rapture.
Your glances fan the flames
of my passion.
To give me courage,
let me have a keepsake.
-What do you mean?
-Listen, and don't laugh at me.
I want a true likeness of you,
one that captures your features.
Your glance...your face.
I want the reflection
that you see next to mine.
My reflection!
What madness!
No, for it can detach itself
from the polished glass.
Then I can hide your image
inside my heart!
I beg you, Hoffmann,
grant me my wish.
Whether it is wise
or foolish, I want it!
-If you are taken from me...
-Such sweet bliss!
-I shall keep you always.
-Strange sweet terror!
-Your reflection, soul and life...
-My reflection, soul and life.
...I want them all.
I give them gladly.
They will always be yours.
Today, there may be tears.
But tomorrow, the heavens!
Tomorrow we shall have paradise.
I have lost all reason.
Poor Hoffmann, in love again.
He burns, he suffers, but all in vain.
I both hate and adore her.
I want to die of her kisses.
Hoffmann, I adore you.
But I couldn't refuse.
I longed for that diamond.
Its fire rivaled the dawn.
It cost me one kiss!
Alas, he's lost his heart again!
Listen to me!
The gondolas are here.
It's time for songs of farewell.
You're not coming?
I'll keep watch over you.
What are you waiting for, sir?
Give me that key!
Not on my life!
Then I shall take both!
We shall see!
You have no sword? Take mine.
And that is the story of my loves.
Their memories will live
in my heart forever.
A great success!
They're cheering our prima donna.
(He is no longer to be feared.
The diva is mine.)
Where does Stella fit in?
I understand.
Three dramas in one drama.
Olympia.
Antonia.
Giulietta.
They are all the same woman...Stella!
Let's drink to this honest woman.
Not another word!
Or I'll smash you, as well!
That's how you treat a friend?
I've gone mad!
Let's revel in alcohol, in beer and wine!
Let ours be the madness of intoxication!
The nothingness by which one forgets!
Let's light the punch!
Let's get sotted!
Let the drunks roll under the table!
We all praise Luther's many riches.
He keeps us sotted and in stitches.
His cellars fill us with delight
from break of day to fall of night.
Look, my life is shattered.
You will have to decide!
It seems that we've met.
I can't remember anymore.
Time passes.
I'm sorry, I wish I could remember.
(And not a word about that love letter!)
Are you Olympia?
Shattered.
Antonia?
Dead!
Giulietta?
Damned.
Permit me, madame.
Making money was his only skill.
But he longed for love,
our poor hunchback.
So he opened his purse
and threw coins...frick-frack!
Here is Kleinzach!
Keep filling my cup
until the sun comes up.
Let the ashes of your heart
rekindle your genius.
Smile upon your sorrows with serenity.
Your muse will comfort you.
Your suffering will be blessed.
One grows through love...
...and grows more through tears.
Let the ashes of your heart...
...rekindle your genius.
Smile upon your sorrows with serenity.
Your muse will comfort you.
Your suffering will be blessed.
Love lends man greatness.
Tears make him greater still.