Just watched this movie---sweet Jesus, what an amazing film. Brilliantly acted/directed--everything was perfect. I love movies with themes of metafiction, but this was beyond layered. Why don't more people know about this and give us a shout out of you're a fan of this film. THere's got to be more out there!
shareWeird that you should have posted so recently -- I too just watched the DVD. For some reason I'd always avoided anything to do with it -- too Peter Brooksian avante-garde or something. Now I only wish I could have been one of the aristos witnessing it on Broadway. Worth it for the great Ian Richardson alone.
shareDon't forget Patrick MacGee--such an underrated character actor; never given that one great role.
shareFirst watched this back in the 80s when I was a teen. My uncle had videotaped it when it was on A&E. I was obsessed with it and watched it over and over. I can say the lines and sing the songs by heart. It was such a revelation to me. Later in college I found the soundtrack LP, which is still one of my cherished items. I now have it on DVD and show it to friends whenever possible.
shareYes, it's a great work. I think that, of all the top West End directors that moved on to film (including Nunn, Hall etc...), Brook is the one with the most impressive body of film work, having given us some gems that such as this or King Lear that feel truly cinematic and make him an auteur in this other medium too.
Magee is the ideal De Sade (I really can't imagine anyone else's casting being equally inspired), but, to me, this is Richardson's movie. He was the only one of the main players not to reprise his role from the theatrical version (Clive Revill had originated the part), but, for me, he turned out to be best in show and the movie's dominating presence, effortlessy commanding the scene and soaking the most attention and admiration with the less stagy performance of the lot. Seriously, this doesn't change that Magee's amazing; giving MVP honors to Richardson speaks a lot of my fondness for his performance.
I'm not very fond of Jackson, but here her exaggerated performance kinda fits the tone of the film (as it did in 'The Music Lovers'), so I didn't mind her, although she should have taken lessons from Richardson about how to look genuinely charismatic and powerhouse-y without seeming to try too hard (as she does 99% of the time).
Magee is the ideal De Sade (I really can't imagine anyone else's casting being equally inspired), but, to me, this is Richardson's movie.
"...give us a shout out of you're a fan of this film."
I was blown away when this film came to my Southern college town in the winter of '68. Bought the script, the LP, and read several of Weiss' other plays. Now I have the DVD and still watch it from time to time.
I find it interesting that Weiss was very unhappy with the Brook production because he felt it presented too pessimistic a view of revolution. He re-wrote the play and made several presentations of it, but it flopped.
Brook may not have said what Weiss wanted to say, but it seems he said what Weiss should have said.
I'm rather surprised at Weiss' attitude. It's the cynicism over revolution and its aftermath that makes the play continue to be so relevant over the years. It's certainly as pertinent in what it has to say now as it was when originally staged and then filmed by Brook.
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