Here is a sample from Judy’s latest interview:
Judy Mastrangelo is an artist and author of some renown. She has worked on many projects and has had much success. This interview with her focuses on the way she views art. If you want to know what makes an artist tick– this is the interview for you. Let’s see what she has to say…
What are the most expressive art forms, in your opinion?
It’s difficult to pinpoint the most expressive ones. I enjoy all of them, including the forms which incorporate several different art forms all together. Artists who are able to express themselves through various forms of art are very fortunate because they can delve deep into their inner selves to create and thus give great enjoyment to others.
Watching films are a wonderful way that I’ve found to enjoy several of these Art forms combined in the comfort of my home, if I’m not able to see a live concert, play, etc. There are many films which include several of the Arts, such as music, dance, literature, painting, sculpture, etc. I’ll list some of my favorites…
These are some FANTASY MOVIES which incorporate great Literature, Music, Dance, Painting, etc:
Contemporary ones: The Tolkien Movies: “THE LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY” and “THE HOBBIT TRILOGY,” “HARRY POTTER” movies, the “ONCE UPON A TIME” TV series, etc.
Old Classics: “A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM” (1935) which includes the text of the Shakespeare play, and a wonderful ballet to the music of Felix Mendelssohn; “THE WIZARD OF OZ,” “CAMELOT” (1967), “MARY POPPINS,” etc.
Early Walt Disney Animations incorporate amazing artistry, delightful literature, and beautiful music: “WYNKEN, BLYNKEN AND NOD” (1938), “SNOW WHITE,” “PINOCCHIO,” “FANTASIA” #1, “BAMBI,” etc.
Great ballets unify wonderful dancing, lovely costumes and sets, and beautiful music. To me, female ballet dancers personify the image of delicate and graceful fairies. “LES SYLPHIDES” exemplifies this in my mind, using the beautiful music of Chopin, orchestrated by Glazunov. It is one of my favorites, along with “THE FIREBIRD” (a fantastic fairy tale with music by Igor Stravinsky.)
The following two old films show the lives of two great opera composers, and some of the operas that they created, which used great singing, literature, music, sets and costumes: “AMADEUS” (1984). (This movie takes liberties with the biographical facts of Mozart’s life. In reality, he was not “killed” by Salieri. They were really friends.) But it’s a wonderful movie nonetheless. And the movie “WAGNER” (1983) with Richard Burton is a great one also.
One of my favorite operas, “HANSEL AND GRETEL,” with music by Engelbert Humperdinck, based on the story by the Brothers Grimm, was made into a delightful film (1954) using animation and hand sculpted dolls with lovely fantasy sets. The entire movie is extremely enjoyable, with beautiful music and wonderful singing.
Judy Mastrangelo 