documentary video

A FILM NATIONAL INTEREST PROGRAM produced with the assistance of Broadcasting Corporation A tale of love and torture TEACHERS NOTES Subject areas: Drama, Music, Media Studies, Human Society in its Environment/Social Studies. Also a useful career guide resource. Levels: Secondary, Tertiary

Mid-winter and money is tight at Australia as comes to a head in frustration, anger, tears and rehearsals begin for Puccini’s perennial favourite laughter. , a story of love, betrayal and murder set amid Tosca Then it’s opening night and they’re on. the political turmoil of 19th century Rome. Executive Producer: Mark Hamlyn Popular diva has played the passionate ABC Executive Producer: Paul Clarke title role many times. But her two co-stars are new Producer: Patricia Lovell to the production. With only three weeks before the Director: Trevor Graham curtain goes up, not everyone is sure they will make Writers: Trevor Graham, Rosemary Hesp it—least of all rehearsal director Cathy Dadd and Editor: Denise Haslem renowned Scottish conductor Roderick Brydon. Duration: 85 minutes Award-winning filmmaker Trevor Graham (Mabo, Year of production: 1999 ) and acclaimed producer Patricia Aeroplane Dance Music by Lovell ( ) were grant- Gallipoli, Picnic at Hanging Rock Conductor: Roderick Brydon ed no-holds-barred access to film behind the Rehearsal Director: Cathy Dadd scenes, from day one of rehearsals to opening night Mario Cavaradossi: Gregory Tomlinson at the Opera House. Baron Scarpia: Ian Yayne The result is an intimate and honest portrait of Floria Tosca: Joan Carden artists at work. Drama backstage equals the soaring Repetiteurs: John Haddock, Vincent Colgiuri emotion of Tosca itself. The tension builds and Italian Coach: Renato Fresia

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A FILM AUSTRALIA NATIONAL INTEREST PROGRAM produced with the assistance of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Synopsis of Puccini’s opera, Tosca The documentary, Tosca— Rome 1800. The evil Scarpia is Chief of Police. He A Tale of Love and Torture is pursuing a political (republican) fugitive, Angelotti, whom he suspects is being hidden by the This extraordinary documentary allows unique artist Cavaradossi near the church where the insights into the personal and professional struggle painter is working. Tosca—the famous singer and of opera artists to prepare themselves for perform- Cavaradossi’s lover—is tricked by Scarpia to lead ance. Singers, as well as director, conductor, lan- him to Angelotti but to no avail. In Tosca’s pres- guage coach, chorus master and repetiteurs, are ence Scarpia tortures Cavaradossi, but he discloses the focus of the documentary. Intimate detail of the nothing. Out of fear for her lover’s life, Tosca work and lives of these artists makes the documen- reveals Angelotti’s hiding place. Compelled by lust tary even more compelling than the opera itself. for Tosca Scarpia proposes that if she will accept Their feelings and anxieties are laid bare before the his sexual demands he will ensure that cameras. The pressure is on to produce in only Cavaradossi’s execution is a mock up. As Scarpia three weeks the performance standard demanded, makes his claim on Tosca she stabs him mortally. and paid for, by their audiences. And more exacting, Fleeing to Cavaradossi as he is about to face the fir- to meet the rigorous professional standards that ing squad she warns him to expect a mock execu- these remarkable artists demand of themselves. tion, but he is actually killed. Distraught with shock Tosca’s theme of love and torture resounds both on and grief, Tosca leaps to her death from the parapet and off the stage. declaiming, “Scarpia! We meet before God!”. Joan Carden says, “I think it’s probably the easiest role I’ve ever played. Because she’s an opera singer”. Tosca’s famous aria Vissi d’arte proclaims “I live for art”. This theme is constant throughout the documentary as we are presented with the artists at work, at home and in transit. Maestro Roderick Brydon reveals that the profession can be lonely, spending a large part of his life away from his family. In one scene the cameras show us the artists as a family sharing a meal together in a rent- ed apartment. Their closeness and love is evident even though the tension and torture of the job con- stantly tries their patience with each other. They are, as it were, a family in crisis, but taking a therapeu- tic break from the job. At the end of this documen- tary one feels a close connection with these artists as through the documentary they have allowed us into their lives at an authentic and psychologically intimate level. Puccini himself would surely applaud the work of director Trevor Graham and his team in making this documentary in uncompro- mising verismo style.

Left: Joan Carden and Ian Yayne as Floria Tosca and Baron Scarpia on stage for the full dress rehearsal of ’s production of Tosca.

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A FILM AUSTRALIA NATIONAL INTEREST PROGRAM produced with the assistance of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Verismo: A 19th century style of opera that advocat- Glossary of relevant ed “truth” or realism, characterising “ordinary” operatic terms people and subjects (although with heightened dra- Accompaniment: Instrumental or vocal parts that matic effect) rather than kings, queens, gods and are designed to support the main part. mythical settings. Puccini’s La Boheme is the most often quoted example of the verismo movement Aria: A solo song in which a character reflects on because its story and characters are considered his/her situation, intention or desires. “ordinary”. The characters and story of Tosca are Ensemble: A musical piece or passage performed generally considered somewhat less “ordinary” by more than one singer including duets (two than those in La Boheme, so that Tosca, although singers together), trios (three) and so on up to any having elements of verismo, is not generally regard- number of voices singing simultaneously. This ed as an example of the verismo style. form is used to great dramatic effect in opera as the emotions of a number of characters can be Required learning resources for compared/contrasted to a degree not possible in spoken drama. all curriculum areas : The text, story or words of the opera. • Film Australia’s documentary video of Tosca— A Tale of Love and Torture. Mark: Practice of singing softly, or half singing, to • These notes for teaching and learning. save the voice in production rehearsals. Overture: The orchestral music played before the Recommended learning curtain rises, usually introducing some of the resources musical themes. Tosca has a brief musical introduction rather than an overture. It opens with • Other documentary videos can be used to com- recitative firstly from Angelotti, then the sacristan. pare directorial approaches. An excellent compara- tive documentary is Rats in the Ranks, which is also Recitative: Sung-spoken dialogue usually inserted available from Film Australia. Other Film Australia between arias and ensembles. In recitative the nat- documentaries can be used to demonstrate differ- ural rise and fall of the speaking voice determines ent directorial approaches. the vocal line. Recitative is used to advance the nar- • The Pan Book of Opera edited by Arthur Jacobs and rative, filling in the detail of the opera. Stanley Sadie, 1984, Pan Books, London, is a help- Repertoire: The stock of operas that a company can ful source for the story of Giacomo Puccini’s opera, stage and perform. Opera Australia is a repertory Tosca. It also has some concise music commentary. company meaning that it varies the operas it per- A wealth of books and internet sources can be used forms from night to night. Thus Tosca may be per- to obtain information on opera in general and formed over a few weeks two or three times a week. Puccini in particular. • A video, or audio recording of the opera, or selec- Repetiteur: A pianist who coaches the singers, tions from the opera would be useful to demon- assists the conductor and plays for rehearsals. strate the musical conventions of opera form. It Famous Australian conductor began would also be useful to illustrate the place of music her career as a repetiteur with Opera Australia. as a dramatic element. Score: The book containing all the words (libretto) and the musical parts of the opera Supernumerary: Actors with non-singing parts in the opera—for example, the firing squad in Tosca. Tempo: The pace, or speed of the beats at which passages of music are performed.

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A FILM AUSTRALIA NATIONAL INTEREST PROGRAM produced with the assistance of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

—stage movement and direction Suggested learning strategies for —stage/set design Drama —dialogue, diction and delivery PREPARATION —lighting —sound/music • Read the story of the opera Tosca by Italian com- poser Giacomo Puccini. • Tosca: a Tale of Love and Torture is a documentary. Plan an imaginary project based on people at work • View the documentary Tosca—A Tale of Love and using a documentary approach. Explain your objec- Torture. tive for the project (for example, to entertain or to • Find out about the dramatic conventions and educate) and the rationale used to achieve it. Your structure of opera that are referred to in the docu- project may be a dramatisation using any dramatic mentary. The glossary of opera terms on page 3 convention that you consider appropriate to may assist you as a starting point. achieve the outcomes you have planned. DISCUSSION POINTS Suggested learning strategies for • Discuss parallels between Puccini’s opera Tosca and the Film Australia documentary Tosca—A Tale English of Love and Torture. PREPARATION • What is meant by the saying, “life mirrors art”? • Read the story of the opera Tosca by Italian com- poser Giacomo Puccini. (i) Can this saying be applied to this documentary film? Discuss. • View the documentary Tosca—A Tale of Love and Torture. (ii) What is the dramatic significance of this saying in Puccini’s opera and in Film Australia’s docu- DISCUSSION POINTS mentary on the artists’ preparation for the opera? • Puccini is considered to be a “romantic” compos- Discuss. er. What is the meaning of “romantic” in English • How and to what extent is dramatic tension literature? achieved in this documentary film? Discuss. • What are the characteristics of English romantic • Does this documentary provide insight into the literature? What were its main forms and genres? special dramatic needs of opera production as dis- • Is there a contradiction in the claim that Puccini tinct from straight spoken drama? Discuss. represents the verismo style of opera and the claim • What special dramatic considerations might need that he is a romantic composer? to be observed by opera directors that would not be • The genesis of this documentary comes from necessary in spoken dramatic productions? sources both literary (the opera libretto) which Discuss. includes the singer, Tosca, and “real life” (the work ACTIVITIES being done on the opera). To what extent are these two elements used to structure this documentary? • Prepare a presentation on what particular charac- teristics are peculiar to opera. How do these char- • What is the point of view expressed in this docu- acteristics enhance or detract from the drama? mentary? Discuss using examples. Discuss in terms of one or more of the following ACTIVITIES elements: • Plan and write, or present orally, a critique of this —setting documentary. In your introduction mention the ele- —characterisation ments/issues on which you have chosen to focus in —narrative and plot development your piece and explain why you have chosen those —costumes, make-up, accessories, art finishing elements/issues as your focus.

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A FILM AUSTRALIA NATIONAL INTEREST PROGRAM produced with the assistance of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation

• Research romantic writers and prepare a presen- • Plan a presentation to illustrate, with examples tation explaining the romantic characteristics in from the opera Tosca, to what extent it is a roman- some of their works tic opera. • Choose one or more pieces of contemporary liter- ature (poem, song, article, play, film, novel etc) that Suggested learning strategies for you consider romantic and one or more you consid- Human Society in its er the opposite of romantic. Explain your choices. • Debate the following: “Opera is fake and docu- Environment, History, mentary is real”. or Social Studies Suggested learning strategies for PREPARATION • Read the story of the opera Tosca by Italian com- Music poser Giacomo Puccini. PREPARATION • View the documentary Tosca—A Tale of Love and • Read the story of the opera Tosca by Italian com- Torture. poser Giacomo Puccini. DISCUSSION POINTS • View the documentary Tosca—A Tale of Love and • To what extent does the opera contribute to Torture. Tosca our understanding of Italy in 1800? Discuss. • Listen to at least some of the highlights of the opera including the opening orchestral music (with • To what extent does this documentary contribute Angelotti and the sacristan’s recitative) a chorus, to our understanding of current issues in Australia? tenor aria, baritone aria, soprano aria and an Discuss. ensemble. One of Tosca’s duets with Cavaradossi • Explore the role of Australian documentary film- and/or Scarpia would be useful if time permits, to makers throughout, or in a particular period of, the show how musical devices are used to advance the 20th century in forming our understanding of drama, particularly in characterisation. Australia in that century. DISCUSSION POINTS ACTIVITIES • What do we learn about the operatic form in the • Prepare a presentation comparing this documen- documentary? Discuss. tary with at least one other Australian documentary in terms of its usefulness and veracity as a contem- • What musical careers are represented in the doc- porary historical source. umentary? Discuss. • The opera Tosca is set in 1800. Locate, name and ACTIVITIES use primary and secondary sources to comment on • Choose a poem or text and set it to a melody and some aspects of that period in Australia. Use these accompaniment in the romantic style. suggestions as a guide: • Find a contemporary poem or text and explain —government institutions how you would treat the following elements to give —the role of religion in Australia it a “romantic” sound: —political movements —political prisoners —melody —performing arts/artists —rhythm —entertainment —texture —harmony • Design a study of Australian fashion in 1800. —instrumentation Describe the methods you use in researching your —expression and articulation study and present evidence to validate your sources. —form Explain how you chose the particular costumes

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A FILM AUSTRALIA NATIONAL INTEREST PROGRAM produced with the assistance of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation presented. Describe the context and purpose of the • Use ideas from this documentary to plan your costumes and include descriptive sketches. own documentary on the subject of careers for young people aged 15 to 18. (This is not to suggest • Research the political situation of Australia in the that either encour- year 1800 and draw comparison with the situation Tosca—A Tale of Love and Torture ages or discourages people in an opera career in Italy and Europe at that time. Explain any choice) Explain your rationale and objectives for European political influences on Australia that you making the piece and how you will use the docu- can find. mentary format to achieve the intended objectives. • Present a picture of the cultural life of Australia in 1800, focusing on live performance and visual arts.

Suggested learning strategies for Media Studies PREPARATION • Read the story of the opera Tosca by Italian com- poser Giacomo Puccini. • View the documentary Tosca—A Tale of Love and Torture. DISCUSSION • To what extent is the “point of view” evident in this documentary; whose point of view? Discuss. Conductor Roderick Brydon • To what extent is the editor evident in this docu- mentary? Discuss. • Compare the directorial viewpoint in this docu- ABOUT THE WRITER mentary with one or more other documentaries These notes were prepared by Joy Sotheran, a that use a similar approach (for example, Rats in the learning consultant with J&S learningwork Pty ) and/or with documentaries that take a dif- Ranks Ltd. where she and her business partner, Sally ferent directorial approach. Tansley, specialise in organisational develop- • To what extent do you regard this documentary as ment and vocational learning. From 1990 to a realistic portrayal of opera singers, conductors 1996, Joy was Education Director at Opera and music and production staff? Discuss Australia and before that Head of Music at St • Has this documentary changed your attitude to, Vincent’s College, Potts Point, NSW. Email or understanding of, opera as a vocation or as an [email protected] art form? Discuss. ORDERING THE VIDEO ACTIVITIES To order a copy of Tosca—A Tale of Love and • Design a television campaign to sell a live per- Torture, or to find out more about Film Australia formance of the opera Tosca. programs and accompanying teachers notes, please contact: • Prepare a media kit to pitch the documentary Sales Office, Film Australia to overseas markets. Tosca–A Tale of Love and Torture Email: [email protected] • Name some of the personnel or job roles involved Tel: 02 9413 8734 in making this documentary and explain their role Fax: 02 9416 9401 in the production. www.filmaust.com.au

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