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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 11 June 2019
Ron Howard tells Pavarotti’s ‘bittersweet’ story in new doc

By MIKE SILVERMAN “I remember this soprano
Associated Press hitting this note in this un-
NEW YORK (AP) — Ron believable gown,” How-
Howard recalls seeing his ard said, gesturing with
first opera when he was his arms to conjure up the
4 years old. Just don’t ask scene, “There’s the set,
him to tell you much about she’s over here on the left
it. in profile, and she’s singing,
The budding child star and she turns back to the
and future director was in actors and everybody’s
Austria with his parents to going crazy, there’s a big
shoot a movie, and they ovation. I don’t know what
took him to a performance opera it was.”
at the Vienna State Opera Not exactly the start of
House. a lifelong love affair with
In this May 27, 2003 file photo, Luciano Pavarotti bows to the audience during the Pavarotti &
Friends charity concert for Iraqi children at the Novi Sad Park in Modena, Italy.
Associated Press
opera. But in a way that the art form and broaden fame and riches; from mar-
makes Howard the perfect the audience reach.” riage and three children to
director for the new docu- Howard, known for his years of philandering and
mentary “Pavarotti,” which eclectic range from com- finally divorce and remar-
is being released in the Unit- edies like “Cocoon” and riage. Artistically, Pavarotti
ed States on Friday. Part bi- “Splash” to serious dramas moved from performing
ography and part greatest- like “Apollo 13” and “A mainly on opera stages to
hits concert, it aims to intro- Beautiful Mind” (which won singing in large arenas be-
duce Luciano Pavarotti to him a directing Oscar), said fore hundreds of thousands
a new generation as well he got involved in the proj- of people — including as
as to engage those who ect through producer Nigel part of the Three Tenors
are already fans. Sinclair, with whom he had with Placido Domingo and
The Italian lyric tenor, who worked on a documentary Jose Carreras — and finally
was born in Modena in 1935 called “The Beatles: Eight to collaborating with pop
and died of pancreatic Days a Week.” artists like Bono. And he
cancer in 2007, was consid- Researching the project, was literally an outsize fig-
ered by many to have the Howard studied the plots ure: With his love of food
most beautiful voice of his of Pavarotti’s signature and Italian cooking, he
type since Enrico Caruso. operas like Puccini’s “La constantly struggled with
He sang at leading opera Boheme” and Donizetti’s ballooning weight.
houses for 40 years, sold mil- “L’Elisir d’Amore” and the “It’s a bittersweet story,”
lions of records as the “king lyrics to his arias. That gave Howard said. “He lived the
of the high C’s,” and, with him an idea about how to dream, he became Caru-
his endearing personality structure his film. so, his era’s great example
and love of publicity. be- “I thought, well, we might of a global superstar as an
came a household name be able to use these arias to opera singer. And then he
in a way no opera star has almost do an opera about clearly lost his way emo-
since. Pavarotti that might give us tionally.
“I’d never seen him live, an interesting framework,” “I think he set the bar so
but I was well aware of his he said. “To use the music high for himself I’m not sure
stature,” Howard said in a to share with people his he could ever live up to
recent interview. “My hope life’s journey.” what his ambitions were,
is the film goes a step to- And quite a journey it was for all fronts — life, his art,
ward that agenda of his — from childhood poverty his personal relationships,”
which was to democratize in wartime Italy to a rise to he said.q
Prince Philip marks 98th

birthday in private

Associated Press Some of Philip’s children
LONDON (AP) — Senior and grandchildren also
royals are congratulating posted tributes.
Prince Philip as the hus- Philip has officially retired
band of Queen Elizabeth II from public life although
celebrates his 98th birthday he is still occasionally seen
in private. In a tweet Mon- with the queen at official
day, the royal family wished events. He skipped Presi- In this Tuesday, June 27, 2017
file photo, Britain’s Prince Philip
Philip “a very happy” birth- dent Donald Trump’s visit. leaves St Paul’s Church in
day. The British Army plans He still drives a horse- Knightsbridge, London.
to fire gun salutes in Philip’s drawn carriage on private Associated Press
honor. The Army tweeted grounds from time to time cident in January. He gave
that it is “determined to but has stopped driving up his driver’s license at the
make it a good one.” cars since a serious car ac- time.q