BP #3 - Madame Butterfly

I though Pjotr Sapegin’s ARIA, which is an adaptation of Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, was a beautiful short film. I really admire the various ways in which the film was able to convey the feelings of the characters and the overall meaning of the film even though the film has no actual dialogue. Music is one aspect that really helps interpret the feelings of the characters and the overall theme of the film. The music played within a film is an essential element for the entire film. Music helps get the message across by having the ability to make an audience feel happy, sad, confidence and much more. The tempo of the music within the film changes depending on what is going on in a certain scene. For example, in the scene when Butterfly meets the sailor Pinkerton the music is slow, like in a romance film when two characters meet and begin to fall in love. Another example, is when Butterfly sees the ship that Pinkerton came on when they first met. In this scene the music gradually speeds up as if to give off a feeling of anticipation of the two lovers seeing each other again. This film’s soundtrack plays a major role in depicting how the characters feel and the overall message the film is trying to illustrate.