Spotlight - 11.2019

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Fotos: © 2018 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc.; pr

Spotlight 11/2019 ARTS

ARTS

Mothers, music

and mammals

Ein epischer Roman wird verfilmt, eine Dokumentar­

sendung handelt vom Leben der Wale und ein Podcast

untersucht Arien. Von EVE LUCAS

MEDIUM

FILM PREVIEW | DRAMA

Donna Tartt’s 2013 novel The Goldfinch divided critics, but it won

America’s respected Pulitzer Prize. Readers were fascinated by

the way the author used the grand theme of art’s role in life to tell

the story of a young boy dealing with the trauma of his mother’s

death. Tartt’s 750-page novel would always be difficult to trans-

late from page to screen, of course. Has the film version of The

Goldfinch by Irish director John Crowley succeeded?

One thing is certain: this is a busy film. In 2015, Crowley di-

rected the movie version of Brooklyn, which was a much quieter

exercise in interpretation. To make the most of the calmer mo-

ments in The Goldfinch, he uses voice-over episodes in which a

narrator tells his story. These episodes sometimes cut into the

flow of the tale and change the tone of the work. On the other

hand, Crowley chooses some actors who are still largely un-

known, which allows us to concentrate on the story without be-

ing distracted by too many famous faces. Whether or not the tale

has benefited from being turned into a movie is for viewers to

decide. At the very least, it’s another chapter in the old dialogue

between words and pictures. Starts 12 September.

benefit [(benIfIt]

, profitieren

distract [dI(strÄkt]

, ablenken

goldfinch [(gEUldfIntS]

, Goldzeisig

narrator [nE(reItE]

, Erzähler(in),

Sprecher(in)

FILM PREVIEW | DOCUMENTARY

German documentary film-maker

Mirjam Leuze is fascinated by remote

places. Her first English-language pro-

duction, The Whale and the Raven, is set on

an island off Canada’s west coast, where

two whale researchers are studying the

lives of local fauna: wolves, ravens and

an astonishing variety of whales. As a

Canadian multi national rolls out plans

to use the local waters as a shipping

route, we discover that whales have a

greater sense of community than the humans threatening their

sea. By creating a sense of nature’s quietness, Leuze gives a voice

to the voiceless. It makes us feel as quiet as the whales. For that

alone, this film deserves to be watched. Starts 5 September.

raven [(reIv&n]

, Rabe

remote [ri(mEUt]

, entfernt, abgelegen

PODCAST | OPERA

Produced in cooperation with New

York’s Metropolitan Opera, New York’s

Classical Music Station WQXR and

New York Public Radio, the podcast

Aria Code looks at what is seen as an

important part of any opera: the aria.

Presented by the award-winning folk

musician Rhiannon Giddens, each 30-minute podcast exam-

ines one famous aria to find out why it has become part of our

collective culture. Allowing musicians and non-musicians to

give their opinions on aspects from biological anthropology to

performance psychology, Aria Code is a must for opera fans. It’s

also simply wonderful entertainment and informative listening.

Each podcast ends with the aria in question, performed in full on

the stage of the Metropolitan Opera and without interruption.

Listen online at http://www.wnycstudios.org

Nicole Kidman

and Ansel Elgort in

The Goldfinch