English title of Choderlos de Laclos' 1782 French epistolary novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses. It was quite popular ("between 16 and 20 editions were dated 1782") during the author's lifetime because it was so scandalous, but tended to be condemned or supressed for a long time afterward because of the immoral behavior of its characters. In the 20th century it regained popularity, and Christopher Hampton adapted the novel into a play in 1985. It has been made into a movie four times ...
Mary Poppins TicketsWicked TicketsTarzan TicketsCirque du Soleil Tickets
Showcase & case study: I don't know, if I will be able to complete 17 pages "scene-by-scene" commentary and the pages on all characters. Plus, the set and etc. And this time we do not do anything "virtual"... Well, there is a screen for the shadow theatre (images).
Method for actor=character, but Biomechanics for social rituals!
Title the scenes (directors!):
1. Deal
2. Attack
3. Letters
4. Games
5. Cecile & Seconds with Touvel
6. Night w/Cecile
7.
8. Secrets
9. Tourvel's Surrender
II. THE FALL
10.
11. Tourvel's Place
12. Merteuil-Denceny
13. Valmont, Emilie, Tourvel
14. Ex-lovers
15. Breakup
16. Endgame: War
17. Duel/18. End-Death
Tragedy? No way. Nothing did help me, not the pix, nor the talks... As if I staged it with the puritans for their grandchildren. If was abvious even in the movies. Even Forman couldn't do much with this script.
DANGEROUS LIASONS is Stephen Frears' terse adaptation of Choderlos de Laclos' famous epistolary tale about the sexual machinations of two jaded eighteenth century French aristocrats. In order to get revenge on a man who jilted her, the wicked Marquise de Merteuil (Glenn Close) persuades a former lover, the rakish Vicomte de Valmont (John Malkovich), to deflower the man's virginal young fiancee (Uma Thurman). Valmont agrees, but presents the Marquise with his own challenge: if he succeeds in seducing a virtuous young wife known for her unshakable fidelity, Madame de Tourvel (Michele Pfieffer), the Marquise must grant Valmont a night in bed. The cold-blooded twosome proceed gleefully with their heartless scheme against the stunning backdrop of aristocratic France, displaying high stakes sexual gamesmanship and deceitful cunning. When the Valmont succeeds in seducing the virtuous Madame de Tourvel, the pair unexpectantly realize they have fallen in love, tragically defying the rules of the inhuman game, much to the horror of the cruel Marquise de Merteuil. Beautifully filmed with lavish period costumes, DANGEROUS LIASONS features critically acclaimed performances by its all-star cast.
DiGaetani: I liked John Malkovich as well, though many of the critics didn't.
Hampton: Only the American critics, though. In France they thought he was wonderful, and in Italy and in Spain, where the film was particularly successful. In fact, he went to a screening of the film in Spain, but the screening could not take place because there was a sort of riot with over 2,000 people there. In England there was some resentment that the British cast was not allowed to do the film. [from intro]
Here is another show-directory, which I will have no time to finish. 3 sisters started this web-show mania. 12th Night has the text broken into "French Scenes" -- and HamletDreams... Yeah, I tried to do the same with WWWilde (The Importance of Being Earnest like the other titles mentined is in public domain). Not DL and not DJ (Don Juan 2003) and therefore I will limit myself in webbing too much from now on. Use the existing showcases: comedy (Shakespeare and Wilde), tragedy (Hamlet) and drama (3 Sisters). I assigned each of them to a specific class: Fundamentals of Acting (Wilde), Intermediate Acting (Biomechanics -- 12night and Mikado), Advanced (Method -- Chekhov). THR331 Fundamentals of Directing -- Hamlet. So, I try to link the pages from both ends -- from here to the subject directories, and from there to the showcases here.
Well, kids, the idea was great: to have a last part of my etextbooks-in-progress a part, where we can stady the whole play! I thought that I can refer in each chapter to this last part-attachment... Small misculculation -- it takes so much time, my friends! Of course, it's nice in a chapter on characterization, for instance, to assign one character for each student from the play in the back... but I have to arrange the texts of the play in hypertext manner, break them in smaller parts, organizing the order and connections... Oh, boy, why did I think it? Why didn't I stop the madness then, when I didn't know how to write HTML? Why?
UAF Main Stage
...
Director's Notes
Set in France, 1788. The Marquise de Merteuil needs a favour from her ex-lover, Vicomte de Valmont. Her ex-husband is planning on marrying young Cecile de Volanges. The Marquise would like Valmont to seduce Cecile before her wedding day. Meanwhile Valmont has a conquest of his own in mind, Madame de Tourvel, a beautiful, married, and God fearing woman. The Marquise doesn't think that Valmont can do it, she tells him that if he can provide written proof of a sexual encounter with Madame de Tourvel, that she will offer him a reward, one last night with her...
The plot is about sex, the story is about love. Should we say -- "love triangle"? Sure, there is a power trip here as well. Merteuil suppresses her love for Valmont and Valmont blocks his love for Tourvel... Both will pay for it.
We believe that we are masters of our lives and free to make our own choices. The classic world was wiser; they knew that we are not in charge of our fate and such things as matters of heart. The Greeks thought that the arrows sent by Eros strike the heart and makes one lovesick forever. There is no cure, no mercy, no escape.
Valmont wants to die, because he missed the love of his life. Oh, yes, we are afraid to love and fall in love; we run from love in order to keep control over our lives. But without love our lives are lost. Well, here is the old answer to the old question about meaning of life: to live is to love. If there is no love in your heart, you are wasting your life.
Wasted life is worse than death. Maybe this story about the end of the French aristocracy, who had everything and lived for feelings and thoughts, could teach us that plenty, comfort and freedom are not values by themselves, but the means to love and be loved.
We say "God is Love." What is the punishment for the crimes against God? Look at the date when our story takes place: the French Revolution ended the Classical Era... Love is dangerous. Life is dangerous. Love is the only your true liaison with your life.
Anatoly Antohin, 2002
Of course, the pages will be updated, when the production is in progress. And after it's over. I hope.
Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Aug. 2004 -- The Taming of the Shrew & Oedipus X are the last two shows I will have online. Webbing takes too much time, I can't became a webmaster by default. Goodbye vtheatre! Anatoly
PS
The love triangle: Merteuil - Valmont - Tourvel
What does Tourvel have that Merteuil doesn't? Love.
Why? Becauase dies of broken heart? [Nothing is finished, nothing in depth ]
NB
The three only, the rest to fall in place by itself.
Fall 2002. Don't do it again. Ever. Only the great plays. No time for fakes.
Importance of Being Earnest play online
theatre theory
