Start with the thoroughly wonderful and tuneful music of Johann Strauss, Jr., and add the performances of some of the greatest singers in recent history, conducted by the magnificent Placido Domingo, and you have a TV movie to put all other TV movies into the darkest of shades.
(They all are great, but my favorite in this superlative cast was someone at my first viewing new to me: Hildegard Heichele, who plays Adele. You have to watch her, and watch her even when she is in the background. What a thoroughly delightful actress, and what a magnificent singer.)
Can you say "Bravo"? Oh, you will, you will.
The two previous reviews are some of the best I've ever seen at IMDb, written by two people of knowledge and with taste. And there should be more like them -- more reviewers and more reviews of such skill.
As the first review says, if you want to introduce someone you like to great music, to opera, to beautiful spectacle, "Die Fledermaus" is the right choice, and this TV movie might be the perfect version. (It has quite a bit added, but it merely makes this better, it just adds to the fun) It's readily accessible in several ways, including being right there at the click of a few buttons on YouTube.
Oh, please do yourself a huge favor: Find this version and watch it. You'll possibly sing along, or hum along, or at least try to conduct, but for sure you'll be nodding your head and/or tapping your feet in pure joy. I certainly did. And will again.
