La Boheme

La Bohème, composed by Giacommo Puccini, is a beautifully constructed masterpiece unlike any other.  The opera is about a tragic love story of a young, poor man named Rodolfo, who finds a love interest in his next door neighbor, Mimi. The opera consists of an extremely talented cast that deserves endless recognition. They are delightful  to look at, outstanding in their vocal interpretations and extraordinary actors all together. Each character has their own unique role and all do an amazing job in making the audience feel as if they know one another on a personal level.

The audience is able to relate more to the characters because Puccini did an excellent job in making them as real as possible.  The love that Rodolfo and Mimi share is something that all of us as humans strive far, so we can’t help but to wish for the best for the both of them. We watch how the connection between the two gradually becomes stronger and we love every minute of it. It isn’t all perfect though. Towards the end of the film, Mimi grows incredibly ill and eventually passes. We as an audience can do nothing but show our sorrow and let the built up tears run down our cheeks. I personally had watery eyes and a lump in my throat that almost made me believe I had truly lost someone as important as Mimi was to Rodolfo.

Despite La Bohème being an incredibly lyrical film, with some of the most breathtakingly beautiful tunes in the history of opera, nothing quite holds up next to the atmosphere generated by an actual live performance. Live action compared to film really gives us a distinct difference with the whole feel of the details presented. For one, the music is much different when you’re attending a live opera because an actual orchestra is performing during each act and the echos in the building provide us with an unmatchable melody that cannot be easily inputted into a film. Secondly, voices such as Mimis’, may appear lighter in film compared to the opera play in which her voice would sound broader due to her surroundings and no required microphone. Finally, in film form, scenes can be completely left out, whereas the live performance doesn’t miss a single thing and factors everything in. It’s similar to the differences of novels and movies, novels being the live action that captures everything, and movies being the film, which is just a shortened version of the book neatly wrapped up in normally two hours or less.

The sets, lighting, and costumes are all extremely pleasing to the eyes. You can tell that whoever put there time into making this film truly paid good attention to detail. The sets were all constructed so that we would constantly be reminded that we are in Paris, and the story line within those sets were all done perfectly and never felt as if they were just forced in. The lighting in the film was also marvelous, giving each character, whether a small role or big role, a chance to shine in the film without it feeling superficial. The transition from black and white to color was done smoothly and really added onto the emotion in certain scenes. We feel the pain of Rodolfo and Mimi when they are with each other on Mimis deathbed and the color is sucked out of the seen. To me, it symbolizes the fruitsome and vibrant life and love that is soon going to be be took from Mimi, but she isn’t the only hurt one. Rodolfo is also losing an important part of his life which is going to suck the joy out of himself as well. Small details as such really can play a huge role in impacting the audience, I now know this from experience.

Overall, the film La Bohème is a beautifully constructed masterpiece, with visuals and music that everyone should experience at least once in their lifetime. I’ve discovered after watching this how the fruit of culture died just to be replaced by today’s “music” which is nothing but vulgarity and noise. La Bohème is nothing but a work of excellence that actually has a meaning and story behind it. I personally have not seen this opera live but I can guarantee you that it is now on my bucket list. La Bohème opened up a door that allows me to broaden my horizons and explore the endless arts that have been produced since centuries ago. Instead of corrupting and rotting my mind with today's music, I can not only expand and better it, but I can also pass on what I’ve discovered to others around me. I would like to thank Giacommo Puccini for opening my eyes to such a delicacy.

If I was a 21st century director and tasked with the job to turn La Bohème into a video game,  I would make  the main goal finding a cure to prevent a queen from dieing of her quickly killing disease. It will be set in the renaissance era. The main protagonist of the game is a highly intelligent peasant named Dolfo, who can make potions of all sorts.  At the start of the game you wake up as a prisoner in front of a King in the Valley of Drakes, a kingdom of great green grass and tall stone castles. The King reaches out to you because he is aware of your skills and knows that you’re the only one that can make a cure for the queen's dreadful situation. The King also states that if he fails to find a cure before the queen dies, he’ll have Dolfo executed. Dolfo, going with the only option he has, accepts the challenge. When arriving home he realizes that he does not have the ingredients that are needed in making this potion and must set off on a quest to obtain them.  There will be constant barriers and challenges that Dolfo must overcome and he’ll need help along the way. He must complete various tasks such as climbing buildings, fighting creatures and battling his own health. You are on a race against time with Dolfo and must use skills and knowledge to figure out puzzles and obstacles throughout the game.