Madama Butterfly

The version of "Madama Butterfly" that we have watched is a claymation remake cut down to 10 minutes. This film was originally an opera made in Italy. The story is that of a young girl named Butterfly who seems to be Chinese or Japanese. She falls in love with a handsome white American man. The two end up making love and the woman becomes pregnant. Meanwhile the American man sails off to sea for many years. All the while the woman is shown waiting for him. He soon returns, accompanied by his American wife only to find he has another child. He takes the child from Butterfly and is shown leaving with his wife. Butterfly leaves the set of the animation and peels off the plastic outer cover that makes the body of he doll figure. She then dismantles her metal frame with a screw driver effectively committing suicide. There are a few themes I noticed in the film that help bring meaning to an otherwise silent film. (None of the characters speak.) In the opening scene we see a Butterfly land on the woman head. The butterfly stays in contact with the woman until we see the American initially leave. I believe that this Butterfly represents her soul or her love for the man. When the man sails away he takes her "love" with him. Another interesting thing I observed is the way that the weather changes while she is waiting for him to return. She is not bothered by the blowing wind on the shore. This is another sign of he undying love. The final act portrays her taking her doll body apart with a screw driver. This is an interesting rendition of her act of suicide as it is painful to watch despite it being metal parts. All in all this short film tugs on the heart strings as we associate with Butterfly.