Can We Talk 2

Dead Man Walking - opera

         I thought the movie version was excellent. However, it pales in comparison to the opera version. It is a presentation of a book written by the nun who is the key female figure in this story. It is a true story of a man on death row in Angola, Louisiana. It is the largest penitentiary in the U.S., primarily black inmates, but this character is white. It is a huge prison that once had gardens and stables and barns that supplied all the food consumed by both staff and inmates.

         This nun was requested as his spiritual adviser, so she was allowed to visit him on death row. She became obsessed with the salvation of his soul, desiring him to confess his crimes. She was afraid of the prison, afraid of this man and his horrible deeds, but she grew to care about him deeply. The opera show her anguish, as well as his as he awaits his death, denying his wrong doing. It shows the anguish of his mother and brothers, the victims' parents. The music intensifies their pain.

         The movie took some liberties with changes and added a little Hollywood flair. The opera is more closely written to the facts. If you have never seen an opera, or generally hate them, this is a good one to start. It is all in English. The musical styles include some gospel, some jazz, a little rock. There is even an Elvis scene where they are alone and discover they are both Elvis fans and imitate him. It is a riveting story. You cannot take your eyes off the action, and you will not fall asleep. They take a few daring new moves to make it a truly contemporary opera.

         You might be able to catch it on a cultural TV station, like VPM, or you can go the Met library to watch online. It runs about 3 hours, which includes a long intermission. I saw a live broadcast from the NY Met. I observed people wiping their eyes and heard them saying how exhausted they felt afterwards. Warning, it will engage you.

         It is very religious. It is a morality play. However, it does not make the argument for or against capital punishment.