Madame Butterfly

I am not one for operas - have only seen a few in my lifetime- but was so intrigued with the basic storyline of Madame Butterfly (being a deep-down, incurable romantic), that I gave it a shot. Didn't know the full story, so when I saw Capt Pinkerton singing about having one in every port, I jumped up and shouted: "S.O.B.!" The actress who played Madame Butterfly portrayed the part of someone in Total & Complete Denial extremely well. Singing was good, though I am not really into that high-pitched warbling stuff. I thought the flying spirits were a bit flaky (sort of like the mother's spirit in "Like Water For Chocolate"), but the film was otherwise quite moving. The little boy looked exactly like my brother Joe looked at 3 y.o., so that was authentic for me. Saw the film last night, and my eyes are still swollen from crying. Gets a 10 on my "cry-O-meter" - damned good!

This really is a great opera movie. All the actors have the right age and -when it comes to appearance- the right "beauty". Butterfly is a young girl in the story, and in this movie she looks as one (and she is only in her early twenties). Nevertheless she does all the singing herself. She has won prizes in opera competitions and is very convincing. She is from China, not Japan, and has the perfect voice for the part. Who would ever find this story believable with a 40-years old soprano? Now with this young Asian actress/singer one is moved as one should be. Not only the singing, but also the emotions are clear and real. This could never be achieved in play-back from a different singer. All the other main characters are (very) good actors and sing their own parts (very well). The setting is beautiful, though not in Japan, but in Tunisia (I read afterwards). The orchestra plays well (under James Conlon). In fact everything is good. Only a few minor parts are sung by different persons than the (Asian) actors. Summarizing: The best Butterfly I have ever seen and probably the best I will ever see from now on.

This gorgeously shot and brilliantly directed film version of the opera is the most passionate I've seen. The acting is unusually detailed and truthful for an opera, especially Butterfly's total commitment and Pinkerton's breezy lust.

But why didn't we see his ship sail into the bay? The water and mountains seemed destined for that shot, but didn't deliver. The boy was too old, the voice of the "uncle" in the sky didn't work, but generally it was a deeply moving experience, rising to a terrific climax in her suicide and his remorse. That last closeup of Pinkerton, racked by remorse, lifting the dying Butterfly, was powerful. The film aired in Canada on Aug 8 on the Bravo! TV network. I couldn't tear myself away to get to a party till the final credits were rolling.

In early August I saw this opera for the first time as a 2017 performance at the Royal Opera House, and I loved the music so much I decided to watch this version as well. What makes this movie stand out is the decision to cast Asian actors and actresses for the Asian roles.

Ying Huang (Cio-cio-san/Butterfly) played the affection-starved yet goodhearted woman beautifully. Richard Troxell (Pinkerton, the American naval officer) played the entitled "playboy" so convincingly I had the urge to slap him through the screen. Jingma Fan (Goro) played the marriage broker; in this version he's not only oppertunistic but also slightly malicious which was surprising but Fan played it well.

The visuals in this movie were unexpectedly beautiful. Instead of depicting the bustling harbour city of Nagasaki they chose a more rural setting with thatched houses; as it was shot "on location" in Tunisia the village is dotted with olive trees rather than pine trees. This was probably done for economic reasons, yet it doesn't feel fake for a moment: the houses look real and lively, the gardens are lined with flowers, people are fishing for mussels in the surf. The costumes and interiors were pretty as well. The cinematography was a bit clunky at times (especially in Act 3) which admittedly bothered me more than it should have.

However, I feel the director took too many artistic liberties. By inserting flashbacks and flash-forwards and making it appear as if days or even months pass between different musical pieces he interrupted the pacing of the music. He also left out a good 10 minutes of music at the beginning of Act 3 ("Oh Eh ! Oh Eh !")

Despite some flaws on the director's part, this still makes for a good movie with good casting, beautiful casting and beautiful visuals. I can recommend this movie to everyone, even the people who don't like opera.

Unfortunatly , their lips aren't moving right. So their either lip synching or it's been dubbed. Richard Troxell's the best in this. His emotion drips off the screen. So's his cohort. The actress playing butterfly looks and acts too old for the part. I personally loved this film. But as they are singing in opera terms, many might not appreciate it. It's up to you. (example: I found it to be uplifting and another person found it to be more depressing than The Refelecting Skin.) So what you take from it is entirely up to you. :)

9/10 (can't give it a full 10 because of the dubbing/lip synch problems.

Quality: 9/10 Entertainment: 10/10 (how can you not. with such powerful singing) Replayable: 6/10