Tales Of Hoffmann, The (Criterion) (1951) Rating: Starring: Moira Shearer, Ludmilla Tcherina, Anne Ayars, Pamela Brown, Leonide Massine Director: Emeric Pressburger Category: Classics, Classics Studio: Criterion Subtitles: English Length: 127 mins Want to buy?           In Jacques Offenbach’s fantasy opera, the poet E. T. A. Hoffmann dreams of three women - a mechanical performing doll, a bejeweled siren who steals his reflection, and the consumptive daughter of a famous composer - all of whom break his heart in different ways. Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger create a phantasmagoric marriage of cinema and opera in their one-of-a-kind take on this classic story. Feverishly romantic, The Tales of Hoffmann is a feast of music, dance, and visual effects - and one of the most exhilarating film adaptations of an opera ever produced.