Babe - Pig at the Symphony

I can't believe it's been 21 years since the premier of the movie Babe. I feel old!

In celebration of the movie's coming of age as it were the Sydney Symphony Orchestra did a live performance of the score to accompany the movie at the Sydney Opera House.

Though the score itself never held much interest to me and I find the movie and dialogue at these performances distracting I got tickets as part of a great value package (looking forward to Back to the Future and Raiders of the Lost Ark). Plus Babe is, or at least should be, a great kids movie and one that Alex has never seen before.

So, as they say in the current advertising campaign, let's get some pork on your fork!

I'm not going to do a proper review here, because we were seated in the nosebleed section a row from the back and though we could see the whole orchestra they were too far away to feel part of the performance. Plus the movie was distracting.

Prior to the performance there was an on stage interview with Chris Noonan, Babe's director. It was he who insisted that the composer Nigel Westlake, also conducting tonight's performance, use music from Camille Saint-Saëns Symphony No 3.

It's a lovely theme and suits the movie well. The same could be said for all the music in the movie and I certainly took time to enjoy watching the orchestra play some of the more interesting passages.

Sadly Alex didn't appreciate the movie as much as I'd hoped. Stupid electronic devices destroying attention spans perhaps. But then he's never been into animals as much as machines. Maybe the action of the other movies will be more up his alley. Certainly the themes will be more familiar to his ears.

Anyway, after 21 years B and I still enjoyed Babe and the night's performance.

That'll do pig. That'll do.