What were the women singing about in the famous scene from "The Shawshank Redemption"?

Whack-a-Mole · October 31, 2020, 8:44am

“The Shawshank Redemption” is a very good and popular movie.

There is a scene where the hero Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) puts a record on and plays a wonderful duet from the opera “The Marriage of Figaro” (see below).

Andys’ friend, Ellis (Morgan Freeman) notes that while the music was angelic he has no clue what they were singing about nor does he want to know because it would diminish the beauty of the song.

Was Ellis (Freeman) right?

Whack-a-Mole · October 31, 2020, 8:53am

I missed the edit but I am curious if there are any other such songs where you love the music and think that somehow knowing what was being sung diminishes it somehow.

Put another way:

Do I want to know what those women were singing about in the movie?

DPRK · October 31, 2020, 9:34am

Perhaps it was meant to be highly ironic, but, then again, Andy picked that record himself?

I believe they are just singing about their fake love letter to send to the count who wants to fuck the maid, etc

I mean, that’s what it’s about; they are singing about gentle breezes under the pines, etc in a language which most of the prisoners cannot understand anyway, but Andy probably knows full well what it’s about.

cytop · October 31, 2020, 9:35am

Do you…?

If you decide you do: Sull’aria…che soave zeffiretto

(That’ll teach me to not take the time to add a link)

DPRK · October 31, 2020, 9:48am

Man I seriously apologize if you did not want to know what they were singing about, but, in my defense, you mentioned straight off it was from “The Marriage of Figaro”, so at that point I did not imagine it was much of a spoiler.

Whack-a-Mole · October 31, 2020, 10:37am

I would not have started the thread if I really wanted to remain ignorant of what they were singing about.

As far as I am concerned feel free to say what they were on about and anything you think/feel about the song or the movie or the scene.

Is there a rule about spoiler tags? I think this movie is old enough to have passed such concerns but if there is a rule I do not know what it is.

Whack-a-Mole · October 31, 2020, 10:47am

While I certainly do not mind being told what they were singing about (see my previous post), more broadly, I think, is a discussion of if it is actually better not knowing and if there are other songs like that.

DPRK · October 31, 2020, 11:05am

In that case, here is the relevant section on the movie script:

Andy reverently slips a stack from the box and starts flipping
through them. Used Nat King Coles, Bing Crosbys, etc.
He comes across a certain album – Mozart’s “Le Nozze de
Figaro.” He pulls it from the stack, gazing upon it as a man
transfixed. It is a thing of beauty. It is the Grail.

[…]

Andy wrestles the phonograph player onto the guards’ desk,
sweeping things onto the floor in his haste. He plugs the
machine in. A red light warms up. The platter starts spinning.

He slides the Mozart album from its sleeve, lays it on the
platter, and lowers the tone arm to his favorite cut. The
needle HISSES in the groove…and the MUSIC begins, lilting
and gorgeous. Andy sinks into Wiley’s chair, overcome by its
beauty. It is “Deutino: Che soave zeffiretto,” a duet sung by
Susanna and the Contessa.

In other words, in the movie at least, not only does he pick that song out deliberately, but it is one of his favorites!

Here is the duet in English:

My take in this case is that the viewer is (ideally) supposed to recognize the song and know what it is about, the point is that Red decided he was better off not knowing, instinctively fearing it would not live up to his imagination. This may have to do with his character at that point: while he fantasizes about getting out of prison and moving to Mexico, when faced with actually doing so he nearly can’t hack it.