Aïda (1977)

Verdi's opera was filmed during a performance at the Theatre Antique (The Roman Theater) in Orange, France in July 1976. This highly lauded production is marvelously translated to the screen by Pierre Jourdan. The story of an Ethiopian princess' love for an Egyptian general in the age of the pharaohs stars Gilda Cruz Romo as Aida, Grace Bumbry as Amneris and Peter Gougalov as Radames. The ancient Roman Theater is photographed in its sweeping grandeur, the spacious stage imaginatively employed.