5 Movies with Memorable Opera Music
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Opera is one of the most beautiful and moving forms of music. Here are 5 movies with unforgettable opera music that will stay with you long after the credits roll.
The Godfather
Considered by many to be one of the greatest films of all time, The Godfather is a Mafia crime classic full of memorable scenes and lines. But it also features some great opera music, most notably in the scene where protagonist Michael Corleone is first introduced to Apollonia, the woman who will later become his wife.
The Godfather
In “The Godfather,” music is used to set the tone of the film from the very beginning. The opening scene, in which Don Vito Corleone is shot, is set to the aria “I Vitelloni” by Italian composer Nino Rota. This operatic piece helps to establish the film’s Italian-American setting and gives the audience a sense of the film’s Scope and grandeur.
Other memorable moments in “The Godfather” that feature opera include Michael Corleone’s visit to Sicily, during which he hears an outdoor performance of “La Donna è Mobile” from Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” This piece of music helps to underscore Michael’s inner conflict as he begins to embrace his criminal lifestyle.
The use of opera in “The Godfather” is just one example of how this art form can be used to great effect in film. Other examples include:
1. “A Clockwork Orange” – Beethoven’s “9th Symphony”
2. ” Apocalypse Now” – madama Butterfly
3. ” Barry Lyndon” – Handel’s
4. The Messiah
5. ” 2001: A Space Odyssey” – Also Sprach Zarathustra
The Godfather, Part II
Released in 1974, The Godfather Part II is the first sequel to win the Academy Award for Best Picture. The story picks up where the first movie left off, with Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) now firmly in control of the family business. While his older sister Connie (Talia Shire) and brother-in-law Carlo (Gianni Russo) struggle with their marriage, Michael attempts to expand the Corleone empire into Las Vegas and Cuba. Meanwhile, a young Vito Corleone (Robert De Niro) is growing up on the tough streets of New York’s Little Italy.
One of the most memorable scenes in The Godfather Part II is when Michael attends the opera with his new wife, Kay (Diane Keaton). They are seated in a private box, and as they watch the performance, Michael tells Kay that he wants her to leave him. The music playing in this scene is an aria from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera La Traviata.
Amadeus
The magnificent music in Amadeus will have you entranced from beginning to end. The story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is brought to life through stunning visuals and an incredible score. This film is a must-see for any music lover.
Amadeus
Many of us are familiar with the great works of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but fewer of us know the story of the man behind the music. Amadeus is a 1984 film that tells the story of Mozart’s rivalry with Antonio Salieri, another great composer of the time. The film won eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and features some of Mozart’s most famous pieces, including “Eine kleine Nachtmusik” and “The Marriage of Figaro.”
The Marriage of Figaro
The Marriage of Figaro is a comedy opera in four acts composed in 1786 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with a libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. The work is one of the greatest works of comic opera and a cornerstone of the repertoire.
The opera’s full title is The Marriage of Figaro, or The Mayhem at Count Almaviva’s House. In some countries, including the USA, the short form “The Marriage of Figaro” is used.
The story of The Marriage of Figaro is based on a play by Pierre Beaumarchais called La Folle Journée, ou Le Mariage de Figaro (The Mad Day, or The Marriage of Figaro). This was the second play in a trilogy which also included Le Barbier de Séville (The Barber of Seville) and La Mère Coupable (The Guilty Mother).
The Phantom of the Opera
Set in the Paris Opera House in the late 1800s, The Phantom of the Opera is a classic tale of unrequited love, jealousy, and madness. The music in this movie is some of the most memorable of any opera movie, and the story is one that has been told many times.
The Phantom of the Opera
The Phantom of the Opera is a 1925 American silent horror film adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s 1910 novel Le Fantôme de l’Opéra, directed by Rupert Julian and starring Lon Chaney in the title role of the deformed Phantom who haunts the Paris Opera House, causing murder and mayhem in an attempt to make the woman he loves a star. The film remains most famous for Chaney’s performance, and it helped make him one of Universal Studios’ first true supernatural stars.
Don Juan
Don Juan is a 1926 American silent romantic drama film produced by Warner Bros. directed by Alan Crosland. The film is based on the legend of Don Juan. It stars John Barrymore, Mary Astor, Willard Louis, and Tempe Pigott. The story was adapted by Bess Meredyth from the play Don Juan Tenorio by José Zorrilla.
The film was released on December 26, 1926, and was a box office success. It was well received by critics and is considered one of the best films of the silent era.
La Bohème
One of the most memorable opera scenes is in La Bohème when Mimì dies in Rodolfo’s arms. The opera music in this scene is so beautiful and tragic. It definitely sets the mood for the rest of the movie.
La Bohème
La Bohème is a 1996 film adaptation of Giacomo Puccini’s 1896 opera of the same name. The film was directed by Franco Zeffirelli and starred Anna Netrebko, Rolando Villazón, Angela Gheorghiu, and Roberto Alagna.
The film is set in Paris in the 1830s and 1840s, and follows the lives of a group of young bohemian artists as they struggle to make ends meet.
One of the most memorable scenes in the film is when the characters Mimì and Rodolfo meet for the first time. Mimì is dying of tuberculosis, and Rodolfo is immediately drawn to her. The two begin to sing an impromptu duet of “Your Tiny Hand Is Frozen”, and the music is so beautiful that it brings tears to Mimì’s eyes.
This scene perfectly captures the passion and intensity of Puccini’s music, and is just one example of why La Bohème is considered one of the great operas of all time.
Tosca
One of the most popular and well-known pieces of opera music is Tosca’s aria “Vissi d’arte”. The aria comes from the opera Tosca by Giacomo Puccini and is often considered one of the best examples of Italian opera. The aria is sung by Tosca, a singer who is in love with the artist Cavaradossi. However, Cavaradossi is jailed and sentenced to death for aiding an enemy of the state. As Tosca mourns her lost love, she sings “Vissi d’arte”, expressing her deep desire to live only for art.
Carmen
Carmen is a 1974 film adaptation of the opera Carmen, based on the novella of the same name by French author Prosper Mérimée. The film was directed by Francesco Rosi and stars Julia Migenes as the title character. It was filmed in Spain and Morocco.
Carmen
Carmen is a French opera in four acts by composer Georges Bizet. It was first performed on March 3, 1875, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris and was not initially well received by the public. However, the opera’s popularity began to grow steadily after Bizet’s untimely death just weeks after its premiere, and today Carmen is one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the standard repertoire.
One of Carmen’s most memorable and well-known moments is the Habanera, a seductive aria sung by the title character in Act I. The Habanera is often used outside of the opera world as well, appearing in popular culture ranging from movies to video games. Here are five examples of movies that feature the Habanera from Carmen:
1. Moulin Rouge!: This 2001 musical tells the story of a young writer who falls in love with a beautiful courtesan at the Moulin Rouge nightclub in Paris. The film features several operatic sequences, including a reworked version of the Habanera sung by Nicole Kidman as Satine.
2. The Godfather: This classic 1972 gangster film features a number of operatic pieces throughout its three-hour runtime, including an instrumental version of the Habanera during a key scene near the end of the film.
3. The Fifth Element: This 1997 sci-fi action movie starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich features an energetic techno remix of the Habanera as part of its soundtrack.
4. Titanic: James Cameron’s 1997 blockbuster features anachi orchestra playing an arrangement of Habanera as part of its score during a key scene near the end of the film.
5. 10 Things I Hate About You: This 1999 teen comedy is loosely based on Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew and features a modernized rendition of the Habanera sung by Heath Ledger as Patrick Verona.
La Traviata
Carmen is a French opera in four acts composed by Georges Bizet. The libretto is based on a novella of the same title by Mérimée. The opera premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875 and was not well received. Helena Modjeska was the first to play the role of Carmen in America, in 1883. It wasn’t until 1953 that Carmen finally became popular in the United States after Maria Callas played the role at La Scala.
