Cinema's Illusions, Opera's Allure: The Operatic Impulse in Film [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by David P. Schroeder (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"Provocative reading." -- The Dallas Morning News, August 21, 2002

"Schroeder’s passion for both art forms is invigorating, and he writes in a clear, approachable style..." -- Opera News, January 2003

"an enormously engaging dialogue with that long-gone still-here time ... exhaustively researched detail ... exuberantly engaging riff-style." -- Los Angeles Times, December 29, 2002

Product Description
From Richard Wagner and George Lucas to Alfred Hitchcock and Maria Callas, Schroeder provides a fascinating account of the entire absorbing history of the interdependence of opera and film, demonstrating how opera can be found lurking in the background of a wide range of films.

The allure of opera to cinema early in the century held up through the silent era, into sound films, through the golden age of movies, and into the most recent approaches to moviemaking. Cinema's Illusions, Opera's Allure explores the numerous ways - some predictable, some unexpected, and some bizarre - that this has happened.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 372 pages
• Publisher: Continuum International Publishing Group; illustrated edition edition (June 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0826413927
• ISBN-13: 978-0826413925
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,605,859 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Offers some history, but little insight., February 9, 2009

By	N. McCall (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cinema's Illusions, Opera's Allure: The Operatic Impulse in Film (Paperback)

When I was in college, my popular yet vacuous film professor made an unsupported claim that silent film was operatic. This claim pops up in writing for all types of film in addition to silents, so I eagerly picked up this book in search of some evidence and arguments.

After reading this book, the argument amounts to little more than 'opera is used frequently in film and they are related.' The supporting evidence offers scant analysis, as the author frequently falls back on the idea, without evidence, that the film directors he invokes instinctively "knew" the importance of putting opera and film together, and that they are inherently linked. As often in film writing, there is heavy reliance on summary and production history, but little analysis as to how cinema is operatic.

I was puzzled by what seem like obvious subjects this book ignored: "Porgy and Bess" (1959), "The Tales of Hoffman" (1951), "Life is Beautiful" (1997), Deanna Durbin, Jeanette MacDonald, even "Pretty Woman" (1990)! Sure, there are too many examples for one 350-page book to hold, but the lack of breadth and depth is truly glaring when the author goes on unrelated tangents. A particularly frustrating example of this is when he devotes the seven-page chapter on "Apocalypse, Now!" to Wagner's antisemitism, a worthy subject, but one that has no place in this book.

Skip this book. I still scratch my head when people say that film is operatic.

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully engaging and wide-ranging book, August 5, 2008

By	Bruce Vogt (British Columbia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Cinema's Illusions, Opera's Allure: The Operatic Impulse in Film (Paperback)

I am amazed that this book has had so little publicity. It should be read and read widely. It is not really an academic study - though much scholarly learning is clearly behind it. Instead it wears its learning lightly and delights the reader with its wit and passion. Anyone interested in film will be engaged and grateful for this book and they will never see the world of cinema in quite the same way afterwards.