I really enjoyed reading the script of Tosca. I was surprised by how the script read more like a regular script than a musical one (if that makes sense). Even though I couldn’t understand anything being sung in the clips the emotion behind the words made it more evident as to what was going on. I also was surprised by how much the scenes looked like a movie set and all the detail that went into it. At the end I also got a Romeo and Juliet vibe and I wonder if the person who wrote Tosca was inspired by that story. I really enjoy musicals and I feel like I would enjoy a lot of operas as long as I had the dialogue translated.
Thanks, Dana, I’m glad you enjoyed the project. Your observation makes perfect sense. I think what you’ve picked up on is that the use of music to express the dialogue really doesn’t alter the dramatic content. It’s just a different method of presenting it. The final video in the assignment is drawn from a movie adaptation of the opera and those film techniques are evident. It definitely includes some studio shots.
On a side note, some of Puccini’s operas have been the basis of broadway musicals. La Boheme became Rent, and Madame Butterfly is the basis for Miss Saigon. This further illustrates the importance of that good script and good story line, and is one of the reasons a few of the questions in the project were raised.
I also got the Romeo and Juliet feel! Only a little different. I was shocked with the ending though, she must have known he was lying.
The emotions definitely told the story in this one. I agree.