Rabbit of Seville
Rabbit of Seville | |
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The Vitaphone Corporation | |
Release date |
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Running time | 7:31 |
Language | English |
Rabbit of Seville is a
Plot
A local amphitheater bustles with an influx of spectators to partake in a rendition of The Barber of Seville. Amidst the tranquil setting, an uproarious chase ensues as Bugs Bunny and hapless hunter Elmer Fudd engage in a comedic pursuit, traversing from the distant hills to the theater's backstage.
Exploiting the theatrical milieu to his advantage, Bugs assumes various guises to outwit Elmer, orchestrating a series of comedic hijinks and slapstick antics. From a cunning barber to an enchanting temptress, Bugs ensnares Elmer in a whimsical dance of deception, eliciting laughter and applause from the bemused audience.
As the absurd escapade unfolds, a cacophony of comedic chaos ensues, culminating in a farcical exchange of increasingly outlandish weaponry and whimsical transformations. From pedicures to peculiar grooming rituals, Bugs subjects Elmer to a series of ludicrous predicaments, eliciting laughter and amusement from the spectators.
In a climactic flourish, Bugs orchestrates a mock wedding ceremony, symbolizing the culmination of their absurd escapade. With a mischievous grin and a playful quip, Bugs breaks the fourth wall, signaling the conclusion of the comedic spectacle with his iconic catchphrase, leaving audiences eagerly anticipating the next whimsical adventure.
Production
In a plotline reminiscent of
In Stalling's arrangement, the overture's basic structure is kept relatively intact; some repeated passages are removed and the overall piece is conducted at a faster tempo to accommodate the cartoon's standard running length. In a short sequence where Bugs' scalp massage follows a piano solo, the character's hands are shown with five fingers, instead of his usual four, so the character can believably follow the tune. In 1994 it was voted No. 12 of the
The "Barber of Seville" poster that appears at the start of the film features three names: Eduardo Selzeri, Michele Maltese, and Carlo Jonzi, which are Italianized versions of the names of the producer (Edward Selzer), writer (Michael Maltese), and director (Chuck Jones) of the film.[5]
Reception
Animation historian Greg Ford writes, "Chuck Jones' two most beloved operatic extravaganzas starring Bugs Bunny, What's Opera, Doc? (1957) and Rabbit of Seville, veer down somewhat different paths stylistically. What's Opera, Doc? relies on a more removed, high-concept graphic sense and the shock effect of Maurice Noble's splendidly expressionistic set design. The humor of Rabbit of Seville, staged against Robert Gribbroek's straightforward backgrounds, depends more exclusively on the cartoon's intense synchronization whereby every bit of slapstick action, mini-movement by mini-movement, links to the accompanying Rossini score. In Seville, Jones was really harking back to an older Warner Bros. legacy: director Friz Freleng's Rhapsody in Rivets (1941) and Pigs in a Polka (1943), perhaps the two most insistently 'Mickey Moused' (perfectly synched) musical cartoons ever made."[6]
Home media
Rabbit of Seville is available, uncut and digitally remastered, on disc 1 of Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 1, disc 1 of The Essential Bugs Bunny, on disc 1 of Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 1, and on disc 2 of Bugs Bunny 80th Anniversary Collection.
References
- Lawrence Van Gelder, With That Wascally Wabbit, That's Not All, Folks, NY Times, October 22, 1999
- Richard Freedman, What's Opera, Doc?, Adante Magazine, March 2002
Notes
- ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ "Remembering the classic 'Rabbit of Seville'", originally posted April 20, 2017 by the Opera Grand Rapids, Betty Van Andel Opera Center, Grand Rapids, Michigan. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 978-1878685490.
- ^ "Rabbit Of Seville Production Information". bcdb.com, March 27, 2010
- ISBN 978-1-64722-137-9.
External links
- Rabbit of Seville at IMDb