Die Tote Stadt (2001)

Any fan of Alfred Hitchcock - and in particular of "Vertigo", his film in which Kim Novak gives male fantasies something to feed on - is certain to love Eric Wolfgang Korngold's "Die Tote Stadt" (The Dead City). This was the finest opera to come from the pen of this composer of film scores, who found both fame and fortune in Hollywood. It relates the remarkable tale of the protagonist Paul and his individualistic approach to dealing with the loss of his beloved wife Marie. As the drama unfolds, all is not what it seems - dream and reality intertwine, as Paul attempts to come to terms with the past in exchange for a tolerable future.