This well-made documentary deals with the creation of the Paris "Opéra Garnier", one of the most splendid and luxurious opera houses in the world. Conceived and partially erected during the Second Empire, it was completed during the Troisième République, meaning that its construction straddled a period of rampant political and social instability. This specific era was so troubled, in fact, that the building might have turned into a half-finished ruin ; it might even have been torched or stripped of its stones.
Watching the documentary and listening to the various experts and historians one learns that this sumptuous temple to the Muses owes its existence to an act of violence : the Emperor Napoleon III, badly shaken by a bloody attempt on his life, wanted an opera house which he could enter and leave in safety and privacy. At the same time Napoleon III wanted a giant, magnificent monument, dripping with marble and gold, that would cement the role of Paris as THE place to be for pleasure seekers and culture vultures alike. Thanks to the efforts of the indefatigable and multi-talented Garnier, appointed by the Emperor himself, the resulting building still stuns anno 2021 ; but this building came at a very very high cost, and not only financially speaking.
A feast for the eyes, "Un opéra pour un empire" will please viewers interested in architecture, art and history. It will also please viewers interested in the horror genre, since it discusses the emergence of the stories about the so-called Phantom of the Opera. For it is important to remember that quite often beauty and luxury root in poverty, scandal and injustice, like rare orchids blooming on refuse...
Note the interesting segment about the link between poverty, prostitution and the art of the ballet.
Watching the documentary and listening to the various experts and historians one learns that this sumptuous temple to the Muses owes its existence to an act of violence : the Emperor Napoleon III, badly shaken by a bloody attempt on his life, wanted an opera house which he could enter and leave in safety and privacy. At the same time Napoleon III wanted a giant, magnificent monument, dripping with marble and gold, that would cement the role of Paris as THE place to be for pleasure seekers and culture vultures alike. Thanks to the efforts of the indefatigable and multi-talented Garnier, appointed by the Emperor himself, the resulting building still stuns anno 2021 ; but this building came at a very very high cost, and not only financially speaking.
A feast for the eyes, "Un opéra pour un empire" will please viewers interested in architecture, art and history. It will also please viewers interested in the horror genre, since it discusses the emergence of the stories about the so-called Phantom of the Opera. For it is important to remember that quite often beauty and luxury root in poverty, scandal and injustice, like rare orchids blooming on refuse...
Note the interesting segment about the link between poverty, prostitution and the art of the ballet.
