Becoming Traviata
October 2013
This fly on the wall documentary strips away the opulence of the famous stage production to reveal the raw art of creation.
Philippe Beziat’s Becoming Traviata invites the audience to sit in on the rehearsals leading up to Jean-Francois Sivadier’s reworking of Verdi’s classic La Traviata. There are no talking heads, establishing shots or descriptive text on screen in this documentary. From the very beginning, we are right there in the rehearsals with the cast and crew watching the masterpiece being recreated from the ground up.
Watching these artists at work is truly something special. We see famed coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay wrestle with the character of Violetta, her confidence often wavering. Dessay’s one-on-one work with Sivadier is probably the most fascinating, as they painstakingly attempt to understand the meaning behind Verdi’s lines. Watching the rehearsals as they unfold pairs monotony with high art. You expect voices of this calibre coming from a made-up soprano on stage in an elaborate costume. However, when it comes from a woman in a tracksuit reclining on a fold-out chair in a fluorescent room, you realise just how phenomenal the skills of these singers are.
The film works off the structure of the original material, becoming more developed with each scene, so that by the third act the rehearsals are in full costume. Becoming Traviata may perhaps be more fruitful for a fan of Verdi’s opera or anyone with personal investment in stage productions. That said, there is enough in this film for everyone to find enjoyment regardless, however a quick brush-up on the plot of La Traviata wouldn’t go astray.
Becoming Traviata is now showing at Classic Cinemas Elsternwick.
classiccinemas.com.au/Movie/Becoming-Traviata
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