“We need more green markers”
“Opera star Renee Fleming came to Manhattan’s Grand Ballroom to record her vocals for Steven Spielberg’s new animated feature Tintin. Singing live with a 69 piece orchestra, Ms. Fleming was also filmed for motion caption. To ensure her animated character reflected all of her natural facial expressions they place green markers on Ms. Fleming’s face.” [Manhattan Center] (Note: this photo has been removed by request of the copyright owner.)
What I actually find slightly odd is that Spielberg really wants to film this historically racist, imperialist.right-wing Catholist-tinged– and not so subtly antisemitic Belgian cartoon , at all….!
ARGH NO.
As a Tintin loyalist, I will defend him with knives. The first book was incredibly racist, but it is now only available for collectors (Tintin in the Congo).
If anything, Herge’s depiction of unfettered capitalism through Rastopopoulous and the nervy Carreras in Flight 714 indicate left-leaning sympathies.
Also, there is evidence that Herge took the criticism of racism to heart- he devoted far more care in accuracy of portraying the Chinese in the Blue Lotus and Tintin in Tibet than many other writers and artists in the middle of the twentieth century (hello Mickey Rooney in Breakfast at Tiffany’s…) working in far more serious mediums than serialised children’s cartoons. Finally, in many of the books (Congo remaining the notable exception), Herge expresses an admiration and respect of indigenous cultures that was certainly not universal in mid-century Europe.
I’m assuming Fleming is singing Bianca Castafiore? I am a bit excited, as the preview suggested Bianca sat this movie out, but also greet it with the same nervousness that one has when any childhood icon moves to screen. Also, I don’t know if Fleming would really be my first choice for Castafiore. Personally I would’ve hired Dessay- I wouldn’t be surprised if she can do a comical Italian accent- who could’ve also convincingly acted the role and done a butchering of the Jewel Song for the ages.
Mr ianw2: What I think Brooklyn Punk is missing is the thread of bitter
irony that runs thru TinTin. It’s like when people call Kipling a
racist (as he was), but miss the point that the nicest people he
portrays are often the dark ones or Asian Indians or what-
ever the case may be. A wee drap of objectivity helps one see
and appreciate that. It’s very important in Kipling, Tin Tin or
wherever as it points up the narrative and the values.
:”Bitter irony…?—
There is a reoccuring character in the series that looks like a picture out of “Der Sturmer”— if that’s “irony”—no thanks…!
Brooklyn – I am an unconditional Tintin fan, but I will allow you to cringe at this :
[img]http://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Bohlwinkel-1.jpg[/img]
“Left-leaning”…?How about the episode where Tintin meets up with the Soviet Bolshiviks?- they are portrayed as somewhat sub human…
Sorry ianw2.. this is a rare time that I got to really part company with ya… I find this series pretty repulsive……!
Tintin and the Soviets, not coincidentally, was published even before Tintin in the Congo (it was the first) and was later the source of such considerable shame by Herge in its lack of research and crude characterisation that he directed his company to purchase all remaining copies of it they could find, and it wasn’t re-released until the 70s.
This lack of research and how foolish he subsequently felt is what led Herge to create his volumnious archive of everything from submarine blueprints to pressed flowers to a torn Dior pictures from magazines (which subsequently became Castafiore’s wardrobe, to bring this full circle to opera).
I still don’t accept, nor believe his “apologies” bout…anything….
http://blogs.forward.com/bintel-blog/119123/
Thank-you, Manou–YUP….!!…
..we can’t all, agree -nor like-EVERYTHING- SO… I don’t really hold it against ya for being a fan of this classic series—but definately appreciate that ya can understand why I am…NOT…!
As for the Bolsheviks, I didn’t read that instalment of Tintin, but isn’t a lack of sympathy for them, or even a straightforward antipathy and loathing well justified? I must also say that my favourite protagonist of Tintin’s adventures is Milou. He reminds me very much of my own dog, especially as far as complaining goes:
[img]http://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/x6_tintin_milou.png[/img]
Liana:
with the deepest respects to you..and sort of understanding where you’re coming from..I still must say..”Mais NON..!–especially in the year the series was published-1929–long before the criminal excesses of the Soviet regime were really known…..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tintin_in_the_Land_of_the_Soviets
Brooklyn, from what wikipedia says,he got it quite right. And even mildly, given that 1929 is ten years after the peak of war communism, which alone cost hundred thousands lives. It is also the year when the NEP policy ended and the collectivisation began. And when the kulaks were not only “forced to give away their corn”, but simply exterminated…
Renee couldn’t do a comical Italian accent. But she’d be very concerned about La Castafiore’s motivation.
Liana:
But…Herge didn’t KNOW ANY OF THAT- he was basing his series on the reading of ONE book, written by an ultra-right wing author–AND..he was being published in an far-rightist CATHOLIC newspaper (I only emphasis the religious orientation of the paper to make the point that they ONLY wanted to see a negative portrayal of the Soviet world…)
What we know-NOW- makes the Soviets “no-angels”-FOR SURE.. but -especially at the time- the alternative to Russia being offered was the Fascist movements of Italy-and the growing one in Germany– things were a little different , in terms of where one’s allegiances lay–
In other words, he wrote primitive proganda, and got it right by accident
And I certainly am not denying that it is bad propaganda, however true it turned to be afterwards.As for the alternatives, I really don’t know which one was worse, although my own country had the bad luck of being divided between Germany and the Soviet Union in 1939, and members of my family ended up in prisons and camps on both sides. The only big difference is that Hitler used to murder (mostly) citizens of conquered countries, and Stalin – (mostly) citizens of his own country. But apart from that, really….Anyway, better to go back to Tintin, I think…
Before this becomes a Tintin blog I will end with this: I’d urge you to re-read the Tintin comics from around Blue Lotus on, where there is a definite shift in the style of writing and the broad stroke characterisation (including the awful Jewish villain in The Shooting Star). Indeed as Herge (and the series) got older, his politics became quite jaded and unsettled.
Agreed, Liana– –at least about the bad propaganda (having an “accidental glimmer ” of -some- truth)…AND..my family, as well wound up in camps on both sides of a torn assunder Poland (however–only those from the Russian Camps, eventually returned ,ALIVE , to tell their sorry tales….)
With regard to the Soviets, there is this relatively widespread and deeply rooted idea among left-wing Westerners that communist horrors are somehow “better” than fascist horrors. This kind of qualitative hierarchy -which the historian of communism Vladimir Tismaneanu calls, with a touch of irony, “comparative martyrology”- is rather pointless and ultimately dangerous.
Whether the IDEOLOGY of communism (as opposed to its practice) is preferable to or more appealing than the IDEOLOGY of fascism (as opposed to its practice) is another matter altogether. But even this supposed qualitative difference turns out to be a fallacy, as many recent analysts of communism have convincingly argued (among them Liana’s compatriot Leszek Kolakowski). But this is a vast topic not suited for an opera blog…
Just a final remark: if we were to exclude from our cultures all politically incorrect ideas and works of art, we would not be left with much and would relapse back to our troglodyte state.
Oedipe:
JUST fer the RECORD:
I DO NOT promote–nor believe in total lock-step “political correctness” over all-nor censorship …
I DO believe that ALL the facts should be on the table, though..
and– that folks should be allowed to express opposing opinions/facts/feelings..freely..with respect..
..that’s all folks….(on this particular issue…)
And to end this historical thread hijack, I would like to recommend you a recent book by an American historian: Timothy Snyder, Bloodlands. Europe between Hitler and Stalin, New York 2010. The author shows both Soviet and German genocide, from the Great Famine in Ukraine, through the atrocities of the war, to the antisemitic purge in the Soviet Union in late 1940-ties. He also shows how similar both totalitarisms were, and, last but not least, gives up the “comparative martylorogy” completely.
Liana:
I read “Bloodlands”..both in pre- publication galleys, and just last month , again, in its finished version..pretty powerful -albeit nothing “brand-new (to me, at least..) stuff…!
Renee would not be worried about motivation, either, Monty. At most she might worry about the footwear.
I’ve just perused some of my Tintin titles and in the original French versions there seems to be no indication that Castafiore has an Italian accent. Maybe she’s a “hybrid” like Alagna and speaks perfect French. She could even be French herself.
I agree with ianw2. Tintin was a staple of my childhood, and I’m THRILLED that they’re finally making a movie.
And yes, the early books, particularly “Tintin au Congo”, were quite racist, but Herge’s characterizations became considerably more rounded and human as time passed. And let’s not forget that Herge satirized pretty much everybody…Americans in particular!
Pity Dame Elisabeth–who learned Mimi and Violetta in good clean English for the Garden, as Andrew Porter usefully reminds us EVERY TIME HE REVIEWS AN OPERA, didn’t survive to do this recording.
The famous British soprano, Elisabeth Schwarzkopf – I never realised her real name was Betty Blackhead and she translated it into German to make her sound more exotic.
mr punk, in case the word has not reached Brooklyn,
there is a market for that kind of stuff.
TinTin the film just could command big box office.
Now, a Philip Glass opera?
The only POSSIBLE casting of Bianca Castafiore is Angela Gheorghiu, surely- but I suppose they wanted someone who would sing the Jewel song, rather than cancel it.
I am wildly pro this film because its first promo poster has the screenwriters’ names listed in the same size font as the director’s.
Oooh good call on Gheorghiu.
But I stand by Dessay as she seems more likely to actually be game and have the sense of humour to do it than Gheorghiu.
Damrau would also probably be game, but less confident of her fake-Italian accent. She’s also a total ham in recording sessions, so surely that’s a good thing for the motion capture guys, right?
Trebs would be fun too, but even I will accept that in the Jewel Song a working trill is quite important.
Trebs, yes!
Would Gheorghiu, really, even consider such a supporting role? If it was ‘Bianca Castafiore and Red Rackham’s Treasure’… maybe…
I heard over the wires that Mr Domingo himself, building on the strong foundations that Beverly Hills Chihuahua gave to his film career, has personally written to Mr Spielberg for the role or, failing that, that of General Alcazar.
Quite important? It is EVERYTHING.
Hehe @ “working trill”! Brilliant
Damrau should wait for this:
[img]http://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Suske-en-Wiske_jpg.jpeg[/img]
Has she recovered from being poisoned?
Oh, poor dear, Renaay has a bad case of the rare disease Measles-Vertes. I hope she sees a specialist before it affects her mannerisms!
Clita, what a clever ironist you are; rubella verte, of course, is the proper nomenclature. But a green spot here and there for the Jewel song might
add quite a bit of lustre to that dim old mine-cut diamond!
I can’t wait to see how Spielberg handles TinTin; will he make the same
mistake brooklyn punk did/does?
mrmyster, you do know racism is not just about “intent” right?
The silly attacks on successful recording opera divas Netrebko, Gheorghiu and Fleming confirm Parterre as the graveyard of failed singers. I absolutely LOVE to read the cyber venom dripping from these walls. Keep it coming
Your venomometer must be set to be particularly sensitive today if you think any of the above is “venomous”.
On Mondays I set the venomometer on low. The vicious photoshop hatchet job on Miss Fleming, the attacks on Miss Trebs’ trills or lackthereof, and the allusion to Miss Gheorghiu’s Faust cancellation of centuries ago were enough to make the machine’s alarm sirens go off.
Go on moderation for a few days and recalibrate your “venomomoter.” The addition of a word balloon to an existing photo is a pretty meager “hatchet job” to go setting off your alarm, and so are the rather mild barbs at the other divas.
I wasn’t attacking Trebs’ trill, so much as making reference to the fact that people always go on about it.
‘Gheorghiu cancels’ doesn’t strike me as a particularly vicious thing to say either.
It is if you can’t handle the truth.
Indeed. Also, isn’t attacking Anna’s trills rather like attacking the Snakes of Ireland?
Good one, Nerva.
@ardath_bey, Yes, these attacks on Divas are quite funny, but also somewhat true. I am a big fan of NEBS, but she cannot trill, AG cancels all over the place and will likley not ever return to MET while GELB is there. She was however fabulous in La Rondine with Alagna (her sometimes soulmate). As far as Renaaay, she has awful mannerisms, was simply pitiful in Armida and her lack of diction makes my blood curdle.
This blog is about talent, history, perfection and above all context and comparison to present and past.
Pavarotti did worlds of good for opera, but his vocal and moral decline were apalling. I met Beverly Sills years ago at a Kitty Carlisle opera gala at Lincoln Center and she was strikingly rude. I’ve seen Nebs greet and speak to fans and blow hem off on other occasions. Singers are artists who sing at a point in time and are prone to comparison, ridicule and praise.
Afterall, diversity makes the world interesting. Keep up the interesting, educational and sometimes bawdy or raunch allusions and commentary and we all can laugh together. Seriously, it is the high point of my day.
La Castafiore actually looks more like Deborah Voigt than any of the divas mentioned above.
YES! Debbie Voigt IS Castafiore! And suddeny the cringes that the Jewel Song elicits in Tintin and the Colonel would seem justified.
Mille milliards de mille sabords de tonnerre de Brest!!! Bachi-bouzouks!!! Enough with the tintinnabulations and let’s get back to more melodious sounds.
N’etait-ce pas Milou qui a commence a hurler au theatre quand La Castafiore chantait, btw?
Oui.
In the cheap, static but faithful animated series (20 years ago, I’d say), Bianca Castafiore was dubbed by Maureen Forrester.
And here is the real Bianca singing:
From the nose and the build, the inspiration was clearly Varnay.
When I was a child I had so much fun playing with my mates-we played together and read the same books – but then one day some kind person pointed out to us that some of my mates were a different colour to me and that the books we were reading were really about mysogony, racism and sexual perversion. If only someone had told me sooner….
According to IMdB, an actress named Kim Stengel is cast as Bianca Castafiore. And it’s interesting that IMDb has no listing for Renee Fleming working on the movie.
BTW, it’s not motion caption, it’s motion capture. And for anyone who thinks the photo is a “hatchet job”, if anything it’s understated compared to what Andy Serkis looked like shooting Gollum in Lord of the Rings:
[img]http://parterre.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/andyCircusMocap.jpg[/img]
Kim Stengel apparently has a lot of expereince in musical theatre, having toured as Carlotta in Phantom:
http://www.lacarlotta.com/shr/stengel.html
Green Markers is the place
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mbk81X6WHA4