We use Optical Character Recognition (OCR) during our scanning and processing workflow to make the content of each page searchable. You can view the automatically generated text below as well as copy and paste individual pieces of text to quote in your own work.
Text recognition is never 100% accurate. Many parts of the scanned page may not be reflected in the OCR text output, including: images, page layout, certain fonts or handwriting.
278 MUSICAL FORMS
the actors may be photographed merely mouthing their words, their singing being dubbed on to the film later.
The technique of the film also puts us in the position of being able to listen to a long aria without having to look the singer in the mouth all the time. The camera can meanwhile wander around and show, for instance, the things to which the aria refers : the object of love, or a landscape, or a dwelling or a threatening danger. The stage must remain stage and the public must be always conscious of this, but it need not be incessantly before our eyes in the close-ups. If this is done properly, rigidly immobile scenery and groups of extras will not bother us. For they may be immobile but the camera is not; it moves and the rhythm of the shot-sequence also moves, and this rhythm, adapting itself to the rhythm of the music, can emphasize and interpret it.
The technique of the film and especially the colour film will fulfil an important mission by popularizing the classical opera. In most cases operas will still have to be cut, for films running for more than two hours are as yet difficult to set before a public, though this difficulty will disappear in time. Such cutting must be governed by musical considerations and hence it is the music that should be cut first, and the dramaturgical cut must follow it. This can rarely be done by means of simple omission — single scenes and often even the course of the action have to be re-aligned. All this will not affect the spirit of the opera as long as the music safeguards it. But here are no easy tasks and the shooting of an operatic film is scarcely less of a venture on the part of director, actors and technical team than making an original film.
FILM OPERA
In speaking of the film opera, that is an opera intended and composed for the film, we must unfortunately discuss an art form which has not yet been realized. Attempts have been made, but without much success. The reasons for this provide an interesting problem, because in theory and principle the possibility of a film opera can be quite easily proved.
In operettas, musical comedies, revues and all other musical