Summary
The Power of Emotions
"It begins with falling in love and ends with divorce. It begins in 1933 and ends in ruins. The great operas begin promisingly, with heightened emotion, and by the fifth act, we’re counting the dead." In a collage of individual episodes and continuous fragments, fictional and documentary scenes, operas, and silent film quotes, Kluge explores the destructive power of emotions. Opera, as a "powerhouse of emotions," plays a central role here - and it also stands for optimism against better judgment: How can the Kammersänger in "Rigoletto" sing in the first act with a spark of hope on his face, when he "must surely know, after 84 performances, the horrific outcome in Act 5"? The opera is set in Frankfurt am Main, a "cold and rational environment"; the sun rises over the banks and is reflected in the skyscraper facades. Historical and personal catastrophes run their course, yet "all emotions believe in a happy ending."
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