I found the discussion in class last week about the portrayal of men and women in highly emotional states very interesting. As one of the few men in the class, I wanted to continue that discussion from a male perspective.
The discussion really revolved around women being portrayed as irrational beings when overcome with strong emotion, leading to the famous 'mad scenes' that are found throughout the operatic literature. It was the question of why men are not really shown to have the same kind of elaborate mad scenes that really captured my interest. Yes, we see men in opera, and other dramatic arts, succumb to strong emotions and act irrationally. However, the most common culprit behind such acts is an unbridled rage that causes a violent retaliation for some perceived wrong. Examples of this can be found in many operas, including Rigoletto arranging for the Duke's murder after the nobleman dishonored Gilda, or for Don Jose's murderous rage at the end of Carmen. However, this is not the same as the traditional woman's 'mad scene.' Those scenes tend to be brought upon by a crushing loss or sadness, and the reaction is a prolonged, tragic loss of reason. I believe a key reason that we do not find the same occurrence in male roles is the fact that sadness is usually a key contributor. Throughout history, it has been considered by society at large un-manly to be overly demonstrative of emotions such as sorrow. Men are supposed to "toughen up" and keep it pent up inside when facing the rest of the world. Thus, showing a complete melt-down as a result of such emotion is not a "manly" reaction to events. I believe this is a primary factor in why we do not see traditional 'mad scenes' given to the male characters. Perhaps as society moves towards an ever-increasing idea of equality among the genders, this may eventually change; however, I do not expect to see a masculine equivalent of the Ophelia mad scene in Hamlet for some time yet.
Now, for something completely different:
While passing time on Hulu the other day, I watched a recent episode of The Simpsons entitled "Stealing First Base". At approximately 10 mins. 30 secs. into the episode, Homer takes Bart to the movies to watch Itchy and Scratchy in 3D in order to forget a fiasco with a girl. (For those of you, if any, who do not know, Itchy and Scratcy is a very violent show that the Simpsons watch with a mouse that kills a cat in every imaginable, grotesque way). However, in this particular example, there is a parody of Koyannisquatsi with: "Koyannis-Scratchy: Death out of Balance". The episode can be found a the following link: http://www.hulu.com/watch/133207/the-simpsons-stealing-first-base#s-p1-so-i0. Again, it begins just after 10'30" into the episode. It's actually a very clever parody! (WARNING: INTENSE CARTOON VIOLENCE / GORE)
Monday, March 29, 2010
Response to "Film + Opera = Happiness"
I too have realized that film has had a surprising degree of importance to both my own views of the operas which we have discussed this semester, as well as the discussion of these operas in class. This semester has really provided me with the two ends of the realm of opera history, with this course providing the most recent additions to the subject. In contrast, Opera Literature 1 has started at the earliest operas (arguably 1597, 1600, or 1607 depending on your view of which show is the first opera) and worked up until just prior to Mozart at this point. One thing that Professor Cusack has made clear is that she is not a particular fan of operas actually made as movies (as opposed to simply recording a stage production). Given the repertoire we have seen, I would be lead to agree that earlier opera, in particular, should be observed as a stage production. If that happens to be recorded, that is alright; the production aesthetics remain the same.
However, I cannot find the same convictions when I look at the operas which we have discussed in this class this semester. Many of the operas, I feel, would make wonderful movies. Take A View from the Bridge: I believe it has the essential elements to be very popular in today's cinematic realm. One point that Jen made really stands out to me. She wrote, "Although the subject matter is controversial, there is something extremely charming in the way the music was composed and the text was set." I would argue that the controversial nature of the subject material, if anything, makes it even MORE appropriate to today's cinema. Look at movies like The Hurt Locker and Stop Loss. The material presented in these movies, about the war on terror, can be considered very controversial. However, both are very successful films. I believe this edginess of content that we have found in many of the operas composed in the United States since 1950 makes them ideal material for movies.
However, I cannot find the same convictions when I look at the operas which we have discussed in this class this semester. Many of the operas, I feel, would make wonderful movies. Take A View from the Bridge: I believe it has the essential elements to be very popular in today's cinematic realm. One point that Jen made really stands out to me. She wrote, "Although the subject matter is controversial, there is something extremely charming in the way the music was composed and the text was set." I would argue that the controversial nature of the subject material, if anything, makes it even MORE appropriate to today's cinema. Look at movies like The Hurt Locker and Stop Loss. The material presented in these movies, about the war on terror, can be considered very controversial. However, both are very successful films. I believe this edginess of content that we have found in many of the operas composed in the United States since 1950 makes them ideal material for movies.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Appearance-blind Casting
A topic we discussed during Friday's class really got me thinking. I am a fan of the Kenneth Branagh film adaptations of Shakespearean plays, and I think that they are a wonderful example of how appearance-blind casting can work where it is appropriate. I will use a couple examples to illustrate the idea.
In Branagh's 1993 version of Much Ado About Nothing, we have Don Pedro played by Denzel Washington. I believe he gives a very good performance, capturing the elegance of the character yet not allowing himself to be too elevated over the men with whom he is serving. This allows for the commraderie between Don Pedro and his soldiers, despite him having a higher station in life. You then have his bastard brother, Don John, played by Keanu Reeves. If one were to attempt an entirely realistic depiction of this family, Reeves would be, as the Reduced Shakespeare Company would say, "Racially challenged" to play the brother of Denzel Washington. However, it works just fine in this movie. I personally believe Don John, a self-proclaimed "Man of few words", is a good choice if you're going to have Keanu Reeves doing Shakespeare: the fewer, the better.
Yet Branagh's adaptation of Othello in 1995 makes no attempt to cast other than in a traditional vein, with Lawrence Fishburne playing the Moor of Venice. This is of course a key element to the story, and thus I do not believe it would be considered by many to be a racist choice to only cast a man of color as Othello.
I believe that both of these ideas have their place in the consideration of casting a show such as The Death of Klinghoffer. It is up to the director to decide if he wants to cast appearance-blind so as to capture the grander humanity that Adams intended to depict, or if he wants to be very specific about each character's appearance becasue they are portraying real people. Either approach is valid, I believe. However, I do believe it would be beneficial to make your decision known at the time of auditions, so that people are clear about what is being sought in a given production of the work.
In Branagh's 1993 version of Much Ado About Nothing, we have Don Pedro played by Denzel Washington. I believe he gives a very good performance, capturing the elegance of the character yet not allowing himself to be too elevated over the men with whom he is serving. This allows for the commraderie between Don Pedro and his soldiers, despite him having a higher station in life. You then have his bastard brother, Don John, played by Keanu Reeves. If one were to attempt an entirely realistic depiction of this family, Reeves would be, as the Reduced Shakespeare Company would say, "Racially challenged" to play the brother of Denzel Washington. However, it works just fine in this movie. I personally believe Don John, a self-proclaimed "Man of few words", is a good choice if you're going to have Keanu Reeves doing Shakespeare: the fewer, the better.
Yet Branagh's adaptation of Othello in 1995 makes no attempt to cast other than in a traditional vein, with Lawrence Fishburne playing the Moor of Venice. This is of course a key element to the story, and thus I do not believe it would be considered by many to be a racist choice to only cast a man of color as Othello.
I believe that both of these ideas have their place in the consideration of casting a show such as The Death of Klinghoffer. It is up to the director to decide if he wants to cast appearance-blind so as to capture the grander humanity that Adams intended to depict, or if he wants to be very specific about each character's appearance becasue they are portraying real people. Either approach is valid, I believe. However, I do believe it would be beneficial to make your decision known at the time of auditions, so that people are clear about what is being sought in a given production of the work.
The Achille Lauro Hijacking: Today
Our discussion all last week about The Death of Klinghoffer lead me, like many in the class, to research the actual events of 1985. In my research, I found several articles about the fate of the terrorists. The one that most caught my attention was from April 30 of last year. It was announcing the release of Youssef Megied al-Molqui, the man actually charged with shooting Leon Klinghoffer and ordering him and his wheelchair thrown overboard. You can read about the family's reaction to his release in a brief online article, found here:
http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2009/04/achille_lauro_hijacker_release.html
Personally, I am stunned that a man could get out so early just for 'model behavior' when he's a convicted murderer and hijacker. This is the actual trigger man; he took the life of an innocent American, yet he gets out for 'model behavior' in a little over 23 years. I also want to know how he can have exhibited this 'model behavior' when the article says that he went on the run in 1996 during a furlough and eluded capture for 3 weeks. How is breaking away from your imprisonment 'model behavior'? In the novel Les Miserables, Jean Valjean has five years added to his sentence every time he tries to escape from prison. And that was just for stealing a loaf of bread.
Another piece of information today that links to the hijacking of the Achille Lauro is the apparent significance of one of the men whose release was demanded by the four hijackers. Samir Kantar was one of the men who was to be released if the hijackers had gotten their wish. He was imprisoned as a killer of a father and his four-year-old daughter, as well as a police officer. However, more than 20 years after the Achille Lauro hijacking (in 2008), the group Hezbollah also demanded the release of this man. They used captured Israeli soldiers to guarantee his release. I find it bad enough that the murderer of Leon Klinghoffer is released early. Yet, here we have not only a man who murdered 3 people, including a young girl, but who seems to be far more important in the terrorist realm than just a soldier, for his release to be sought for so long by such extreme measures.
http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2009/04/achille_lauro_hijacker_release.html
Personally, I am stunned that a man could get out so early just for 'model behavior' when he's a convicted murderer and hijacker. This is the actual trigger man; he took the life of an innocent American, yet he gets out for 'model behavior' in a little over 23 years. I also want to know how he can have exhibited this 'model behavior' when the article says that he went on the run in 1996 during a furlough and eluded capture for 3 weeks. How is breaking away from your imprisonment 'model behavior'? In the novel Les Miserables, Jean Valjean has five years added to his sentence every time he tries to escape from prison. And that was just for stealing a loaf of bread.
Another piece of information today that links to the hijacking of the Achille Lauro is the apparent significance of one of the men whose release was demanded by the four hijackers. Samir Kantar was one of the men who was to be released if the hijackers had gotten their wish. He was imprisoned as a killer of a father and his four-year-old daughter, as well as a police officer. However, more than 20 years after the Achille Lauro hijacking (in 2008), the group Hezbollah also demanded the release of this man. They used captured Israeli soldiers to guarantee his release. I find it bad enough that the murderer of Leon Klinghoffer is released early. Yet, here we have not only a man who murdered 3 people, including a young girl, but who seems to be far more important in the terrorist realm than just a soldier, for his release to be sought for so long by such extreme measures.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Willie Stark: Harder than Rigoletto
I have had a bit further discussion with Dennis Jesse, the LSU voice professor who sang the title role in that school's production of Willie Stark. He shed some interesting light on the show from the perspective of the man actually performing the role.
The first thing to consider is the acting of the show. A general consensus in our discussion was that the show is a heavy acting demand for any cast endeavoring to put it on. According to Dennis, the most challenging aspect of acting the part of Willie Stark "was to be charming even while you were manipulating the crap out of others." He goes on to describe how during the development of the character, Stark began to become outrightly mean until Carlisle Floyd himself began coming to rehearsals and pointed out that politicians can NEVER be mean; although manipulative, they always have to be charming. I never thought of the role in quite that way, and it makes a lot of sense. This duality of charming / manipulative goes hand in hand with the duality we discussed in class about his moments of sincerity and then utter falseness.
The next aspect to consider is the role from a vocal perspective. The class seems pretty well in agreement that the show is not the most tuneful opera to sing. However, the vocal demands on the singer are still tremendous. Dennis says that he "would honestly say that this role was harder than Rigoletto and the most challenging vocal role [he has] ever sung." In particular, the revival scene was singled out as the most demanding scene to perform (certainly in part because of the A it requires from Stark).
*On a completely un-related note, I find it interesting that no one discussed what Willie Stark might have meant to LSU as a school. It wasn't until after our last class discussion that I learned that Robert Penn Warren, the author of All the King's Men, was an LSU professor. It must have been an event of particular institutional pride to stage the opera based upon that famous work of a professor emeritus.
The first thing to consider is the acting of the show. A general consensus in our discussion was that the show is a heavy acting demand for any cast endeavoring to put it on. According to Dennis, the most challenging aspect of acting the part of Willie Stark "was to be charming even while you were manipulating the crap out of others." He goes on to describe how during the development of the character, Stark began to become outrightly mean until Carlisle Floyd himself began coming to rehearsals and pointed out that politicians can NEVER be mean; although manipulative, they always have to be charming. I never thought of the role in quite that way, and it makes a lot of sense. This duality of charming / manipulative goes hand in hand with the duality we discussed in class about his moments of sincerity and then utter falseness.
The next aspect to consider is the role from a vocal perspective. The class seems pretty well in agreement that the show is not the most tuneful opera to sing. However, the vocal demands on the singer are still tremendous. Dennis says that he "would honestly say that this role was harder than Rigoletto and the most challenging vocal role [he has] ever sung." In particular, the revival scene was singled out as the most demanding scene to perform (certainly in part because of the A it requires from Stark).
*On a completely un-related note, I find it interesting that no one discussed what Willie Stark might have meant to LSU as a school. It wasn't until after our last class discussion that I learned that Robert Penn Warren, the author of All the King's Men, was an LSU professor. It must have been an event of particular institutional pride to stage the opera based upon that famous work of a professor emeritus.
The Aspern Papers vs...Greek / Roman Mythology?
During our discussion of The Aspern Papers, I made a comparison between the story and classic Greek / Roman mythology. The idea kind of came to me out of nowhere in class, and now that I have taken some time to really consider it, I find that I still believe in the similarities. I would like to explore the idea a bit further.
In classic Greco-Roman mythology, you have various tiers of deities. The Gods, lead by Zeus, are off-spring at first of the Titans, whose shadow they emerged from to create their own place in the world. Similarly, you have the demi-gods, like Heracles (Hercules), who have both mortal and human parts. It is with these demi-gods that I find the greatest similarity to the story of The Aspern Papers. In particular, I see the character of Tina as the demi-god analog in the story. Her aunt is this larger-than-life Diva, very much like one of the Gods of the Pantheon. Tina finds herself a humble woman without the greatness of her aunt, at least in the sense of classical greatness. However, by the end of the story, she makes one of the most heroic stances of the story. The preservation of the privacy desired by the man Aspern is the final accomplishment of Tina in the story. She burns the papers (in the opera, right before the audience's eyes) to prevent that wanted privacy from being betrayed. Even the author of the Wikipedia synopsis of the novella calls Tina the heroine of the story. I myself see her action in the final moments of this story as the start to another. Tina has finally found a voice, found inner strength. This story seems but the first step on her journey to self-discovery. I find myself wondering, what comes next for her?
In classic Greco-Roman mythology, you have various tiers of deities. The Gods, lead by Zeus, are off-spring at first of the Titans, whose shadow they emerged from to create their own place in the world. Similarly, you have the demi-gods, like Heracles (Hercules), who have both mortal and human parts. It is with these demi-gods that I find the greatest similarity to the story of The Aspern Papers. In particular, I see the character of Tina as the demi-god analog in the story. Her aunt is this larger-than-life Diva, very much like one of the Gods of the Pantheon. Tina finds herself a humble woman without the greatness of her aunt, at least in the sense of classical greatness. However, by the end of the story, she makes one of the most heroic stances of the story. The preservation of the privacy desired by the man Aspern is the final accomplishment of Tina in the story. She burns the papers (in the opera, right before the audience's eyes) to prevent that wanted privacy from being betrayed. Even the author of the Wikipedia synopsis of the novella calls Tina the heroine of the story. I myself see her action in the final moments of this story as the start to another. Tina has finally found a voice, found inner strength. This story seems but the first step on her journey to self-discovery. I find myself wondering, what comes next for her?
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