Impressions of 'Klinghoffer'

Coming to the film with our class discussions echoing in my head, I found that my reactions to the work were tempered, even analytical. Perhaps it was the fact that, as Shelley suggested, we are so desensitized to violence these days. Perhaps it was the fact that I expected the subject matter to be emotionally gut-wrenching and so I actively distanced myself from what I was seeing. Or perhaps it was simply the responsibility of having to respond the opera in a somewhat academic fashion. Whatever the case, I found that I had trouble coaxing myself to be completely involved in what I was seeing.

Having all of that background information upon viewing the film, it was striking to me how extensively the film version revised the work. In terms of the arguments that were covered in Fink's article, I did find those revisions to be effective. Intertwining the background stories and documentary footage certainly created more balance and sympathy. It made me wonder whether the overall reaction would have been more positive had the stage version used those same insertions or references.

That being said, unlike many of my classmates, in this instance I found the film medium to be distracting. The production seemed to incorporate many concessions of the stage, like the captain talking to the camera. To me, it felt like the two mediums (stage and film) were either not separate enough to make it clear that it was a theater piece that had been transposed to film, or not integrated enough to convince me that it was a film version of an opera. I found the mixing of mediums to be disorienting and felt that many of the moments would have been much more beautiful and effective on stage. Perhaps, however, this was simply me feeling uncomfortable with what I was watching and longing for the safety of a theater environment. After all, in an opera house, there is a certain distance that one is very aware of as an audience member. The film industry has actively tried to erase that self-awareness of the audience by the use of such techniques as close-ups, shots from the character's point of view, and now IMAX and 3D technology.

I feel that our discussions certainly influenced the way I viewed the piece and, per our discussions about marketing on Friday, perhaps educating the audience would be an effective way of presenting this piece. Going back to my earlier comment about the insertions of the documentary scenes, I would really like to see a modern production of this piece that used the additions that the film brought to the table. Like Jen Leigh, I think this piece would be very effective in a smaller theater, where the audience would have the benefit of seeing things up close (one benefit that film affords us). In terms of marketing, what became clear to me through Friday’s discussion was that in putting up this production, a company would have to want to make a statement. One can’t put this up expecting people to digest it the same way they do the standard repertoire. It is a risk, and I think any company would simply have to decide which aspect of the production they would accept criticism for, because, as we said, ‘You’re damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.’