Opera film
The opera film is a film genre in which an opera is the subject of the entire film, as opposed to a film which only incorporates opera scenes or elements; examples of the latter are the Marx Brothers' A Night at the Opera (1935)[1] and Amadeus (1984). It is a subgenre of the musical film. Opera films are usually based on established, well-known works; less frequently they showcase new operas, such as Tommy (1975), which is based on The Who's 1969 rock opera album Tommy.[2][3]
The idea of presenting operas on film goes back to the very beginnings of cinema; Thomas Edison, who made major contributions to the making and making available to the public films in the infancy of cinema,[4] told The New York Times in 1893 that his goal was "to have such a happy combination of photography and electricity that a man can sit in his own parlor, see depicted upon a curtain the forms of the players in opera upon a distant stage and hear the voices of the singers."[5]
The first opera film was a two-minute production of La fille du régiment (The Daughter of the Regiment), based on the 1840 work by Gaetano Donizetti, which premiered in New York City in July 1898.[5] In the silent film era, music was performed live by orchestras and pianists.[5] Major opera singers appeared in these films; for example Enrico Caruso and Pol Plançon appeared in a 1911 short, a scene from Lucia di Lammermoor, as Edgardo and Raimundo, respectively.[6]
In July 1930, German and Austrian film companies agreed to divide up the opera field, with the former receiving exclusive rights to works by Richard Wagner and the latter getting everything else.[7]
The first sound opera film was Pagliacci (1931).[5] Films about operas in general lost some popularity in the 1930s, but revived in the '40s and more so in the '50s.[5]
Selected filmography
[edit]References
[edit]- Citron, Marcia J. (2000). Opera on Screen. Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300081589.
- Citron, Marcia J. (July 2010). When Opera Meets Film. Cambridge University Press (Cambridge Studies in Opera). ISBN 9780521895750.
- Jeongwon Joe; Rose Theresa, eds. (2002). Between Opera and Cinema. Routledge. ISBN 0-8153-3450-8.
- ^ Citron, Marcia J. (11 January 2024). "Opera and Film". Journal of Cinema and Media Studies. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter (22 November 2019). "Tommy review – Ken Russell's mad rock opera is a fascinating time capsule". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2025.
- ^ Citron, Marcia, Opera on Screen, p. 22
- ^ "Origins of Motion Pictures". Library of Congress. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Wlaschin, Ken (15 November 2000). "The Glory of Opera Films That Hit the Right Notes". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
- ^ Lucia di Lammermoor at IMDb
- ^ "Music: Opera films". Time. 14 July 1930. Retrieved 8 June 2025.
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