Verdi: King Of Melody (2003) Rating: Starring: Pierre Cressoy, Anna-Maria Ferrero, Gaby Andre, Sandro Ruffini, Camillo Pilotto Director: Raffaello Matarazzo Category: Music Studio: View Video Subtitles: Length: 118 mins     "A musical gem!" -New York Daily News This colorfully filmed drama of the life and loves of the great composer, Guiseppe Verdi, is played against a background of the great operas of the 19th Century. A tender love story of Verdi's successful and turbulent life, we hear more than 20 excerpts from Rigoletto, La Traviata, Otello, Aida, II Trovatore, Nacbucco and many other operas. They are beautifully sung by international opera stars Tito Gobbi, Mario Del Monaco and Orietta Moscucci; and accompanied by the Rome Opera Orchestra. The Patriarch of Italian opera began his career with the bel canto composers (Bellini, Donizetti, and Rossini) and ended it as a contemporary of Debussy and Richard Strauss. Verdis' opera voiced his liberal views by making biting social and political comment, often brining him into conflict with the censors. The 26 operas that he composed have become a permanent part of our musical heritage. The nostalgic look at Verdi: the King of Melody, paints a romantic picture of the composer