Mets’ Opera is a feature film dedicated to the study of how opera is used in cinema. We will choose a part of the movie or the entire movie and highlight the effect that the use of parts of an opera or opera can have on our perception of the movie we are watching. “Wonder Woman 1984” This Week by Patty Jenkins.
Opera often appears in superhero movies. We looked at Nolan Batman’s trilogy and how Boito’s Mephisto-Hat functioned as the thematic blueprint for the trilogy. We’ve seen the entire Marvel cinematic universe brimming with operatic references.
Now is the time to take a look at Wonder Woman 1984 and how director Patty Jenkins is using the iconic opera piece for a movie sequence.
Diana (aka Wonder Woman) wished her old crush, Stephen Trevor, would return, and the magic stone would give her this wish (albeit in the body of a random stranger). Anyway, after spending a night together, Diana Steve (who had already passed away during WWI) advanced into the modern world of 1984. After entering the Washington subway station, we started hearing for the first time at DCEU. Movies from 2013 (at least until now), tune Oprah. In this case, we hear the first lines of “Voi che sapete” from Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro”.
For the next three minutes or so, the iconic song plays as Diana takes Steve and displays it around the capital, taking him to the Museum of Art overseas, and eventually to the Space Museum. The sequence is designed to be lighter than the rest of the film, which focuses on self-dissociation in the face of greed and a thirst for power. But Diana and Steve’s brief encounter in the movie is the only bright spot in this darker film, and this sequence in particular offers its greatest brilliance.
And this is the main point of Mozart’s song: the warm and playful innocence of the music perfectly resembles the idyllic nature of Stephen and Diana’s novels; It’s ethereal and intimate in a way that only the operatic voice can be. Of course, since this is a sequel to Lovers, nobody can help but notice that the song is a question from Cherubim himself about the beauty of love. So the choice is a little exaggerated, but it reflects Diana’s doubts and questions about not being able to find love after Steve.
It accounts for a very small percentage of total playtime, but the choice of music that stands alone in the middle of a soundtrack with the more popular pop / rock songs and symphonic soundtracks of other superhero movies adds to the importance Jenkins wanted. To be served. It can easily go in any direction with the music accompanying the rapture sequence, which can be more romantic in many ways.
But it has chosen the only opera section in this cinematic universe (so far). She wanted him to stand out in a very visual way. These scenes actually represent the only time in the entire movie (and Diana’s relationship with Steve in the two films) when both are enjoying each other and enjoying the joy of their love without fear of something happening. The more you can spoil it. Therefore, the transcendent nature of his love is reflected in this eternal song, reinforcing the enduring character of his feelings.