|
''Rigoletto'' is a 1993 musical fantasy/drama produced for Feature Films for Families. ==Plot synopsis== Rigoletto stars Joseph Paur as Ari Ribaldi and Ivey Lloyd as Bonnie Nelson, a singer. Bonnie reads a part of Rigoletto each night to her younger brother. The film time shifts to the 1930s, during America's Great Depression. The following scene shows an old house which newcomer Mr. Ribaldi purchases. The next day, Bonnie performs in a singing contest. While Bonnie did not win, she manages to attract the attention of a suspicious man. He says nothing to her and he only nods and leaves. That night as the children walk home, they spot the old house which has been renovated. The townspeople also spot the house and think it is unusual for a house to be renovated so fast. The same moment, the town banker sells the mortgage on one of his houses and the Nelson family are immediately evicted. Bonnie's mother immediately leaves but to locate the person who bought their house. She knocks on the door only to find the same man who was watching Bonnie's contest. The man is Hans the Butler. He is tense but welcomes Mrs. Nelson inside. He shows her to The Master of the home (Mr. Ribaldi), and she is sternly instructed to stop at the rug. The man remains seated in the darkness. He answers to Mrs. Nelson's demands by returning their home directly to them in exchange for an agreement in which Bonnie would "work" for him. Mrs. Nelson asks why she can't do the job instead of her daughter. He evades the question which alarms Mrs. Nelson. She tells him no which causes Ribaldi to become enraged and throws her out of the mansion. She manages to see Ribaldi's battle-scarred face. Later, she tells Bonnie the bad news but Bonnie asks her permission to accept the job. Mrs. Nelson reluctantly agrees and she sends Bonnie to the mansion. For the moment, her only chores are to assist Hans. He informs Bonnie that she is free to go into any room in the house, except for the master suite. He had to resort to bribery to keep her from asking why. However, she walks into the forbidden area once she hears a woman taking singing lessons from Mr. Ribaldi. He angrily grabs Bonnie but the woman (Gabriella) sends him away "to pout". Meanwhile, many in the town are risking foreclosure and a result of the Depression and suspect the mysterious Ribaldi, who initially did the very same thing to The Nelsons. The people in town were also receiving unknown sources of financial assistance. Some receive checks to pay for expensive medical procedures to heal crippling illnesses. A few others have found employment. The townspeople suspect nothing of any of this. The children become curious and decide to prowl the mansion late at night. Their pranks are halted when the "bloodsucker" abducted a young girl who had walked with a limp. A riot occurs over the missing child, who reappears unharmed (and with no limp.) Trouble still plagues the citizens who place the blame on Ribaldi and his apparent antisocial behavior. They manage to disqualify Bonnie unless she stops visiting him. She refuses but Ribaldi insists she goes and kicks her out of the mansion. However, Hans and Ribaldi are astonished. Hans takes Bonnie to the competition at the state capital and prepares to sing a song written by Ribaldi. Georgie walks into the mansion and finds Ribaldi by himself. She asks for singing lessons, but Ribaldi says it is not a good day. He offers to take her part of the way home but Georgie insists on taking a dangerous shortcut. She slips near a torrent and falls in the water. The film returns to the competition, and it is now Bonnie's turn to sing. Later, Mr. Ribaldi has an unconscious Georgie in his arms and he limps to find help. The townspeople think he battered her and so they attacked him. The town banker stops the attack. They proceed to the mansion in search of his bank book, leaving behind Ribaldi, Mrs. Nelson, and a few bystanders. The film cuts to Bonnie, who finishes singing. She receives a standing ovation and first prize. The next scene, the angry mob breaks into the completely empty house, trashing it, and leave once they find the bank book. When opening the book they are delighted. Upon reading it however, they are shocked, disappointed, and saddened. They only find transactions proving that he has paid their medical bills. The banker then admits to increasing their house payments. The mob leaves in disgust. The banker and his son take Mr. Ribaldi to the hospital. Bonnie and Hans return only to find Mr. Ribaldi died a few hours ago. They hold a funeral. Later, Hans says he is returning home to a "former" employer. After Hans departs, some of the people walk past the mansion. They hear familiar piano music. Bonnie walks in to discover man who resembles Ribaldi, but with no scars. The man seems to have no knowledge of previous events but then returns something Porter has left behind, despite having never met before. Hans and Gabriella appear, and Bonnie asks for the man's name. He says "Some people call me Rigoletto. But you probably don't believe that, would you?" The movie ends with Bonnie reading the final lines of the story of the book ''Rigoletto'', and her brother asks, "do you believe that Bonnie?" She replies, "I do." and the film ends on a close-up of the book. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rigoletto (film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|