Farinelli

Farinelli won a Golden Globe® award for Best Foreign Language Film, and was nominated for an Academy Award® for the same category. The story is about an 18th century castrato known to his audiences as Farinelli, whose real name was Carlo Broschi. Broschi lived between 1705 and 1782. He was castrated without his consent sometime between the ages of seven and eight to preserve the childlike quality of his voice. He soon rose to somewhat mythical status because of his good looks, his beautiful voice, and his ability to sing 250 notes in a single breath and sustain a note for more than a minute. His older brother Riccardo composed the music for him to interpret and the two shared everything, including their women.