UPDATE: I watched Moonstruck everybody. 😅 I have two thoughts: 1. Nicolas Cage is still cringe (and a walking red flag) 2. The plot of La Bohème mirrors their own love story kind of comically well, so I think the writers knew what they were doing. I approve 😆
Pretty Woman is a great example of art imitating art (La Traviata) The Untouchables makes a good use of Pagliacci (bloody and violent, though) The Age of Innocence has Gounod's Faust, which comes directly from Edith Wharton's novel, and is quite deliberate to the story. Also, the film accurately performs it in Italian, as the book says that it was.
If you want to see a really old/early film clip of opera in movies, there’s a video of Lily Pons singing The Bell Song in a very early black and white movie. My great-grandfather had a serious crush on her-and for good reason, since she was not just an amazing singer but also quite beautiful. If you search for her name and The Bell Song the clip is easy to find.
@@operaanna She also sang it on the Ed Sullivan show, I think 1947. It’s really interesting to hear the difference as her voice had matured. Her vocal agility still blows my mind.
Ok. So I LOVE Moonstruck and wanted to share what I got from it. The story is actually a very good parody of opera plots: brothers who have “bad blood” between them, people putting curses on each other and threatening to kill themselves for ridiculous reasons. At the same time, it is also a love letter to opera. Nicolas Cage’s character Ronny adores opera and asks Loretta (Cher) to go with him to see La Boheme. She is new to opera and doesn’t understand why it is so important to him. When she takes off her coat, Ronny thanks her for dressing up for an event that is so special to him. I always loved this scene because I feel the same way. Going to the opera is so important to me and I am grateful when others think so too. You should watch this film. It contains what is for me the best line ever spoken in film: Loretta: (referring to opera) “They get some turn out for this stuff” Ronny: “It’s the best stuff there is” ❤ Your videos are wonderful. Keep them coming.
Some more movies where operas are featured: Pretty Woman (La Traviata) and Philadelphia (can't remember which one). I'm not a fan of these films, but there you go.
@operaanna Because it sucks as a movie? Because they cast Jason Alexander as a vile businessman and would be rapist? Because it wants to make us believe street hooker looks like Julia Roberts in her prime and her client like Richard Gere? It is highly problematic, and I cannot believe it has so many fans that find it so romantic. (You can guess I'm not a fan of the movie, but yes it has an opera in it.)
Well Jenny Lind. Some critics finds a connection to Hans Christian Andersen's Nightinggale. How much is just schoolteacher speculation? But H.C. Andersen was indeed a fan. Unfortunately we only have the critics impression of her voice. We have a pretty good idea how Nancy Storace sounded, because otherwise Mozarts music does not fit. The closest approximation is Cecilia Bartoli.
Hey!! Anna if you end up seeing this, I have a video request!!!! My video request is you sharing what to do if you want to become an opera singer and the process, including actions and opportunities that you can do and take when you are a young aspiring singer !!! All the love, I love your videos and the aria's explained they are so helpful!
I will try! I've been wanting to do more long-form "serious" content like this in the form of a podcast, but I'd like to get more people on board for that... Anyway, I could definitely do a sort of Q&A one day or indeed a "how i got started" type of video!
Hi Anna You always give so much context to arias, but not here. Moonstruck happens to have been a great movie of it]s kind. It won several Oscars. The Met has shown it outdoors at Lincoln Center TWICE. Without giving too much away, she agrees to go to the Met with him. She says "Where's the Met?". She doesn't look great. She's wearing casual clothes and her hair is gray. She makes a great effort. She gets her hair colored and set, buys a new dress and shoes, etc. and looks and feels completely different. That's why he thanks her for the trouble and expense she's obviously gone to. By the way, on the way out, they meet her father with his mistress! Also, on the way out, she utters the funniest line in the movie: "I can't believe she died!".
I finally watched it after I filmed this, because my mom was appalled I hadn't seen it! I thought it was really cute, and I actually thought the writers knew what they were doing incorporating all the opera. 😁
The ending of the movie also incorporates some opera, I think. The scene at breakfast where Rose says says she wants Cosmo to stop seeing his mistress reminds me of the end of The Marriage of Figaro where the Countess forgives her husband - Rose tells Cosmo she loves him, but tells him to smarten up, really. The fact that Cosmo calls it a bad, *crazy day* underlines that screenwriter John Patrick Shanley knows his opera. (The subtitle of Figaro is “La Folle Journée” - The Crazy Day.)
Oh and both The Godfather 1 and 3 feature opera. In 1 Non so piu is sung at the wedding reception of Connie, La Traviata's drinking song is heard in Michael's wedding to Apollonia and in Cavaliera Rusticana is a big part of the climax.
Worked on the backdoor at the Auckland Town Hall (NZ), circa 1990 , when I was a student. The Irish rock band "Hot House Flowers" was performing . I got talking to the sax player back stage ( lovely chap) and he said that he had studied classical saxophone in France - but got into rock music because " there's no fuck'n money in it" where it = classical music. Sadly I must concur.
Florence Foster Jenkins was involved in a traffic accident with a taxi, and she meant that it had actually improved her voice. Hmmm... I would not dare to offer an opinion on that subject.....
Hi! I only just found your chanel and I am very much enjoying it. I am an oboe-playing musicologist, and as such a get a big kick out of watching/criticising music-related movies. I agree with the Nelson Eddy )Janette MacDonald recommendation , and I would love to add some others: Would you consider the Bigs Bunny Classic "What's Opera, Doc" ? You might also eventually want to spread out into other genres/composers. I recommend Impromptu (Chopin) and Topsy Turvey (Gilbert and Sullivan--a whole lot of singing in this one, mostly done by actors).
Thank you so much! I've done an Opera in Cartoons video, and included a clip of What's Opera, Doc if I've not mistaken. Disney is VERY strict about copyright though so sometimes it's hard to use their stuff.. Thanks for the suggestions - I should do some branching out, and those are great ideas!
The light in the room dampned by the chandelier being hoisted up. That arrangement is used in Elsinore Theater that was transferred to Århus in 1961 but originally build in 1817: Now Elsinore is quite weird as Diderik Buxtehude (1637.1707) was Kantor here by the Marien Kiche. As he had been in Lübeck. The funny thing is that the organ he played is stiil around on Frederiksborg Castle. th-cam.com/video/s1jW9piUXOI/w-d-xo.html He had a certaiin following by Christian IV, that was a music lover. He even had John Dowland as a musician - only problem with that as we have later dicovered; John Dowland was an English spy. I would still mean that there are persons associated with the Royal Danish Opera that would benefit from having their heads chopped off - for crimes against opera. Back to Elsinore theater. It was the first opera I saw on stage in a danish opera by Dupuy "Kat og Kvinde" - NOBODY ever heard of that one. Well, as fate would have it: 40 years later I had the soprano next to me at a birthday celebration. She was "reduced" and her karrier hadn't really gone anywhere. But I was the one that remembered her for something else, than her defining role in My Fair Lady. Well she remembered - so she had a nice evening.
Great video Opera Anna! I couldn't help but laugh to the recording of Florence! That should be a form of torture: tie a person to a chair and make them listen to that! Another movie with opera: The Princess Diaries 2. There's a soloist in it singing opera in middle.
It is so painful to listen to! Haha yeah I know that singer... Might be hard for me to be PC about my opinion 😆 but I'm a professional I can do it! Cause it's such a good scene
? opera singers are actors. if their acting chops aren't good they aren't enjoyable to watch. I recently saw Michael Volle as Falstaff at the Met and had previously had seen it with Ambrogio Maestri as Falstaff. Maestri's comic timing and acting were an order of magnitude better and funnier
I just meant I want to see an actual opera singer act and play the role and not an actor pretending to be an opera singer. But it came out a bit confusing I admit
First two chords scream Boheme! And you need you see the film. Your comments cannot be legit because the music is entwined - you would know that it is the NC character persuades Cher to go to the opera. The movie is a rom com that works extremely well and earned an Oscar for Cher! And Cher is NOT breaking up with Cage. This particular video is incredibly condescending. with respect to Moonstruck.
Thereis La zbohame with Gianni Raimomdi, La Traviata with Tereza Stratta and young Domimgo, Carmen with Corelli, La Forza Di Destino With Corelli Guelfy and Tosca with young Corelli, Aida, with Sofia Loren (Tebaldi singing ) Ond Two screen vertions Poliagi( not sure of. Spelli.g ) two il Trovatore with Delmonaco and turkish Diva Leila Gensher , another one with Martonucci, and an exract from Lucia di Lammermoon inthe " The Fifth Enlement. Grear. CARUSO WITH Mario Lanza.
![[#2024MAMA] G-DRAGON - 무제(Untitled, 2014)+POWER+HOME SWEET HOME+뱅뱅뱅+FANTASTIC BABY | Mnet 241123 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ox29z5Nf1Uk/mqdefault.jpg)
UPDATE: I watched Moonstruck everybody. 😅
I have two thoughts:
1. Nicolas Cage is still cringe (and a walking red flag)
2. The plot of La Bohème mirrors their own love story kind of comically well, so I think the writers knew what they were doing. I approve 😆
Pretty Woman is a great example of art imitating art (La Traviata)
The Untouchables makes a good use of Pagliacci (bloody and violent, though)
The Age of Innocence has Gounod's Faust, which comes directly from Edith Wharton's novel, and is quite deliberate to the story. Also, the film accurately performs it in Italian, as the book says that it was.
If you want to see a really old/early film clip of opera in movies, there’s a video of Lily Pons singing The Bell Song in a very early black and white movie. My great-grandfather had a serious crush on her-and for good reason, since she was not just an amazing singer but also quite beautiful. If you search for her name and The Bell Song the clip is easy to find.
I'll check it out, that'd be a great find 🙏🙏
@@operaanna She also sang it on the Ed Sullivan show, I think 1947. It’s really interesting to hear the difference as her voice had matured. Her vocal agility still blows my mind.
Ok. So I LOVE Moonstruck and wanted to share what I got from it. The story is actually a very good parody of opera plots: brothers who have “bad blood” between them, people putting curses on each other and threatening to kill themselves for ridiculous reasons. At the same time, it is also a love letter to opera. Nicolas Cage’s character Ronny adores opera and asks Loretta (Cher) to go with him to see La Boheme. She is new to opera and doesn’t understand why it is so important to him. When she takes off her coat, Ronny thanks her for dressing up for an event that is so special to him. I always loved this scene because I feel the same way. Going to the opera is so important to me and I am grateful when others think so too. You should watch this film. It contains what is for me the best line ever spoken in film:
Loretta: (referring to opera) “They get some turn out for this stuff”
Ronny: “It’s the best stuff there is” ❤
Your videos are wonderful. Keep them coming.
Thank you for the insight 🤩 My mom is gonna make sure I watch it when I see her next week!
@@operaanna did you watch Moonstruck?
@@johnfields8308 I did! I just posted an update (pinned comment) with my thoughts
Some more movies where operas are featured: Pretty Woman (La Traviata) and Philadelphia (can't remember which one). I'm not a fan of these films, but there you go.
literally how have i never included Pretty Woman...
@operaanna Because it sucks as a movie? Because they cast Jason Alexander as a vile businessman and would be rapist? Because it wants to make us believe street hooker looks like Julia Roberts in her prime and her client like Richard Gere? It is highly problematic, and I cannot believe it has so many fans that find it so romantic. (You can guess I'm not a fan of the movie, but yes it has an opera in it.)
Philadelphia featured La Mamma Morta from Andrea Chenier, if I remember rightly.
The Talented Mr. Ripley includes Lensky’s Aria (and maybe the duel scene?) from Eugene Onegin.
@@sandywaddell4303 Oh yes! That's another one.
Well Jenny Lind. Some critics finds a connection to Hans Christian Andersen's Nightinggale. How much is just schoolteacher speculation? But H.C. Andersen was indeed a fan. Unfortunately we only have the critics impression of her voice. We have a pretty good idea how Nancy Storace sounded, because otherwise Mozarts music does not fit. The closest approximation is Cecilia Bartoli.
Great part 2 at last!
🙈
grandpa is played by Feodor Chaliapin Jr. Senior was a great Russian Bass
WHAWT?! that's so interesting!!
Hey!! Anna if you end up seeing this, I have a video request!!!! My video request is you sharing what to do if you want to become an opera singer and the process, including actions and opportunities that you can do and take when you are a young aspiring singer !!! All the love, I love your videos and the aria's explained they are so helpful!
I will try! I've been wanting to do more long-form "serious" content like this in the form of a podcast, but I'd like to get more people on board for that... Anyway, I could definitely do a sort of Q&A one day or indeed a "how i got started" type of video!
@@operaanna oh that would be so helpful! Thank you 😊
When opera is featured in a movie it's also a play within a play, or a "mise en abyme".
I would have hoped The Fifth Element would have been included but I can't find part 1
Part 3! It's on my channel, one of the first uploads i have. I think it's called opera in the mainstream?
@@operaanna then all is forgiven, principessa!
Hi Anna
You always give so much context to arias, but not here.
Moonstruck happens to have been a great movie of it]s kind. It won several Oscars.
The Met has shown it outdoors at Lincoln Center TWICE.
Without giving too much away, she agrees to go to the Met with him. She says "Where's the Met?". She doesn't look great. She's wearing casual clothes and her hair is gray.
She makes a great effort. She gets her hair colored and set, buys a new dress and shoes, etc. and looks and feels completely different.
That's why he thanks her for the trouble and expense she's obviously gone to.
By the way, on the way out, they meet her father with his mistress!
Also, on the way out, she utters the funniest line in the movie: "I can't believe she died!".
I finally watched it after I filmed this, because my mom was appalled I hadn't seen it! I thought it was really cute, and I actually thought the writers knew what they were doing incorporating all the opera. 😁
The ending of the movie also incorporates some opera, I think. The scene at breakfast where Rose says says she wants Cosmo to stop seeing his mistress reminds me of the end of The Marriage of Figaro where the Countess forgives her husband - Rose tells Cosmo she loves him, but tells him to smarten up, really. The fact that Cosmo calls it a bad, *crazy day* underlines that screenwriter John Patrick Shanley knows his opera. (The subtitle of Figaro is “La Folle Journée” - The Crazy Day.)
Oh and both The Godfather 1 and 3 feature opera. In 1 Non so piu is sung at the wedding reception of Connie, La Traviata's drinking song is heard in Michael's wedding to Apollonia and in Cavaliera Rusticana is a big part of the climax.
Ah I meant to check those out for this one! I'll make sure to include them in the next one
@operaanna With The Godfather trilogy you're in for a treat. 3 is the lesser one, but still.
Worked on the backdoor at the Auckland Town Hall (NZ), circa 1990 , when I was a student. The Irish rock band "Hot House Flowers" was performing . I got talking to the sax player back stage ( lovely chap) and he said that he had studied classical saxophone in France - but got into rock music because " there's no fuck'n money in it" where it = classical music. Sadly I must concur.
Yup...
This is hilarious ! And btw, tee-up Moonstruck- great movie.
I saw the movie The Bad News Bears and it had the music from Carmen. I loved it and It gave me a interest I cherish to this day.
Florence Foster Jenkins was involved in a traffic accident with a taxi, and she meant that it had actually improved her voice. Hmmm... I would not dare to offer an opinion on that subject.....
Hahaha WHAT
Great!
the cringe factor of those 80's movies is overwhelming - "hoping to get hit by a taxi" priceless
😂
Great one Anna!
Hi! I only just found your chanel and I am very much enjoying it. I am an oboe-playing musicologist, and as such a get a big kick out of watching/criticising music-related movies. I agree with the Nelson Eddy )Janette MacDonald recommendation , and I would love to add some others: Would you consider the Bigs Bunny Classic "What's Opera, Doc" ? You might also eventually want to spread out into other genres/composers. I recommend Impromptu (Chopin) and Topsy Turvey (Gilbert and Sullivan--a whole lot of singing in this one, mostly done by actors).
There's also a movie about John Philip Sousa that does a good job of representing popular music of that era, instrumental and vocal.
Thank you so much! I've done an Opera in Cartoons video, and included a clip of What's Opera, Doc if I've not mistaken. Disney is VERY strict about copyright though so sometimes it's hard to use their stuff.. Thanks for the suggestions - I should do some branching out, and those are great ideas!
The light in the room dampned by the chandelier being hoisted up. That arrangement is used in Elsinore Theater that was transferred to Århus in 1961 but originally build in 1817:
Now Elsinore is quite weird as Diderik Buxtehude (1637.1707) was Kantor here by the Marien Kiche. As he had been in Lübeck. The funny thing is that the organ he played is stiil around on Frederiksborg Castle.
th-cam.com/video/s1jW9piUXOI/w-d-xo.html
He had a certaiin following by Christian IV, that was a music lover. He even had John Dowland as a musician - only problem with that as we have later dicovered; John Dowland was an English spy.
I would still mean that there are persons associated with the Royal Danish Opera that would benefit from having their heads chopped off - for crimes against opera.
Back to Elsinore theater. It was the first opera I saw on stage in a danish opera by Dupuy "Kat og Kvinde" - NOBODY ever heard of that one.
Well, as fate would have it: 40 years later I had the soprano next to me at a birthday celebration. She was "reduced" and her karrier hadn't really gone anywhere. But I was the one that remembered her for something else, than her defining role in My Fair Lady. Well she remembered - so she had a nice evening.
Great video Opera Anna! I couldn't help but laugh to the recording of Florence! That should be a form of torture: tie a person to a chair and make them listen to that! Another movie with opera: The Princess Diaries 2. There's a soloist in it singing opera in middle.
It is so painful to listen to! Haha yeah I know that singer... Might be hard for me to be PC about my opinion 😆 but I'm a professional I can do it! Cause it's such a good scene
We haven't included Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald movies in these types of videos... Why?
I don't know who those people are 🤐😬🤐
@@operaanna Nelson Eddy was a Bass Baritone known for his rousing Toreador song. He left opera for a career in movies.
The Greatest Showman did Jenny Lind dirty.
🍵
Include Quantum of Solace next time. I guarantee viewers from Bond fans.
I literally looked at it and decided there wasn't enough time to include! It'll be in the next one, promise!
Really your YT channel deserves way more subscribers and viewers. One day the Divine Algorithm will grace you of his attention, I hope.
aw thanks!!! I hope so too!
it's ok to call les mis bad, it's encouraged in fact lol
😆
she was engaged to his brother - for me that movie is a parody of an Italian traditional family
i've just decided to watch it in a couple weeks when i'm on vacay - i doubt my opinion of Cage will change 😅
@@operaanna we bet it will? maybe a bit!
@@operaanna the best scene is at the end of it, when Cage is with Cher at their parents house and his brother returns from Italy
Hugh Jackman really looks like P.T. Barnum. Not. I wasn't a fan of The Greatest Showman. I was offended for the same reason as you were.
Thank God it's not me just being difficult haha
you need to see Moonstruck. this is later in the story so you missed a lot
a lot of opera or a lot of context? i'm watching it next week!
😇 Promo-SM
? opera singers are actors. if their acting chops aren't good they aren't enjoyable to watch. I recently saw Michael Volle as Falstaff at the Met and had previously had seen it with Ambrogio Maestri as Falstaff. Maestri's comic timing and acting were an order of magnitude better and funnier
Agree!
I just meant I want to see an actual opera singer act and play the role and not an actor pretending to be an opera singer. But it came out a bit confusing I admit
First two chords scream Boheme! And you need you see the film. Your comments cannot be legit because the music is entwined - you would know that it is the NC character persuades Cher to go to the opera. The movie is a rom com that works extremely well and earned an Oscar for Cher! And Cher is NOT breaking up with Cage. This particular video is incredibly condescending. with respect to Moonstruck.
See my pinned comment!
Another film/ opera insult - Godfather 3 where the scenes of Cavalleria Rusticana are played out of order. And directed by an Italian, ffs! VERGOGNA!
Florence Foster Jenkins might have contributed to the ill reputation of opera of being pretentious and ridiculous.
👀👀👀
You are no good in your evaluation@ Surely Corelli is the best tenor that ever lived!!!
What does that have to do with this video?
Thereis La zbohame with Gianni Raimomdi, La Traviata with Tereza Stratta and young Domimgo, Carmen with Corelli, La Forza Di Destino With Corelli Guelfy and Tosca with young Corelli, Aida, with Sofia Loren (Tebaldi singing ) Ond Two screen vertions Poliagi( not sure of. Spelli.g ) two il Trovatore with Delmonaco and turkish Diva Leila Gensher , another one with Martonucci, and an exract from Lucia di Lammermoon inthe " The Fifth Enlement. Grear. CARUSO WITH Mario Lanza.