VO Film Series

In partnership with the Vancity Theatre, Vancouver Opera presents a series of films that explore themes and issues related to the season's operas.

Click here to book your tickets in advance.

Aria
Thursday, April 5, 2012

Vancity Theatre, Vancouver International Film Centre
1181 Seymour Street (at Davie)

Doors: 6:30pm
Introduction and Screening: 7:00pm

Q&A following the film with British film producer Don Boyd (via skype)

Directed by Robert Altman, Bruce Beresford, Bill Bryden, Jean-Luc Godard, Derek Jarman, Franc Roddam, Nicolas Roeg, Ken Russell, Charles Sturridge, Julien Temple
(UK, 1987, 90 minutes)

Ten of the world's most creative directors were given the same brief: choose a piece of opera music and present a visual interpretation of it.

The diversity of filmmaking styles resulted in an exhilarating operatic anthology—erotic, violent, funny and poignant. Filmmakers as diverse as Jean Luc Godard, Robert Altman, Ken Russell and Derek Jarman re-imagine works by Verdi, Puccini and many others, often to entrancing effect.

"The approaches vary broadly, from the playful abstraction of Jean-Luc Godard's segment, which illustrates Armide with exercising body-builders, to the more literal approach of Franc Roddam, who transports Tristan und Isolde's story to modern-day Las Vegas. A particular stand-out is Julian Temple's take on Rigoletto, which recasts Verdi as the accompaniment to a contemporary Southern California sex farce. ~ Judd Blaise, Rovi

This special screening will feature an introduction by Brian McIlroy, Professor in Film Studies at the University of British Columbia.

Brian McIlroy holds a Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia. His main research interests are in Canadian and Irish Cinema and Media. He also has interests in cultural studies and theory. He is the author, editor or co-editor of six books, the most recent being Genre and Cinema: Ireland and Transnationalism (Routledge, 2007), and some 50 book chapters, journal articles and book reviews. In 2007-08, he was President of the Film Studies Association of Canada and is a co-founder of the Department's Centre for Cinema Studies. In 2011, he was awarded the Killam Excellence in Mentoring Graduate Students Award. Currently, he is exploring early cinema-going and film exhibition in Vancouver, a project funded by SSHRC.

 

Seating is limited. This special event continues a series of co-presentations between Vancouver Opera and the Vancity Theatre.

Click here to book your tickets in advance!