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63-573: The libretto is a retelling of the story of John the Baptist , Salome , Herod Antipas and Herodias , but is strikingly less psychological and bloody than Richard Strauss 's Salome , which is based on a text by Oscar Wilde . The opera premiered in Brussels because Auguste Vaucorbeil , Manager of the Paris Opera house refused to stage the work; "I do like your music," he had said to Massenet, "but as for

126-413: A double agent and returns Babe to Szell. Still unable to extract details from Babe, Szell drills into one of Babe's healthy teeth, causing excruciating pain. Realizing that Babe is innocent, Szell orders his accomplices to dispose of him. However, Babe escapes, aided by his prowess as a marathon runner. Babe arms himself with his father's gun and phones Elsa, who agrees to meet him with a car. Arriving at

189-526: A "white angel" directing victims to their deaths). Babe originally has childish traits. As the film progresses, these childish traits are replaced with more adult ones. Michelle Citron of Jump Cut compared Babe to Carrie White in the 1976 film Carrie . Janeway is interested only in his own gain instead of the ideal to advance US interests. Paul Cobley stated in The American Thriller: Generic Innovation and Social Change in

252-497: A country house, Babe guesses that Elsa has set him up and predicts the house was owned by Szell's late brother. Janeway and Szell's accomplices arrive, and Babe holds them and Elsa at gunpoint. Janeway kills the accomplices when they attempt to shoot Babe, and offers to tell Babe where Szell is going in exchange for his life. Babe leaves the house, but Janeway retrieves his gun and starts to follow him. Elsa tries to warn Babe, causing Janeway to shoot and kill her, before Babe fires through

315-574: A greater love, and new faith. First tableau: Hérode's chambers Slaves dance in order to divert the sleepless Hérode. Hérode next takes a philtre which gives him visions of his Salomé. Phanuel tells the king that the people are calling for the Messiah and acclaim Jean. Hérode however is sure he will defeat the Romans and win his subjects over again. Second tableau: The palace in Jerusalem Hérode calls

378-443: A highly successful play by its librettist, Gabriele D'Annunzio , a celebrated Italian poet, novelist and dramatist of the day. In some cases, the operatic adaptation has become more famous than the literary text on which it was based, as with Claude Debussy 's Pelléas et Mélisande after a play by Maurice Maeterlinck . The question of which is more important in opera – the music or the words – has been debated over time, and forms

441-411: A lasting collaboration), Auber , Bellini , Donizetti , Rossini and Verdi . The French writers' duo Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy wrote many opera and operetta libretti for the likes of Jacques Offenbach , Jules Massenet and Georges Bizet . Arrigo Boito , who wrote libretti for, among others, Giuseppe Verdi and Amilcare Ponchielli , also composed two operas of his own. The libretto

504-455: A perceived difference in their approaches to acting. In the usual telling of the story, Hoffman, a proponent of method acting , prepared for a scene in which his character had been awake for three days, by doing the same himself. Following much goading and verbal put-downs by Hoffman, who criticized Olivier for not being as committed to his art as Hoffman, Olivier remarked, "My dear boy, why don't you just try acting?" In an interview on Inside

567-477: A possible 4. He wrote, "If holes in plots bother you, 'Marathon Man' will be maddening. But as well-crafted escapist entertainment, as a diabolical thriller, the movie works with relentless skill." Dr. Szell was ranked as villain #34 on its American Film Institute 's " 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains " list. The film was ranked #50 on the " 100 Years...100 Thrills " list. Dr. Szell was also ranked in Time as one of

630-428: A screenplay before the novel had been published. Another source said that it was $ 450,000 (equivalent to $ 2.78 million in 2023). "The book reads like the movie-movie of all time", said producer Robert Evans. "I regard it as a cheap investment because you don't often find books that translate into film. This is the best thing I've read since The Godfather . It could go all, all the way — if we don't foul it up in

693-445: A subject and developing a sketch of the action in the form of a scenario , as well as revisions that might come about when the work is in production, as with out-of-town tryouts for Broadway musicals, or changes made for a specific local audience. A famous case of the latter is Wagner's 1861 revision of the original 1845 Dresden version of his opera Tannhäuser for Paris. The opera libretto from its inception ( c.  1600 )

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756-462: Is a government agent operating for a secret agency headed by Peter Janeway. Doc is a courier for the transport of diamonds owned by Szell and kept in a safe deposit box in New York City. When Doc takes Babe and his Swiss girlfriend Elsa Opel to lunch, he tricks Elsa into revealing that she has been lying about her background. Although Doc suspects she may be connected to Szell, he tells Babe that she

819-515: Is changed. In the film, Babe "spares" Szell in a pump room and tries forcing him to swallow his diamonds, and Szell falls on his own retractable blade, dying. In the novel, Babe resolutely leads Szell to Central Park and shoots him multiple times, subsequently lecturing him. He throws the diamonds away and is quietly led away by a policeman. Marathon Man was the second feature film production in which inventor-operator Garrett Brown used his then-new Steadicam , after Bound for Glory . However, it

882-515: Is greater and stronger than he. Not knowing who she means, Hérode threatens Jean and Salomé with death. The priests intercede with Vitellius and ask him to condemn Jean, but the consul gives responsibility for the execution to Hérode. Jean refuses to assist the king. Salomé asks to share her fate with that of the prophet – at this Hérode realises whom she loves and condemns them both to death. First tableau: A subterranean vault Jean, awaiting death in prison questions his soul. Salomé joins him. Jean

945-588: Is greatly different from the Edna Ferber novel from which it was adapted , uses some of Ferber's original dialogue, notably during the miscegenation scene. And Lionel Bart 's Oliver! uses chunks of dialogue from Charles Dickens 's novel Oliver Twist , although it bills itself as a "free adaptation" of the novel. As the originating language of opera, Italian dominated that genre in Europe (except in France) well through

1008-459: Is led away to execution while Salomé is taken to the king, who has decided to pardon her. Second tableau: The great hall in the palace Dances celebrate the Roman victory. Salomé begs Hérodiade to allow her to die alongside Jean, as it was he who looked after her when her mother abandoned her. Hérodiade remains silent. The executioner announces the death of Jean. Salomé draws a dagger and tries to kill

1071-518: Is mortal or divine. Hérodiade visits the priest and consults Phanuel who foresees great suffering, while the queen refuses to recognize her daughter in the young woman. Second tableau: The Holy Temple Jean has been arrested. Salomé arrives, exhausted, at the prison. Hérode wishes to release Jean in exchange for help in getting the Galileans to help him fight the Romans. Seeing Salomé, he declares his love but she rejects him, saying that she loves one who

1134-419: Is not always written before the music. Some composers, such as Mikhail Glinka , Alexander Serov , Rimsky-Korsakov , Puccini and Mascagni wrote passages of music without text and subsequently had the librettist add words to the vocal melody lines (this has often been the case with American popular song and musicals in the 20th century, as with Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart 's collaboration, although with

1197-598: Is seeking an American husband so she can become a U.S. citizen. Szell, having learned of his brother's death, secretly arrives in New York to collect the diamonds, and the couriers are mysteriously killed. Doc escapes a couple of attacks, but when he and Szell ultimately meet, he is stabbed by a concealed blade in Szell's sleeve. The mortally wounded Doc reaches Babe's house and dies before he is able to confide anything about his identity. Szell, concerned that Doc may have informed Babe of

1260-408: Is the diminutive of the word libro ("book"). Sometimes other-language equivalents are used for libretti in that language, livret for French works, Textbuch for German and libreto for Spanish. A libretto is distinct from a synopsis or scenario of the plot, in that the libretto contains all the words and stage directions, while a synopsis summarizes the plot. Some ballet historians also use

1323-483: Is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera , operetta , masque , oratorio , cantata or musical . The term libretto is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as the Mass , requiem and sacred cantata, or the story line of a ballet . The Italian word libretto ( pronounced [liˈbretto] , plural libretti [liˈbretti] )

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1386-522: The Gaîté-Lyrique in 1904, 1911 and 1912. The Italian premiere was at La Scala on 23 February 1882. In a courtyard outside Hérode's palace in Jerusalem . After a short introduction merchants are seen arguing; they are calmed by Phanuel who urges co-operation with the Romans. Salomé enters, desperately seeking her mother Hérodiade, who sent her away when she married King Hérode. Salomé is also looking for

1449-422: The aria " Nessun dorma " from Puccini's Turandot , the final lines in the libretto are "Tramontate, stelle! All'alba, vincerò!" (Fade, you stars! At dawn, I will win!). However, in the score they are sung as "Tramontate, stelle! Tramontate, stelle! All'alba, vincerò! Vincerò! Vincerò!". Because the modern musical tends to be published in two separate but intersecting formats (i.e., the book and lyrics, with all

1512-415: The public domain ) this format is supplemented with melodic excerpts of musical notation for important numbers. Printed scores for operas naturally contain the entire libretto, although there can exist significant differences between the score and the separately printed text. More often than not, this involves the extra repetition of words or phrases from the libretto in the actual score. For example, in

1575-652: The 18th century, and even into the next century in Russia, for example, when the Italian opera troupe in Saint Petersburg was challenged by the emerging native Russian repertory. Significant exceptions before 1800 can be found in Purcell 's works, Handel 's first operas, ballad opera and Singspiel of the 18th century, etc. Just as with literature and song, the libretto has its share of problems and challenges with translation . In

1638-409: The 1970s that Janeway "can be read as the impersonality of late capitalism [...] or a post- Foucaldian embodiment of the shifting locations of power", or "a representative of the vicissitudes of the market". Cobley identifies Melendez and his group as Janeway's "nemesis". Goldman was paid a reported US$ 500,000 (equivalent to $ 3.09 million in 2023) for the film rights to his novel, and to do

1701-510: The 25 greatest movie villains. Both the novel and film contain a graphic depiction in which Szell tortures Babe by first probing a cavity in one of Babe's teeth with a curette , and later drilling into another tooth, without anesthetic , while repeatedly asking the question, "Is it safe?". The quote, "Is it safe?", was ranked #70 on the " 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes " list. The dental torture scene placed #66 on Bravo 's 100 Scariest Movie Moments . The torture scene has been described as one of

1764-559: The Actors Studio , Hoffman said that this exchange had been distorted; that he had been up all night at a nightclub for personal rather than professional reasons, and Olivier, who was aware of this, was merely joking. Although the first preview of the movie was successful, the second one in San Francisco did not go well. The audience complained about all the violent scenes, so director John Schlesinger and editor Jim Clark chose to delete

1827-461: The Lilacs , Carousel used dialogue from Ferenc Molnár 's Liliom , My Fair Lady took most of its dialogue word-for-word from George Bernard Shaw 's Pygmalion , Man of La Mancha was adapted from the 1959 television play I, Don Quixote , which supplied most of the dialogue, and the 1954 musical version of Peter Pan used J. M. Barrie 's dialogue. Even the musical Show Boat , which

1890-480: The Roof has a composer ( Jerry Bock ), a lyricist ( Sheldon Harnick ) and the writer of the "book" ( Joseph Stein ). In rare cases, the composer writes everything except the dance arrangements – music, lyrics and libretto, as Lionel Bart did for Oliver! . Other matters in the process of developing a libretto parallel those of spoken dramas for stage or screen. There are the preliminary steps of selecting or suggesting

1953-472: The basis of at least two operas, Richard Strauss 's Capriccio and Antonio Salieri 's Prima la musica e poi le parole . Libretti have been made available in several formats, some more nearly complete than others. The text – i.e., the spoken dialogue, song lyrics and stage directions, as applicable – is commonly published separately from the music (such a booklet is usually included with sound recordings of most operas). Sometimes (particularly for operas in

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2016-428: The character of Babe. Other critics found the violence to be offensive. Critic Pauline Kael considered the film to be a "Jewish revenge fantasy". The nickname given to Laurence Olivier's character, "der weiße Engel" (The White Angel), was inspired by Nazi doctor Josef Mengele , known as the "Angel of Death" (also "der weiße Engel" because, when he stood on the platform of arrivals to concentration camps, he looked like

2079-470: The composer (past or present) of the musical score to an opera or operetta is usually given top billing for the completed work, and the writer of the lyrics relegated to second place or a mere footnote, a notable exception being Gertrude Stein , who received top billing for Four Saints in Three Acts . Another exception was Alberto Franchetti 's 1906 opera La figlia di Iorio which was a close rendering of

2142-549: The composer. In some 17th-century operas still being performed, the name of the librettist was not even recorded. As the printing of libretti for sale at performances became more common, these records often survive better than music left in manuscript. But even in late 18th century London, reviews rarely mentioned the name of the librettist, as Lorenzo Da Ponte lamented in his memoirs. By the 20th century some librettists became recognised as part of famous collaborations, as with Gilbert and Sullivan or Rodgers and Hammerstein . Today

2205-409: The context of a modern English-language musical theatre piece, the libretto is considered to encompass both the book of the work (i.e., the spoken dialogue) and the sung lyrics. Libretti for operas, oratorios and cantatas in the 17th and 18th centuries were generally written by someone other than the composer, often a well-known poet. Pietro Trapassi , known as Metastasio (1698–1782) was one of

2268-546: The diamonds before he died, has him kidnapped by Janeway and two accomplices. To extort the information that he believes Babe may have received, Szell tortures Babe using his skills as a dentist and drilling into Babe's teeth. Babe is rescued by Janeway, who explains that Szell is in America to sell a cache of diamonds he had taken from Jews killed at Auschwitz . Janeway presses Babe about Doc's dying words, but Babe still insists he knows nothing. Frustrated, Janeway reveals himself to be

2331-474: The film's antagonist. Thomas Babington "Babe" Levy is a history student and distance runner who seeks to rehabilitate the memory of his father, who took his own life during McCarthyism . During a training session in Central Park , Babe witnesses a fiery car accident that kills Klaus Szell, the brother of Nazi war criminal Christian Szell. Babe's brother Henry "Doc", under the guise of an oil company executive,

2394-420: The film, "Babe" Levy, a graduate student, becomes embroiled in a plot by Nazi war criminal Christian Szell to retrieve ill-gotten diamonds from a safe deposit box owned by Szell's dead brother. Babe becomes unwittingly involved due to his brother Doc's dealings with Szell. The film was a critical and box-office success. Olivier received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Szell,

2457-408: The finished film." Laurence Olivier was cast early on. However, he had health problems, and at one stage, it was uncertain if he would be able to appear in the film. Richard Widmark auditioned for the part, but Olivier eventually recovered, and was able to participate in filming. An 8½-minute sequence was shot of Doc fighting with some men who kill a spy colleague. William Goldman speculated that

2520-571: The first torture scene, and actual onscreen drilling of Babe's tooth in the second torture scene. Stanley Kauffmann of The New Republic wrote, "While people said that the violence in Marathon Man was excessive, I was surprised: I had wriggled through that dental torture, but it hadn't seemed a pinnacle in a year during which I had seen two penises cut off and another penis nailed to a board—in films from France and Japan." John Schlesinger asked composer Michael Small to make music that matched

2583-472: The following scenes and shots: the scene near the beginning of the film in which Doc fights two assassins who have killed his friend; the graphic and gory close-ups of Szell disemboweling Doc with his wrist blade; and both of the torture scenes, which were heavily cut. Graphic insert shots from the torture scenes, which were filmed by Clark, were removed. Some photos, such as original lobby cards and stills, show Szell torturing Babe longer with dental instruments in

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2646-521: The later team of Rodgers and Hammerstein the lyrics were generally written first, which was Rodgers' preferred modus operandi). Some composers wrote their own libretti. Richard Wagner is perhaps most famous in this regard, with his transformations of Germanic legends and events into epic subjects for his operas and music dramas. Hector Berlioz , too, wrote the libretti for two of his best-known works, La damnation de Faust and Les Troyens . Alban Berg adapted Georg Büchner 's play Woyzeck for

2709-424: The libretto of Wozzeck . Sometimes the libretto is written in close collaboration with the composer; this can involve adaptation, as was the case with Rimsky-Korsakov and his librettist Vladimir Belsky , or an entirely original work. In the case of musicals, the music, the lyrics and the "book" (i.e., the spoken dialogue and the stage directions) may each have its own author. Thus, a musical such as Fiddler on

2772-550: The libretto, you badly need an author who knows how to build the skeleton of a play." Massenet also created a ballet suite derived from the opera. The opera reached Paris at the Théâtre des Nations on 1 February 1884, and the final performance of the run on 13 March featured the three De Reszkes; Jean (Jean), Édouard (Phanuel), and Josephine (Salomé). It was produced at the Théâtre-Italien in 1903 for 43 performances, then at

2835-402: The lyrics of the arias , duets , trios and choruses written in verse. The libretto of a musical, on the other hand, is almost always written in prose (except for the song lyrics). The libretto of a musical, if the musical is adapted from a play (or even a novel), may even borrow their source's original dialogue liberally – much as Oklahoma! used dialogue from Lynn Riggs 's Green Grow

2898-554: The making." Goldman estimated that he wrote four versions of the screenplay, and says that Robert Towne was brought in at the end. Goldman says that John Schlesinger agreed to do the film only because he had just finished The Day of the Locust and was "terrified he was dead in Hollywood". Goldman says "all the stuff dealing with cities in crisis" in an original draft of the script was Schlesinger's idea although "Almost none of it made

2961-413: The most highly regarded librettists in Europe. His libretti were set many times by many different composers. Another noted 18th-century librettist was Lorenzo Da Ponte . He wrote the libretti for three of Mozart 's greatest operas, and for many other composers as well. Eugène Scribe was one of the most prolific librettists of the 19th century, providing the words for works by Meyerbeer (with whom he had

3024-442: The old Betty Grable – Don Ameche – Carmen Miranda vehicles, are largely unaffected, but this practice is especially misleading in translations of musicals like Show Boat , The Wizard of Oz , My Fair Lady or Carousel , in which the lyrics to the songs and the spoken text are often or always closely integrated, and the lyrics serve to further the plot. Availability of printed or projected translations today makes singing in

3087-471: The original language more practical, although one cannot discount the desire to hear a sung drama in one's own language. The Spanish words libretista (playwright, script writer or screenwriter) and libreto (script or screen play), which are used in the Hispanic TV and cinema industry, derived their meanings from the original operatic sense. Librettists have historically received less prominent credit than

3150-629: The past (and even today), foreign musical stage works with spoken dialogue, especially comedies, were sometimes performed with the sung portions in the original language and the spoken dialogue in the vernacular. The effects of leaving lyrics untranslated depend on the piece. A man like Louis Durdilly would translate the whole libretto, dialogues and airs, into French: Così fan tutte became Ainsi font toutes, ou la Fidélité des femmes , and instead of Ferrando singing "Un' aura amorosa" French-speaking audiences were treated to Fernand singing "Ma belle est fidèle autant qu'elle est belle". Many musicals, such as

3213-485: The people to arms against Jerusalem's Roman masters. The Roman consul Vitellius appears and promises to respect the faith of the Israelites and open the temple. Jean, preceded by a joyful crowd and followed by Salomé passes by. Hérodiade notices the reaction of her husband at the sight of the young woman and accuses Jean of wanting to seize power. First tableau: The house of Phanuel Phanuel asks heaven to say whether Jean

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3276-518: The phone and says, "Janie, I miss you. Get your ass over here [to the hotel room]"). In the book, their sexual relationship is not subtle at all, and has Doc pining for Janeway at several points. The ending was rewritten by Robert Towne ; it has been speculated that this was because Hoffman was unhappy with it. Goldman told an interviewer that he thought the new, more famous ending was "shit" because it left out two important plot clarifications. The final confrontation between Babe and Szell, in particular,

3339-449: The prophet Jean with whom she had found comfort in her absence from the city. Hérode has a passion for Salomé and comes from the palace. He is joined by his wife Hérodiade who asks him to act against Jean, who has insulted her; when Hérode, aware of Jean's following, refuses, she vows to be avenged by herself. As she curses the prophet, Jean himself enters and the royal pair withdraw in fear. Salomé vows her love to Jean but he only speaks of

3402-410: The queen, who admits that she is her mother. In despair, Salomé stabs herself and curses Hérodiade. Massenet also created a ballet suite (his Suite No.1), based on the dances in the work. Notes This opera is featured in a scene at the Paris Opera in the 1976 movie Marathon Man . Sources Libretto A libretto (From the Italian word libretto , lit.   ' booklet ' )

3465-460: The rest of the diamonds towards the water. Szell dives for them, but he stumbles down a staircase, impaling himself on his own blade and falling into the water. Babe heads out into Central Park, stopping to throw his gun into the Reservoir. The film explores themes of endurance and the pursuit of Nazi war criminals . Some critics believed that the exhibited violence was necessary to the film and to

3528-453: The scene was cut because of its violence, and called the cut "grievous" and to the detriment of the film. With the sequence missing, Doc's character seems to be less flawed than he really is. Goldman argued the scenes were part of the reason why Roy Scheider took the role. In the novel, Janeway and Doc are lovers. This is handled subtly in the movie (when Doc arrives in Paris, he calls Janeway on

3591-545: The theme of "pain, and the endurance of pain". The opera Hérodiade by Jules Massenet is featured in the scene that takes place at the Paris Opera (Act III scene 8, Dors, ô cité perverse !... Astres étincelants , sung by Joseph Rouleau with the orchestra of the Royal Opera House , conducted by John Matheson , published on Decca Records ). The film was a financial and critical success. Olivier's performance

3654-633: The window, killing Janeway. Szell visits the Diamond District to get an idea of the value of his diamonds, but he is recognized on the street by multiple Jewish Holocaust survivors, one of whom Szell kills with his concealed blade. Szell retrieves his diamonds, but as he attempts to leave the bank, Babe forces him at gunpoint to a pump house in the Reservoir . Babe tells Szell he can keep as many diamonds as he can swallow. After swallowing one diamond, Szell refuses to continue and attacks Babe, but Babe throws

3717-419: The word libretto to refer to the 15- to 40-page books which were on sale to 19th century ballet audiences in Paris and contained a very detailed description of the ballet's story, scene by scene. The relationship of the librettist (that is, the writer of a libretto) to the composer in the creation of a musical work has varied over the centuries, as have the sources and the writing techniques employed. In

3780-563: The words, and the piano-vocal score, with all the musical material, including some spoken cues), both are needed in order to make a thorough reading of an entire show. Marathon Man (film) Marathon Man is a 1976 American thriller film directed by John Schlesinger . It was adapted by William Goldman from his 1974 novel of the same title and stars Dustin Hoffman , Laurence Olivier , Roy Scheider , William Devane and Marthe Keller . In

3843-478: Was particularly praised. Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 82% based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The consensus reads: " Marathon Man runs the gamut from patient mystery to pulse-pounding thriller, aided by Laurence Olivier's coldly terrifying performance and a brainy script by William Goldman." Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave Marathon Man 3 stars out of

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3906-572: Was the first feature using the Steadicam that saw theatrical release, predating the premieres of both Bound for Glory and Rocky by two months. This new camera stabilization system was used extensively in Marathon Man ' s running and chase scenes on the streets of New York City. The movie was filmed from October 1975 to February 1976. Marathon Man is famous in acting circles for an often quoted exchange between Hoffman and Olivier, concerning

3969-489: Was written in verse, and this continued well into the 19th century, although genres of musical theatre with spoken dialogue have typically alternated verse in the musical numbers with spoken prose. Since the late 19th century some opera composers have written music to prose or free verse libretti. Much of the recitatives of George Gershwin 's opera Porgy and Bess , for instance, are merely DuBose and Dorothy Heyward 's play Porgy set to music as written – in prose – with

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