Carmen
Carmen
By: Mohamed Ahmad al-Suwaidi
---
The word Carmen, which means “song” or “amulet,” perfectly captures the essence of Prosper Mérimée’s famous novel, which is filled with the tender and alluring qualities of Andalusian beauty. Carmen, the novel's central character, is a musically-inclined flirt who is obsessed with men. To be considered a true Andalusian beauty, a woman must possess three sets of triple attributes: black eyelashes, eyebrows, and braids; three white requirements, which include a white face, white hands, and white teeth; and three pink requirements, namely, pink lips, nails, and nipples.
The naive soldier, Don José, falls madly in love with Carmen and becomes vanquished by her triple attributes. He agrees to receive his first lesson in love from her in her red room. Carmen interrupts him as he stands praying to the Virgin Mary, asking him what he has asked for.
The name Carmen has a dual meaning, both "song" and "amulet". In Prosper Mérimée's story, Carmen embodies the essence of a tender Andalusian song and an enigmatic amulet. She is a charming, musically-inclined flirt with an insatiable desire for men. Andalusian beauty is known for its triple sets of attributes: black eyelashes, eyebrows, and braids; white face, hands, and teeth; and pink lips, nails, and nipples. Don José, a naive soldier, falls deeply in love with Carmen after being captivated by her mesmerizing qualities. He surrenders to her charms and agrees to receive his first lesson in love in her vibrant red room. However, as he stands there praying to the Virgin Mary, Carmen interrupts him with a provocative question, "What have you asked her for?" His response is pure and simple, "That you abandon your life of prostitution and return to your job at the tobacco factory.”
She responded, “Why did you not pray to the windmills?”
He said, “I prayed that the Lord would bless you so that you would be merciful to me.”
She winked at him and said, “The Virgin to whom you are praying is Andalusian, and she knows very well that I will not change.”
He replied, “All virgins are our Good Mother Mary,” adding, “I prayed to the Virgin of Navàs, and the Virgin of Elizondo . . .”
She interrupted him and whispered in his ear like a serpent, “I have made a pact with the devil, and I will not turn back.”
As I watched Paz Vega embody the role of Carmen, her Andalusian heritage shone through in every scene. Her allure was as irresistible as a freshly picked apple and her voice as melodious as a song. The portrayal of Don José by the Argentinian actor Leonardo Sbaraglia was equally captivating and charming. His performance was so convincing that if he had prayed to windmills, they would surely have answered his plea. Yet the film follows the vision of Mérimée and its Barcelonian director Aranda, concluding with the tragic death of Carmen that frees her from the relentless love traps set by her troubled lover. As he runs into her by coincidence, he has a weeping fit and locks his hands around her neck, threatening, “What if I were to kill you now? I would save myself from rivers of tears.” Carmen, a firm believer in fate, calmly responds, “You would, but not now. Set aside your crocodile tears, which are better suited to one of my amulets and talismans.”
The intense flames of passion devouring both the body and dress of the young woman draw her towards the bullfighter Escamillo, and she falls into his arms. However, Don José pulls her away after killing him. Though she desires to be free of him, her hatred for him grows stronger with every passing moment. Eventually, he becomes dangerously attached to her and ends up ending her life with a dagger. Despite this, Don José is unable to accept her death as he holds her naked, blood-soaked body and plants kisses upon her. In his final act of desperation, he lets out an impassioned cry, mourning her loss and perhaps even mourning his own demise. He says:
When they kill me
They will give me the life to find you
There in death.
I will have your beloved body
At my side forever.
If the Virgin is not merciful to me for my sin
What will I care
If I burn in hellfire with you beside me?
What will I care
If I win you even for a moment in the next life,
I who worshipped your body?
It will be immortalized in my songs, even if I am among the dead.
On the eastern bank of the "Great Valley" resides one Carmen, while on the western bank, another. The latter sings a tune composed by Bizet that has gained immense popularity in the world of opera. In fact, there is scarcely a city in the world that has not been graced with a performance of Carmen. Julia Migenes, a mezzo-soprano born in Manhattan, played the main role in Francesco Rosi's adaptation. Though not possessing the same exotic beauty as the Andalusian women, Apollo himself blessed her with a beautiful voice, earning her the coveted role opposite the world-renowned tenor Plácido Domingo. The director remained faithful to the operatic narrative, and Julia's dancing surpassed that of the Andalusian tobacco factory dancers. Her captivating performance in the originally Cuban Habanera song Love Is Like A Bird Rebellious, as well as the seductive Seguidilla or 'Près des remparts de Séville' song with which she ensnares José, the passionate Danse Bohème (Gypsy Dance), the Toreador (Bullfighter) song (Your toast), the touching Flower Song (Here is the flower that you threw me, while in the jail it never left me), and Micaela's aria (I say that nothing frightens me) were impossible not to be enchanted by.
Entering the savage paradise that is Carmen may prove challenging, yet the main themes of the work are not difficult to grasp.
Bizet himself intended it to be a complete and comprehensive work, which led him to declare upon finishing it, “They say I am a mysterious, confused and complex person, keen to promote form and lacking in talent. But I have just finished composing a clear work that is full of creativity, diversity and beautiful melodies.” Despite this confidence, when Bizet first presented Carmen in Paris on 3 March 1875, there were no suitors in the audience and the critics reacted unfavourably. Devastated, the great composer, who was barely 37 years old, died on 3 June of that same year, grieving over the failure of his "bride." Yet time has continued to celebrate Carmen, and Bizet remains a prominent figure in the history of music, regaining his lost glory in the hearts of music lovers.
------
Revised by: Jameel salah
Carmen
By: Mohamed Ahmad al-Suwaidi
---
The word Carmen, which means “song” or “amulet,” perfectly captures the essence of Prosper Mérimée’s famous novel, which is filled with the tender and alluring qualities of Andalusian beauty. Carmen, the novel's central character, is a musically-inclined flirt who is obsessed with men. To be considered a true Andalusian beauty, a woman must possess three sets of triple attributes: black eyelashes, eyebrows, and braids; three white requirements, which include a white face, white hands, and white teeth; and three pink requirements, namely, pink lips, nails, and nipples.
The naive soldier, Don José, falls madly in love with Carmen and becomes vanquished by her triple attributes. He agrees to receive his first lesson in love from her in her red room. Carmen interrupts him as he stands praying to the Virgin Mary, asking him what he has asked for.
The name Carmen has a dual meaning, both "song" and "amulet". In Prosper Mérimée's story, Carmen embodies the essence of a tender Andalusian song and an enigmatic amulet. She is a charming, musically-inclined flirt with an insatiable desire for men. Andalusian beauty is known for its triple sets of attributes: black eyelashes, eyebrows, and braids; white face, hands, and teeth; and pink lips, nails, and nipples. Don José, a naive soldier, falls deeply in love with Carmen after being captivated by her mesmerizing qualities. He surrenders to her charms and agrees to receive his first lesson in love in her vibrant red room. However, as he stands there praying to the Virgin Mary, Carmen interrupts him with a provocative question, "What have you asked her for?" His response is pure and simple, "That you abandon your life of prostitution and return to your job at the tobacco factory.”
She responded, “Why did you not pray to the windmills?”
He said, “I prayed that the Lord would bless you so that you would be merciful to me.”
She winked at him and said, “The Virgin to whom you are praying is Andalusian, and she knows very well that I will not change.”
He replied, “All virgins are our Good Mother Mary,” adding, “I prayed to the Virgin of Navàs, and the Virgin of Elizondo . . .”
She interrupted him and whispered in his ear like a serpent, “I have made a pact with the devil, and I will not turn back.”
As I watched Paz Vega embody the role of Carmen, her Andalusian heritage shone through in every scene. Her allure was as irresistible as a freshly picked apple and her voice as melodious as a song. The portrayal of Don José by the Argentinian actor Leonardo Sbaraglia was equally captivating and charming. His performance was so convincing that if he had prayed to windmills, they would surely have answered his plea. Yet the film follows the vision of Mérimée and its Barcelonian director Aranda, concluding with the tragic death of Carmen that frees her from the relentless love traps set by her troubled lover. As he runs into her by coincidence, he has a weeping fit and locks his hands around her neck, threatening, “What if I were to kill you now? I would save myself from rivers of tears.” Carmen, a firm believer in fate, calmly responds, “You would, but not now. Set aside your crocodile tears, which are better suited to one of my amulets and talismans.”
The intense flames of passion devouring both the body and dress of the young woman draw her towards the bullfighter Escamillo, and she falls into his arms. However, Don José pulls her away after killing him. Though she desires to be free of him, her hatred for him grows stronger with every passing moment. Eventually, he becomes dangerously attached to her and ends up ending her life with a dagger. Despite this, Don José is unable to accept her death as he holds her naked, blood-soaked body and plants kisses upon her. In his final act of desperation, he lets out an impassioned cry, mourning her loss and perhaps even mourning his own demise. He says:
When they kill me
They will give me the life to find you
There in death.
I will have your beloved body
At my side forever.
If the Virgin is not merciful to me for my sin
What will I care
If I burn in hellfire with you beside me?
What will I care
If I win you even for a moment in the next life,
I who worshipped your body?
It will be immortalized in my songs, even if I am among the dead.
On the eastern bank of the "Great Valley" resides one Carmen, while on the western bank, another. The latter sings a tune composed by Bizet that has gained immense popularity in the world of opera. In fact, there is scarcely a city in the world that has not been graced with a performance of Carmen. Julia Migenes, a mezzo-soprano born in Manhattan, played the main role in Francesco Rosi's adaptation. Though not possessing the same exotic beauty as the Andalusian women, Apollo himself blessed her with a beautiful voice, earning her the coveted role opposite the world-renowned tenor Plácido Domingo. The director remained faithful to the operatic narrative, and Julia's dancing surpassed that of the Andalusian tobacco factory dancers. Her captivating performance in the originally Cuban Habanera song Love Is Like A Bird Rebellious, as well as the seductive Seguidilla or 'Près des remparts de Séville' song with which she ensnares José, the passionate Danse Bohème (Gypsy Dance), the Toreador (Bullfighter) song (Your toast), the touching Flower Song (Here is the flower that you threw me, while in the jail it never left me), and Micaela's aria (I say that nothing frightens me) were impossible not to be enchanted by.
Entering the savage paradise that is Carmen may prove challenging, yet the main themes of the work are not difficult to grasp.
Bizet himself intended it to be a complete and comprehensive work, which led him to declare upon finishing it, “They say I am a mysterious, confused and complex person, keen to promote form and lacking in talent. But I have just finished composing a clear work that is full of creativity, diversity and beautiful melodies.” Despite this confidence, when Bizet first presented Carmen in Paris on 3 March 1875, there were no suitors in the audience and the critics reacted unfavourably. Devastated, the great composer, who was barely 37 years old, died on 3 June of that same year, grieving over the failure of his "bride." Yet time has continued to celebrate Carmen, and Bizet remains a prominent figure in the history of music, regaining his lost glory in the hearts of music lovers.
------
Revised by: Jameel salah
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