Tragic Simplicity

       After watching Pjotr Sapegin's Madama Butterfly, my immediate reaction is, "wow."  Actually, let me try that again.  "WOW."  To tell the truth, I was really unaware of what I was getting myself into as the clip first began, and I definitely had to play certain scenes a few extra times just to be sure that my eyes were not deceiving me.  That being said, the story that is told through the silence of Madama Butterfly is one of so much beauty and passion, yet sadness and hurt, and I was truly blown away.
       The first aspect that hit me was the music.  The soothing sounds flowed in such a way that put me into a trance, and into a mood that was both happy and sad at the same time.  I have hardly ever come into contact with music that could do such a thing, yet this music played sounds of sorrow in a very sweet way.  Thus causing mixed emotions, much like the mixed emotions of the clip.  Happiness is in the air in the very beginning, when the girl and her lover share a romantic night in the field.  Yet this quickly shifts to a more depressing mood as the sunlight vanishes along with the sailor.  A continuing roller coaster of emotions occurs throughout the entire story, and the opera music that plays throughout really adds to the effectiveness and power of the story's meaning.
        The animation.  So simple, yet such a perfect way to go about telling the story.  The unique dolls used gave everything a more personal feel, and the simple movements of each of the figures are what helped the complex story to be more easily followed and understood.  Less truly is more in this case.  As her former lover returns to take away their child, a big, overdone display of emotion is not needed to express her pain.  She simply places her hands over her eyes and her agony is immediately felt.  I feel that effortless animation and the simple pieces used as the set are what drew me into the story even more.
        What would the story be without symbols?  I felt it was necessary to save this for last considering how prominent each of the symbols are and how greatly they effect the story.  For example, as the delicate, pink butterfly flutters on screen at the start of the clip and lands on her head, I instantly knew that this was a symbol of innocence.  After a night of making love, she awakes to find that the butterfly has left her;  her innocence has been taken away in the blink of an eye.  Further along in the story, it can be seen that the fish in the tank symbolizes her daughter in the womb, and the birth of her daughter is clearly symbolized by the breaking of the tank.  As the daughter grows older, the two share a strong bond that is shown by the string that attaches them.  This bond is only broken when the sailor returns to the island and cuts the string to take the daughter, thus breaking the bond.  In her despair, this inconsolable mother rips away her skin and breaks apart her body.  I feel that this is used to symbolize how she feels inside.  After watching her lover be with another woman and take away her daughter, who was her only real reason left to live, it is safe to say that she felt torn apart and broken hearted.  She breaks herself down on the outside to match her feelings on the inside.  After being used by a man she stayed loyal to for years, only to have him return and take her child, who could honestly blame her for feeling defeated?  She commits suicide because she sees no other reason to live.  Although the ending is tragic, the story itself and the means by which it is told are truly beautiful, and I would watch it again and again.