| 词汇 | hippodrama |
| 词源 | hippodrama. A century ago the Hollywood term horse opera for a western had another meaning when horses acted in hipp- odramas on the stage, just as they do in the opera Aida and movies today. Some of the most spectacular equestrian perfor- mances included: Horses that danced on stage in horse ballets (balleto a cavallo) or performed in elaborate battle scenes. One critic said they were “trampling Shakespeare” out of existence. A sturdy horse that in the German play Die Rauber in den Abruzzen (1830) carried the hero up a pile of rocks onstage to the window of a house, while a fero- cious dog attacked the villain downstage. A talented horse in an 1833 French play that, accord- ing to a viewer, “fired a pistol and then walked all about as if it was lame—and at last it lay down . . . and died—with its four legs in the air!” |
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