Madame Butterfly short animation by Pjotr Sapegin
The story of Madame butterfly is a tragic one. A geisha who is taken advantage of by an American man who marries her for sex, and gives her a false promise that he will return to her. Only to return with a new wife seeking their child. I like that it was original and had the creators little touches of humor, such as the speaker giving out and needing a tap to keep playing and madame butterfly's birth depicted by a broken fishbowl that gives birth to a fish. I also appreciated the attempt to recreate the scene of the young couple making love. Sapegin went to great lengths to make it as believable as possible even with the limited move-ability of the clay-mated dolls.
I enjoyed how Sapegin displayed the passing of time and the idea that Madame Butterfly awaited her American lover with undying devotion, even to the neglect of her child. I liked how it was similar to the actual opera in that Madame Butterfly finds a place overlooking the harbor where she can wait for her husband to return, and she becomes aware of his return from the sound of the ship. The only thing I felt was not true to the original story was the umbilical cord from mother to child.
I felt with this addition it gave off that the bond between mother and child was stronger than it was. However, Madame Butterfly is so overcome with grief that Pinkerton betrayed her that she choices to give him the child and commit suicide. In the original opera the child walks in on the suicide attempt and is blindfolded by his mother, so he doesn't see her death. This gave off the impression that she was not as connected to the child, perhaps because the child was simply a reminder that she'd given herself in marriage to a man that she could not at present be with. Perhaps at times she stared at the child and wondered if Pinkerton intended to come back at all.
Sapegin captures the final moment of doubt and confusion very well in his short. When the eyes of Madame Butterfly and Pinkerton meet and he doesn't seem eager to see her. I appreciated the Sapegin's unique touch of the umbilical cord being ripped between mother and child when Pinkerton takes their child from her by force. Finally, the death scene was unique and heartbreaking. Madame Butterfly force-ably tears herself apart piece by piece and tears apart her limbs with the dagger before floating away in pieces. It captured the pain of that moment so well. As well as the tragic thought that Madame Butterfly cared for Pinkerton so strongly that she wanted to die by her own hand rather than live with the regret and shame of her decision to marry him.
All and all Sapegin put his own unique twists on the story of Madame Butterfly while keeping true to the original concept. I enjoyed this animated short very much.
I enjoyed how Sapegin displayed the passing of time and the idea that Madame Butterfly awaited her American lover with undying devotion, even to the neglect of her child. I liked how it was similar to the actual opera in that Madame Butterfly finds a place overlooking the harbor where she can wait for her husband to return, and she becomes aware of his return from the sound of the ship. The only thing I felt was not true to the original story was the umbilical cord from mother to child.
I felt with this addition it gave off that the bond between mother and child was stronger than it was. However, Madame Butterfly is so overcome with grief that Pinkerton betrayed her that she choices to give him the child and commit suicide. In the original opera the child walks in on the suicide attempt and is blindfolded by his mother, so he doesn't see her death. This gave off the impression that she was not as connected to the child, perhaps because the child was simply a reminder that she'd given herself in marriage to a man that she could not at present be with. Perhaps at times she stared at the child and wondered if Pinkerton intended to come back at all.
Sapegin captures the final moment of doubt and confusion very well in his short. When the eyes of Madame Butterfly and Pinkerton meet and he doesn't seem eager to see her. I appreciated the Sapegin's unique touch of the umbilical cord being ripped between mother and child when Pinkerton takes their child from her by force. Finally, the death scene was unique and heartbreaking. Madame Butterfly force-ably tears herself apart piece by piece and tears apart her limbs with the dagger before floating away in pieces. It captured the pain of that moment so well. As well as the tragic thought that Madame Butterfly cared for Pinkerton so strongly that she wanted to die by her own hand rather than live with the regret and shame of her decision to marry him.
All and all Sapegin put his own unique twists on the story of Madame Butterfly while keeping true to the original concept. I enjoyed this animated short very much.
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