Becoming Traviata
Philippe B茅ziat
Axiom
Becoming Traviata takes a look behind the curtain of Jean-Fran莽ois Sivadier鈥檚 deconstructed re-imagining of Verdi鈥檚 masterpiece, La Traviata, as it moves around the demise of its namesake, Violetta Val茅ry (Natalie Dessay), the 鈥渇allen woman.鈥 Assembled from 90 hours of footage of rehearsal material from both cast and crew, director Philippe B茅ziat captures the creative process behind Sivadier鈥檚 2011 production for the world-renowned Aix-en-Provence Festival.
As the camera flickers forwards and backwards through rehearsals, audiences witness first-hand Sivadier鈥檚 intuitive, near-microscopic directorship: hand poised on face, brow furrowed, cogs whirring. However, it is the animated tussle between Sivadier鈥檚 quiet, intensive logic and Dessay鈥檚 raw, fleshy pathos that truly steals the show.
The film stays true to Verdi鈥檚 passion for capturing 鈥渞ealism鈥 and the pretence of opera is stripped back. As 罢谤补惫颈补迟补鈥 reaches its final throes, the transformation is complete. The camera closes in on Dessay, falling, and, just as she touches the ground, the 鈥渞eal鈥 comes alive once again.
Grace Caffyn