Insights on Opera in Film and Television
By Priya Radhakrishnan
As we begin a new year in lockdown contemplating what the months ahead look like, my time spent attending live opera seems like a distant memory. Personally, this has been a time for me to engage with music and drama in ways I had never done before. Surprisingly, I have experienced the emotional recollections, connection, spontaneity and turmoil opera has to offer from the comfort of my studio flat through my various streaming subscriptions. Opera in film and TV struck a chord with me long before I ever had my first music lesson and continues to do so.
The marriage of opera and film seems blatantly obvious considering the historical roots of film as a genre and the emotional affordance they offer but what particularly piques my interest is when my favourite arias appear in the most unexpected places. I distinctly remember, while watching my first staged opera at 16 years old, I couldn’t stop thinking about Tom and Jerry which I hadn’t watched for years. Then it hit me! Watching Barber of Seville at the Metropolitan Opera in New York took me back in time to an episode of the cartoon which is underscored by themes from the opera where each character portrays a different interpretation of Figaro’s cleverness and ingenuity. In this one show about a mischievous cat and crafty mouse were countless references to the classical and operatic canon which stayed in my memory.
Modern cinema is once again embracing operatic soundtracks to heighten the dramatic experience of the viewer, this time using well known classical themes to evoke timeless emotional responses to contemporary visual material. There is something nostalgic about opera that distances us from reality so when we watch a movie or TV show for the first time, we are overcome with a feeling of familiarity that keeps us coming back for more. For instance, the final instalment of the Godfather trilogy, Godfather III, is subtly underscored by an the equally melodramatic Sicilian vendetta opera, Cavlleria Rusticana. The opera itself briefly features during a scene set in the Teatro de Palermo and the music perfectly underscores Michael Corleone’s memories throughout the trilogy with his scream in the finale being magnificently muted by Mascagni’s “Intermezzo”.
Upon reflection, my cinematic experience is amplified by my love for opera but looking beyond my own backyard, perhaps this is the way the generations to come will keep opera and classical music alive and loved. The notion that opera is a dying art form is untrue in many ways, but the popularity of the genre in mainstream entertainment makes a poignant argument that opera will continue to excite and delight, even in the most unexpected scenarios. While I wait for opera houses to reopen safely, I will continue to enjoy the heart wrenching sounds of La Traviatta in Pretty Woman, and the delightful spectacle of Homer Simpson emulating Placido Domingo in La Boheme, all from the comfort of my home thanks to the genius of filmmakers who have picked up the baton passed on by the greatest opera composers known to us.
