Class of Sept 4

Today in class, we continued our examination of opera.
We watched exerts from various famous productions including the works of Mozart and Wagner. These just added to the notion that opera is the first from of multimedia entertainment. These films seemed to have more acting and more of a storyline, bringing them closer to the look and feel of modern movies.
What really peaked my interest was when the professor provided several examples of linking opera to current pop culture. "What's Opera, Doc?" is a Bugs Bunny short that places the iconic rabbit and Elmer Fudd into a parody of Wagner's work. Here, we see the sheer talent of both Chuck Jones (director) and Mel Blanc (actor). This has been noted by some as their greatest collaboration together and one of the best animated films of all time. I found it particulary interesting because I remember the cartoon from my childhood and now that I'm older and going into the animation field, I can appreciate all the hard work that went into it.
Things are starting to move more swimmingly as we see how opera evolves into vaudeville and broadway productions. I find broadway more entertaining than opera, so I'm excited to see where this goes as we eventually make our way to modern times.