From Greek Tragedy To Opera-Film

Abstract

There are some common features between opera (film-opera and theater-opera) and the Greek tragedy. Hereafter a question arises: why theoreticians and artists try to revive tragedy - what is so important in ancient drama that remains actual up to date? The author argues, that musical drama (opera) is the successor to the Greek tragedy, whereas cinema exposes musical and ancient nature of the opera clearer, than theater. The author dwells upon new possibilities of opera: different ways ofcooperation between musical and visual constituents, differences between stage and screen operas; advantages of the film-opera. The screen adaptation of opera is very actual and has special aspects. It is obvious, that opera enriches cinema language and cinema reforms traditional theatrical musical drama. There is a number of works, which are devoted to the problem of the opera- film (mostly written by music experts), but there are no special research on the part of cinema theoreticians. Cinema-opera differs from theater-opera. Cooperation between image and music is defined by specific features of the camera. The opportunities of cinema are wider in some aspects and may advance reform of stage. Integration of arts in opera-film is connected with integration of arts in the Greek tragedy. The Athenian drama, grown up from ancient cults, is connected with ancient rituals. Since the ancient sources of drama find their reflection in film-opera, the latter reaches out these cults.