Wayang Kulit & Theatrical Performance

Wayang Kulit 's History Explained Video 

(Courtesy: Khatulistiwa.info at Vimeo.com)

Wayang Kulit, the Indonesian theatrical performance of shadow puppets, is deeply ingrained in the country's culture, history, and livelihood. It is so important that there are three specific regions where it has become infamous for this art form. Careers, theaters, and pass times have been created as a result of this cultural performance. Wayang Kulit can be used to describe the current social structure of Indonesia, give out sermons, and a medium of education as mentioned in the video. It can also be used as a medium for dispersing information to the people. It is seen as an ingenious cultural heritage of Indonesia and the world to many Indonesians, often synonymous with the identity of the country. 

In the video a man who now works as a Dalang, a shadow puppeteer, was taught since the age of three to master Wayang Kulit. As a Dalang he is expected to orchestrate the puppet movements in synchronization with the music and dialogue, as well as play instruments at the same time. According to the video, a single performance can use up to 400 different Wayangs, each with their own characteristics and distinct features that contribute to the storyline. 

Much like Wayang Kulit, American theater has shared its history with storytelling and performances. Puppet shows, marionettes, and films have been used to achieve many similar goals that the Indonesians seek with Wayang Kulit. Despite the low technological integration that the Indonesian theatrical performance has, it still requires a great amount of skill and has remained true to its origins. American theater unless specified as solely one type of show has evolved to a more contemporary style. This change has developed in order to satisfy the ever-changing interests of the American public. Adaptations from classic performances have now become common and most of the old styles are performed for a sense of nostalgia or urge for avant-garde trends. 

Review of Jean-Jacques Beineix's Film: Diva

Screenshot from Diva, directed by Jean-Jacques Beineix
(Courtesy: www.servimg.com)

The movie Diva by director Jean-Jacques Beineix, was a mystery and a crime film that told the story of a mail carrier obsessed with an opera singer's voice. His obsession turned into a nightmare when one of his recordings of her becomes mistaken for a cassette that would incriminate the police chief on criminal charges.

I found the movie to be a little cheesy as the characters were doing things that seemed unrealistic or unnecessary. The scene where Nadia gets killed off in public seemed unrealistic as not many people reacted to it despite being in broad daylight, and in front of witnesses, two of whom were detectives.
Another scene that seemed unrealistic was when the detective was chasing Jules by car than on foot. Despite being a "track star" it is highly unlikely that the detective would've been able to keep up with Jules on his moped.

Despite these details, I thought that the movie was decent for a movie produced at its time. Preferably I would have liked more action or a more in depth story following the protagonist. The character of Gorodish was perhaps the best of all of them for his ominous background and witty thinking.

The recording device portrayed in the film was sophisticated technology at the time and was used to capture as well as feature the art of opera. The opera singer Cynthia Hawkins was reluctant to have her voice recorded, however, after the threat of bootlegging and meeting Jules, her stance changed to accommodate it. It was also the fact that she was in her 30's and her voice would not always be as it once swayed the change in decision. At the end it can be seen that the once stubborn "diva", embraced innovation and that her legacy would live on far past her existence without being tainted.

In the film it can be seen that the characters often use pay phones and radio transistors, now with mobile phones being so popular these products are now less commonly used. Overall, I saw a variety of uses for technology at the time and how it impacted many of the characters' decisions much like how our decisions are also influenced by modern technology.

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.