Closing Night Film: Carmen in 3D

SBIFF’s closing night extravaganza — which includes award presentations, 10-10-10 screenings, and more — centers on Carmen in 3d. Directed for the stage by Francesca Zambello and shot by Beverly Hills company RealD, Georges Bizet’s opera is one of the world’s best known and most influential works, combining over-the-top melodrama with gorgeous, highly memorable music and sophisticated staging and theatricality. Christine Rice stars in the title role, and she is joined by Bryan Hymel as Don José, Aris Argiris as Escamillo, and Maija Kovalevska as Micaela. The production, which was shot over two performances in 2010, originated at the Royal Opera House in London. It’s two hours and 50 minutes long with one 20-minute intermission, and it should make a rousing and unusual ending to the festival. It is also, as far as anyone can tell, the first opera ever to be projected in 3-d.