Christine La Monte interview | Viva Verdi! & Turandot

Producer Christine La Monte joins the show to discuss her Oscar-shortlisted film Viva Verdi! and Ai Weiwei’s Turandot. We talk about the residents of Casa Verdi and the bridge between opera and cinema history.Host: Eric TrommaterPanel: Erin Brown, Sila Blume, Jennifer TrujilloSpecial Guest: My cousin, Jordan Best (Vocals, "O mio babbino caro" by Puccini) https://www.bestsoprano.com/ Links & Info:Listen to "Sweet Dreams of Joy": https://youtu.be/dpAOquDGcUs?si=gli5b6F6hq8FFKfPNext week: Ozu’s Tokyo StoryFilms recommended by Christine Le Monte The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life, an Academy Award-winning 2013 documentary-short film directed, written and produced by Malcolm Clarke about the oldest living Holocaust survivor.The Age of Champions, a 2011 documentary about The Senior Olympics.Kokuho from 2025, this year's Japanese entry for the Best Foreign Film Oscar. Check us out on YouTube https://youtube.com/@worldcinehist?si=z8Yay0W0I-6APEZz ⁠⁠⁠ on Apple Podcasts: ⁠⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/world-cinema-history/id1744483892 or Spotify: ⁠⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/4YkCJSJvngtDMhey0CNsWj?si=i143kCA8RQKhQauUICLrmA or follow us on X (The Artist Formerly Known as Twitter): @etrommater Consider joining the World Cinema History DVD Extras Club.Benefits include:* Bonus Episodes * Attending Live Recordings of the Show * Our Love and Appreciation * Whatever Else We Think of in The Future * Having your name mispronounced on the podcast (sorry in advance)  To join just go to https://ko-fi.com/worldcinemahistoryand make a recurring monthly payment for any amount.In this episode, the panel sits down with writer and producer Christine La Monte to discuss her work on Viva Verdi! and Ai Weiwei’s Turandot. Even for those who don't follow opera, this conversation is a deep dive into the "third act" of life and the preservation of artistic legacy.[00:03:08] The Producer’s Role: Christine explains her journey from major studios to independent projects, serving as the bridge that ensures a director's vision is faithfully translated to the screen.[00:18:27] Viva Verdi!: The heart of the discussion is a retirement home in Milan built by Giuseppe Verdi for musicians.[00:20:40] A Living Liturgy: We explore a place where the elderly masters and young students share a common language of music, proving that art provides a shared recognition that sustains us through old age.[00:34:04] Ai Weiwei’s Turandot: We also look at how activist artist Ai Weiwei used Puccini’s final work to comment on modern authoritarianism.[00:40:04] Art as Witness: A raw look at how art functions as a public witness to history, even under the pressure of a global pandemic.[01:13:26] Looking Ahead: The panel concludes by previewing the end of the current series with Ozu’s Tokyo Story before beginning the Road to Godard, featuring Grand Illusion ('37), Children of Paradise ('45), Orpheus ('50), and Weekend ('67).