Tokyo’s cinemas bring viewers the finest of world culture—both past and present—with a number of special screenings in December. First up, the Met Live Viewing program continues to present the best performances from New York’s famed Metropolitan Opera. The Met is known for its Mozart, and a gorgeous production of Don Giovanni is on December 3–9. For theaters, see www.shochiku.co.jp/met.
One of the great sanctuaries of culture gets the documentary treatment in Teatro Alla Scala: The Temple of Wonders. The doc features 4K footage that captures the splendid architecture of Milan’s La Scala opera house as well as behind-the-scenes preparations and archival footage of past masterpieces and famous visitors. On from December 23 at Bunkamura’s Le Cinema (2-24-1 Dogenzaka, Shibuya-ku; www.bunkamura.co.jp).
London’s esteemed Royal Opera House is also accessible without boarding a plane through its Live Cinema Season. A much lighter Mozart opera, Così fan tutte, screens December 9–15, with the bedroom farce transplanted to a modern setting. Upcoming performances in the season include The Nutcracker and Il Trovatore. For theaters, see www.tohotowa.co.jp/roh.
A look behind the curtain at the Paris Opera Ballet is offered in the documentary Reset. It traces new director Benjamin Millepied’s efforts to stage his first production with the world’s oldest national ballet troupe. Millepied’s work on the film Black Swan led to him marrying Natalie Portman. Also on from December 23 at Le Cinema.
