madama butterfly

Madama Butterfly reminded me of the fantastical and sweetly grotesque stop-motion work of the Brothers Quay.

Aren't the living quarters of rag dolls the perfect place to play house? The framing of the above image shows how effective puppetry can be in film work. The miniature sets and props allow the director to have precise control over mise-en-scene. To me, they're even more appealing than actors (AKA: no drama on set).