Pjotr Sapegin’s Madama Butterfly

Giacomo Puccini's Madame Butterfly (Courtesy: https://i.ytimg.com)

Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly was a creative spin of Giacomo Puccini's 1905 opera depicting the tragic reality of temporary marriages forged between naval sailors and the indigenous females. The animation was interesting to say the least. I had not seen the original opera so as soon as the video began I was taken for surprise. With the first few minutes elapsed and the story beginning to unravel, it was clear that there was deep meaning behind the initial scene which ultimately turned out to be a devastating ending. The woman was left behind to bear the sailors child only to have him return and be stripped of the child and emotionally scarred eventually pushed to take her own life. The spirit and innocence the woman once had in her physical form was not lost when she took her own life but was carried into the afterlife when her spirit took form as a butterfly. The butterfly resembles the freedom that she had always wanted or deserved while waiting for her lover, which she can now fully achieve after being given wings. Overall, the animation was well choreographed and extremely thorough, however, took a great degree of interpretation to arrive at the exact significance.