Brokeback Mountain: Our Community's Common Bond > Brokeback Mountain Open Forum
Other gay-themed movies
x-man:
I absolutely knew before I posted that you, MM, would be the first on my tail. You did not disappoint. You follow me around BetterMost looking for new dragons to slay. I hope I do not disappoint.
I was confused by the form your attack took. Am I missing something? My call for gay operas was genuine; my characterization of possible plot lines for gay adaptations of existing operas was not. I was trying to burlesque opera plots in general. (After all, we go/listen to them for the music, not complex, highly nuanced stories--for that we read books, watch plays.) You must have seen that. I would say with Ennis, "Lighten up on me, Jack," except that perhaps I am reading you wrong. "Discoteca" instead of "fiesta"? We're doing adaptations in Italian? The libretto is sacrosanct? Surely you aren't serious?
Actually, when I wrote I had in mind Preminger's 1954 film Carmen Jones. I watched it again the other day, and was happy to discover that it stood up to time very well. Carmen Jones and Private Romeo (which I have raved about before) tell me adaptations from one genre to another can be done successfully. You're probably right to urge new gay operas rather than screwing around with existing operas. But a part of me would die to hear the first act of Traviata sung by two men--O quel amor!
milomorris:
--- Quote from: x-man on September 15, 2013, 09:49:56 am ---I absolutely knew before I posted that you, MM, would be the first on my tail. You did not disappoint. You follow me around BetterMost looking for new dragons to slay. I hope I do not disappoint.
--- End quote ---
I don't treat you any differently than I treat any of the other Bettermostians. When I see a post with which I disagree, I challenge it. Plain and simple. It has nothing to do with you. I don't even know you.
Besides, I'm the only opera singer here at Bettermost, AFAIK. Why would I not be the first person to enter a discussion about an art form that I have been studying and practicing for most of my life?
--- Quote from: x-man on September 15, 2013, 09:49:56 am ---I was confused by the form your attack took.
--- End quote ---
Attack?!?! There was no attack. There was a reasoned critique of your ideas. Again, I did not say anything of a personal nature at all.
--- Quote from: x-man on September 15, 2013, 09:49:56 am ---Am I missing something? My call for gay operas was genuine; my characterization of possible plot lines for gay adaptations of existing operas was not. I was trying to burlesque opera plots in general. (After all, we go/listen to them for the music, not complex, highly nuanced stories--for that we read books, watch plays.) You must have seen that. I would say with Ennis, "Lighten up on me, Jack," except that perhaps I am reading you wrong. "Discoteca" instead of "fiesta"? We're doing adaptations in Italian? The libretto is sacrosanct? Surely you aren't serious?
--- End quote ---
1. I did not catch on that your suggestions for adaptations was not serious. There was nothing in your post that communicated that.
2. Maybe you go to operas just to listen to the music, but there are many people who go there to experience the dramatic aspects.
3. Traviata was written in Italian. You did not suggest a translation. The libretto is not sacrosanct, but it would be awkward to fit a 4-syllable word to music that was originally written for a 2-syllable word.
Front-Ranger:
I was really enjoying this conversation. Would it be possible to overlook the potential conflict? You both have so much to contribute. Can we play nice in the sandbox please?
milomorris:
--- Quote from: Front-Ranger on September 15, 2013, 11:48:37 pm ---I was really enjoying this conversation. Would it be possible to overlook the potential conflict? You both have so much to contribute. Can we play nice in the sandbox please?
--- End quote ---
Absolutely. So let's continue from a point on which we all agree...
--- Quote from: x-man on September 15, 2013, 09:49:56 am ---You're probably right to urge new gay operas rather than screwing around with existing operas.
--- End quote ---
There is a wealth of stories, plays, movies, biographies, and poetry written about sexual minorities that could serve as the basis for new operas. For example, and opera about Tchaikovsky might have broad appeal to opera consumers. Milk could also be turned into an opera. I could envision an opera about the life of Senator Barney Frank, or an opera about two all-American boys in the Marines who fall in love during the days of DADT, and have a happy ending after its repeal. There's lots of material out there, and plenty of composers who are coming to the operatic art form today. Jennifer Higdon is working on a Civil War opera right now titled Cold Mountain. Composer Jennifer is a Pulitzer Prize winner with international acclaim. She lives here in Philadelphia wither partner. I've met her once, but cannot say that I know her.
x-man:
I agree with you, FR and MM, that we should look forward, and I will do that. I must, however, glance back for a moment to clear up one thing: MM I never thought you were attacking me personally. I am not so ego-involved with my postings as to think that. When I wrote of "cavalry charges," "slaying dragons" and "attacks," I meant them as being against the issues I raised--your "reasoned critiques." You say you don't even know me. Actually you do. In BetterMost all we really know of each other is what we reveal in our postings. A few days ago I reviewed all of mine in chronological order, and realized, rather uncomfortably, that they were a surprisingly accurate, if partial, picture of me. I suspect this is true of all of us.
Now we look forward. I really like the idea of Milk and the young Marines facing DADT as operas. Milk would be sad, but are there any happy operas? Don't we have to turn to operetta for that? (A gay Jeannette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy? It sounds very campy, but fun.) Maybe the DADT story could be the first happy opera. I would insist on a film version. Let's face it, love scenes viewed from the distance between theatre stage and audience are not what they are in movie closeups. My mind races to the scene in the desert where beautiful Marines thrash in the sand. (Well, you can't--or at least couldn't--do it in the barracks; I know that from personal experience.)
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