Opera, Off Stage
Visconti and Bertolucci Between Reflection and Performance
Abstract
Italian filmmakers have long shown interest in opera as both an aspect of their cultural heritage and occasion for imaginative storytelling. Taking the trope of the soirée at the opera as my focus, I show how the cinematic representation of operatic performance has inspired the virtuosic display of cinema-specific effects and with it the acknowledgement of the film audience. Examples include Bertolucci’s Before the Revolution (1964) and La Luna (1979), and Visconti’s Senso (1954).
Presentato: 11 Dicembre 2024 | Accettato: 28 Gennaio 2025 | Pubblicato 22 Ottobre 2025 | Lingua: en
Keywords Bertolucci • Opera Film • Performance • Visconti • Script
Copyright © 2025 Giorgio Biancorosso. This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction is permitted, provided that the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The license allows for commercial use. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Permalink http://doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-911-5/004