LA TRAVIATA
A film review by Cooper Redwine Copyright 1997 Cooper Redwine
Director: Franco Zeffirelli. Starring: Teresa Stratas, Placido Domingo, Cornell MacNeil. Screenplay: Franco Zeffirelli. Music: Giuseppe Verdi. Libretto: Francesco Maria Piave. Production Design: Franco Zeffirelli. Costume Design: Piero Tosi. Producer: Tarak Ben Ammar. MPAA Rating: G. Running Time: 105 minutes.
INTRODUCTION
About twelve minutes into his film version of LA TRAVIATA, Franco Zeffirelli brilliantly captures one of the most joyous scenes in all opera: At a glittering, festive party, Alfredo (played by tenor Placido Domingo) is called upon to make a toast, and he responds with the famous "Il Brindisi" ("The Drinking Song"). The catchy melody he sings is then repeated by Violetta (played by soprano Teresa Stratas). A few moments later, that melody is picked up by the Chorus of the Metropolitan Opera, and it becomes obvious that Alfredo and Violetta are falling in love. Every time I see this scene I am reminded of something Kenneth Clark once said while standing on the Pont des Arts in Paris: "What is civilization? I don't know. I can't define it in abstract terms. But I think I can recognize it when I see it; and I am looking at it now."
In his early career, Zeffirelli was mainly involved in stage productions, which provided much of the background he needed later for his noted screen adaptations of Shakespearean plays (ROMEO AND JULIET, THE TAMING OF THE SHREW, HAMLET). Zeffirelli's stage work included extensive opera experience, so it is not surprising that he made a dazzling screen version of LA TRAVIATA, bringing to it his trademark use of charming locations, extravagant sets, and magnificent costumes. Zeffirelli's ability to deal with spectacle is evident in nearly all his films, but ROMEO AND JULIET and the cult favorite BROTHER SUN, SISTER MOON (the life story of St. Francis of Assisi) show that he can also handle intimate, poetic material well, and the balance achieved between the intimate and the spectacular in LA TRAVIATA is masterful. Zeffirelli has often been criticized for his unabashed sentimentality, but in LA TRAVIATA the story and the music make this quality an asset rather than a liability.
Zeffirelli designed his film version of LA TRAVIATA expressly for the movie medium, and the look and feel of it are not much like that of a filmed stage performance. Most of the story is presented during one long flashback, and on several occasions, the film shows the visual images in characters' minds. More importantly, the principal singers are good film actors, generally avoiding the theatrics required for a live performance at a large opera house or in the concert hall. For the most part, the facial expressions and subtle body language in close-ups are just right, and I found myself caring a lot about the fate of the people in the story. Also, I think there is good screen chemistry between Stratas and Domingo, and at first viewing, the movie can be enjoyed as a simple story of doomed love. But I have found a deeper satisfaction after watching the film many times because that's what it took for me to appreciate the psychological complexity of the characters and Zeffirelli's visually dense treatment of them. In contrast, Giuseppe Verdi's music is rather simple, but it is varied and tuneful and, above all, emotional.
BACKGROUND
Verdi took the story for his opera from the 1852 French play LA DAME AUX CAMELIAS (THE LADY OF THE CAMELLIAS) by Alexander Dumas the Younger. Dumas based his title character on an actual person who died at age 24 of tuberculosis in 1847. The woman was called Marie Duplessis, and to this day people still put flowers on her grave in Paris. Dumas originally named his fictional heroine Marguerite Gauthier, but she became generally known in America as Camille because the name was changed in the touring stage version popularized by the famous actress Sarah Bernhardt. Several movie versions were eventually made of the story, the best known of which is the classic 1936 Hollywood film CAMILLE, starring Greta Garbo.
Verdi saw the play LA DAME AUX CAMELIAS in Paris shortly after its premiere and, working with a libretto by Francesco Maria Piave, developed the material into the Italian opera LA TRAVIATA. There seems to be no completely satisfactory translation of Verdi's title into English, but perhaps the literal, if awkward, SHE WHO HAS STRAYED conveys the meaning adequately. Although the opera retains the Paris setting of the Dumas story, the characters have been renamed, and all of the first names are Italian. In particular, the main character in the opera is called Violetta Valery.
Verdi had already written more than a dozen successful operas before LA TRAVIATA, but when it was first performed in 1853 at Teatro Fenice in Venice, it flopped. It seems likely that audiences were startled by what was at the time novel subject matter, as well as by the romanticism of the music, and these difficulties may have been compounded by production problems. After only two performances, LA TRAVIATA was taken off the boards. But when a slightly revamped version was performed fourteen months later, it caught on, and the work has remained popular for over 140 years. One of the most famous singers to regularly perform the role of Violetta has been Maria Callas, and Zeffirelli worked with her on some productions. Incidentally, opera legend has it that one of the reasons for the failure of the initial production of LA TRAVIATA was that the Venetians openly snickered at the idea that the overly plump soprano playing Violetta was wasting away from tuberculosis. In this connection, it should be noted that Teresa Stratas, the Violetta in Zeffirelli's film, is appropriately slender.
The social setting depicted in LA TRAVIATA probably needs a little explanation for modern audiences. Violetta and her female friends were members of the demimonde, that is, the class of women whose social standing had been diminished by what was perceived as their sexual promiscuity. Such women exercised considerable independence and often entered into mutually convenient arrangements with wealthy men. The man in such an arrangement was sometimes called the woman's "protector." While the social standing of members of the demimonde was below that of women of unquestioned respectability, it was still well above that of the courtesan class, and it would be a mistake to think that 1850's opera goers regarded Violetta as a prostitute.
SYNOPSIS
While the title credits roll at the beginning of Zeffirelli's LA TRAVIATA, the screen is filled with beautiful wintry location shots of parts of Paris, such as Notre Dame and the Seine, that look much the same today as they did around 1850. In an unlit house, workmen are quietly removing objets d'art, while a gravely ill woman lies alone in bed, coughing. The woman is the consumptive heroine Violetta, whose possessions are being taken to cover debts she has incurred. One of the workmen, a very young man, pauses to stare at a large portrait of Violetta, and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra plays the haunting love theme that comes to symbolize Alfredo's devotion. Violetta rises momentarily from what will be her deathbed and looks toward a large darkened room where workmen are moving about, and in her mind she is transported back to the pivotal night of her life, a night when the house was brightly lit and filled with a noisy party crowd. It is then that the singing begins, in Italian, with an English translation displayed in subtitles at the bottom of the screen.
Violetta is hosting a lavish summer party at her extravagantly furnished home. She is accompanied by her protector, Baron Douphol, who does not live with her, and it quickly becomes apparent that her relationship with the Baron is a loveless one. Violetta's tuberculosis gives her some bad moments, but her health is still good enough that she can enjoy most of the festivities. At the party, she is introduced to Alfredo Germont, who has loved her from afar for a year. Alone with her briefly, Alfredo declares his love in the aria "Un di felice, eterea" (here the subtitles read "One day, so radiant and ethereal"), which includes the love theme melody mentioned earlier. Later the guests depart, and left alone with her thoughts, Violetta begins the famous aria "Ah, fors' e lui che l'anima," as the words "It must be him whose portrait my soul" appear in the subtitles. As part of an interior monologue, she goes on to sing the love theme melody, but then she suddenly snaps out of her meditation with the realization that yielding to her desire to love Alfredo would be folly, at which point she sings the flashy "Sempre libera degg'io" ("I must be forever free"). However, in her imagination she still sees Alfredo and hears his voice reprising the love theme, and as the screen fades to black, it is clear that she will not be able to suppress the love she feels for him.
Zeffirelli's film makes a visually pleasing transition from Paris to a nearby country villa where Violetta and Alfredo live together for three happy months. Violetta's health appears to have improved, and she and Alfredo are shown enjoying a variety of simple outdoor activities during a golden autumn. For example, Violetta is shown trying to cross a log over a shallow stream to reach Alfredo, but she loses her balance and falls in. When Alfredo bends to help her out, he too gets pulled into the stream, and they laugh and share a kiss. Then, at a time when Alfredo is away for a few hours, his father (played by baritone Cornell MacNeil) pays Violetta a visit at the charming, secluded villa. The elder Germont demands that Violetta break with Alfredo because their relationship is jeopardizing the marriage prospects of his daughter. Violetta reluctantly agrees to the demand, believing that her sacrifice is necessary to the happiness of the Germont family. With great sadness, she realizes that she must go back to the Baron since if she remains alone, Alfredo will follow her. Unaware of what has happened, Alfredo returns to the villa and is shocked when Violetta abruptly leaves him. He mistakenly believes that she has grown tired of him and he has been dumped so she can resume the exciting life she used to lead. Although he attributes Violetta's actions to the wrong motive, Alfredo correctly guesses her next move, and in an agitated state he heads for a demimonde party that will be held that evening.
The scene shifts to an elaborate party in Paris, complete with singing and dancing gypsies and matadors. Zeffirelli enhances the diversion by including ballet dancers, two of whom are from the Bolshoi. Alfredo enters alone, and soon Violetta arrives on the arm of her old protector, Baron Douphol. It is clear from the outset that the Baron and Alfredo are both leaning towards provoking the other into a duel. Alfredo joins a card game where he gambles recklessly and wins, while the Baron loses. Supper is announced, and after a tense exchange between Alfredo and the Baron, Violetta and Alfredo meet privately for a moment. Alfredo angrily presses her for explanations, and the only way she can keep her promise to his father is by telling him the lie that she loves the Baron. In a jealous rage Alfredo drags Violetta to the dining area and calls for the assembled guests to watch while he insultingly throws his gambling winnings at her in payment for the time they have spent together. Violetta is devastated, and everyone condemns Alfredo's shameful behavior. As the scene draws to a close, the Baron challenges Alfredo to a duel.
The long flashback that began with the dying Violetta looking toward the large darkened room near the beginning of the film finally comes to an end. Apparently three or four months have passed since the Baron challenged Alfredo to a duel, and Violetta has not been in contact with Alfredo, his father, or the Baron subsequently. Violetta's financial resources have been exhausted and the moment of her death is near. She receives a letter from the elder Germont saying that Alfredo seriously wounded the Baron in the duel and left France for a while, but the Baron has now recovered. Furthermore, Alfredo's father has relented and told his son of Violetta's sacrifice, and Alfredo will be coming to see her soon. However, Violetta fears that it is already too late, and she desolately prays to God "Ah! della traviata sorridi al desio!" as the words "This woman gone astray…Smile upon her…" appear in the subtitles. The mood is momentarily lightened by the sights and sounds of Mardi Gras revelers in the street, and Violetta's spirits are further lifted by Alfredo's arrival. Alfredo apologizes to her, and the film shows Violetta's happy dream of a time in the future when she, with her health restored, is walking with Alfredo in a marvelous wooded area, and together they approach a beautiful tree. Next, Alfredo's father, filled with remorse, enters Violetta's bedroom and begs her forgiveness. Then, with reconciliation complete, Violetta expends her last bit of strength in giving Alfredo a medallion containing her portrait and asking him to honor her memory by passing it on to the woman she expects he will someday marry. Violetta's dreadful pain disappears, and she feels intense joy for a few fleeting moments before she falls dead on the floor.
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