metropolitan opera Tagged Articles at Cinematical

If you're one of the millions of kids who weren't able to snag (i.e. afford) tickets to see Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus in concert, you now have an opportunity to see the next best thing. For one week in early February, a film of one of the concerts will be shown at movie theaters nationwide. And to make it seem even more like you're attending the real thing, the film is in 3D! Compiled from three concerts in two cities from the "Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds" tour, the Disney-produced film is directed by Bruce Hendricks (Ultimate X: The Movie) and was shot using 3D digital cameras rather than shot with regular digital cameras and rendered in the format later (meaning sorry, no 2D versions of this one), as has been the case with most digital 3D movies so far. By the way: the cinematographer in charge of those cameras is Transformers DP Mitchell Amundsen.

Not only is this a big deal for Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus fans, but also it's a huge deal for theater owners and their continued attempts to offer substantial alternative entertainment at their cinemas. I'm sure you all know this isn't the first concert to be shown in theaters. There have been Rolling Stones concerts, drumline concerts, Metropolitan Opera performances, Dane Cook stand-up concerts, and many other events. Some of them have even been broadcast live to theaters via satellite. Many of them, such as today's (Dec. 2) live presentation of the St. Olaf Christmas Festival, are one-day-only events.

So, check out this lineup for The Metropolitan Opera's upcoming production of The First Emperor: Score? Tan Dun. Director? Zhang Yimou. Costume design? Emi Wada, who's designed for the films of Zhang and Akira Kurosawa. Star? Some dude named Plácido Domingo. I mean, holy crap. I'm not even an opera fan, and even I am desperate for a ticket.

Zhang, who will become the first-ever Chinese director at the Met with this production, last directed opera in 1998 at the Forbidden City. Though their director confesses to liking but "not really understand[ing]" western opera, Met officials (who are taking Chinese lessons - Zhang apparently does not and will not speak English), noting Zhang's guidance of a Raise the Red Lantern ballet and the operatic qualities of his films, aren't worried. "Like his films, this opera is not going to be static. It's a real story with real characters. And it will look gorgeous."

The production will premiere in New York this December, after which it will tour the US.