Recordings of this opera in French are rare. I wanted one for sentimental reasons, having seen it first performed in French. I read the revies on Amazon before buying so was well aware of the negative feelings some reviewers have of this DVD.
Musically I believe this to be a strong performance, particularly by Veronique Gens. Her voice is excellent, but she is a fine actor too. The quality of the acting is relaxed and does to me reflect the Paris it represents, more than a Met production I recently saw.
The production itself has some strange moments, the symbolism or meaning of which I am at a loss to understand.
I do wonder what the audience in Lyon will have made of the strange interjections in English.
It is strange that the English subtitles apply only to the sung portions, not to the spoken sections, of which this operetta has a large proportion. Understanding the spoken sections is crucial to the twists of the plot, so I would caution any prospective buyer who does not have a good, really good, grasp of French.
On balance I do not regret buying this version: we enjoyed watching it as a cotrast to other versions. You will have to make your own mind up: I think it will be a Marmite moment, of liking or hating.