Stravinsky: Petrushka, Scene III The Moor's Room

[TheJakeAdams]

i swear there was an animated version on BBC about an old man telling his grandchildren about the tale of petrushka and they were puppets ?

[mattmethod]

is it just me or is the blackface, especially the lip-makeup, like, really really unnecessary and offensive and also distracting from the overall great work?

[malgrava]

@mattmethod No, a real black man acting as though he thinks a watermel- I mean coconut is a god or some shit is totally less offensive. Idiot.

[mattmethod]

@malgrava what?

[malgrava]

@mattmethod Its not the blackface thats the most racist thing is what I'm trying to say. Its just the way the moor acts.

[TheLVB1827]

@malgrava the blackface is entirely necassary to maintain the original integrity of the work. The Moor represents masculine power and testosterone driven naivety, thus his actions are over stated and comical i.e. 2:00

Where as Petruska is more the pathetic, less fit male all too aware of his hopeless, sad situation, thus he is limp, weak and appears clumsy. Also keep in mind this premiered in like 1911. I do not believe Stravinsky intended to attack the African race as a whole.

[malgrava]

@TheLVB1827 I know, that is exactly what I think, its stupid to get angry at historical symbolism, anyway.

[TheLVB1827]

@malgrava yeah i can feel ya. now if some guy wrote the part of the Moor nowadays and portrayed him as such it'd be a different story.

[Iluvrocket]

not a fan of the blackface makeup

[stripeydani]

@Iluvrocket A different time... Modern interpretations would of course forego the make up!

[fleuve0styx]

The Moor and his coconut at 2:42 is hilarious XD

[liketammysaids]

the poor clown puppet x(

[liketammysaids]

@ 3:01 haha look at him clinging on to the coconut lol xD

[brownchambersheath]

4:38 pussy grab

[1nsane0bject]

doesnt that mean that the coconut is stronger than Petrouchka?

[asdrubal467]

The Charlatan places the Ballerina in the Moors room. The Ballerina is attracted to the Moors handsome appearance. She dances with the Moor.

Petrushka finally breaks free from his cell, and he interrupts the seduction of the Ballerina. Petrushka attacks the Moor, but soon realizes he is too small and weak. The Moor beats Petrushka. Petrushka runs for his life, with the Moor chasing him, and escapes from the room.

[cuparinos]

@asdrubal467 well who isnt attracted to the Moor. I mean look at that sexy beast ;)

[piccolomaster]

Wow the Waltz is really fast!!!

[wbiro]

Scene I was fascinating, Scene II had some potentially deep emotional moments, but this Scene gets a little too campy... (cute overacting)... I found myself fidgeting and yawning... can the scene be done without the campiness? I wonder... it would take some pretty intense players... thanks for posting the video, Stravinsky's music is still fresh after 100 years... it sounds like he is still writing in the Rimsky-Korsakov style, but is already bursting beyond in the fringes...

[Hervinbalfour]

Why does the moor have to have the usual stereotypical Jim Crow paint effect on him? LOL What a riot!

[Jazzy268]

Well, this play was made in 1910 -1911 and the word prejudice was not in the daily vocabulary. Anyway, notice the Moor dance better than Petruska? But the Moor and the Ballerina are both heartless. They are so mean to Petruska.

[Hervinbalfour]

Research the time period. Blacks were still slaves in parts of the world and had been diepicted prior to "freedom" as anything but human. The image portrayed of Petrushka was the typical racist one of the time. Not saying these performers are racist because they are clearly carrying out a traditional norm. But at some point we have to check ourselves and realize that no Black person (Moors) actually looked like that. lol

[yesrussia]

@Hervinbalfour Of course no Black person (Moors) actually looked like that because THEY ARE PUPPETS!

[Vermontist]

@Hervinbalfour I don't see how it is "stereotypical Jim Crow", given that Jim Crow is a USA phenemenon, and this is a Russian ballet, staged by Russian.

But, perhaps you meant that it REMINDS you of stereotypical portrayals you have seen from the US.

[woohoo2189]

Ballerina dance (trumpet excerpt) comes in at about 2:40.