Death and The Maiden film vs text comparison
The Polanski film Death and the Maiden is a wonderful and intelligent interpretation of Ariel Dorfman's human rights problem play. Polanski has produced, in this film, an exceptional piece of direction, in which his own personal, emotional input is evident. The main theme of the play is an extremely personal one for both playwright (and scriptwriter) and director. Both Dorfman and Polanski have had to face and flee the horrors of dictatorship and human rights violations: Dorfman in Chile, under General Augusto Pinochet, and Polanski in Poland under the Nazis. But despite this similarity in past experience, significant differences exist between the original play and the film. Apart from the specific techniques of lighting and composition, whose possibilities are greatly widened in the medium of film, we see differences in both the different emphases and implied viewpoints on the various themes that the play touches on and, perhaps more importantly, the way the characters are portrayed.While the old concept of "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is present in both the play and the film (particularly in the characterisation of Paulina), it is much more prevalent in the movie. We can see Paulina's strength from the star
It is not until the following scenes, when she is finally confronted with the cause of that anger, however, that we see its full magnitude and destructive potential. However, the film is not a justification of Paulina's actions, a simple revenge fantasy. Although possessing remarkable strength in both texts, the movie shows a much stronger, almost completely masculine Paulina. Throughout the bout of verbal jousting that goes on in the opening scene Paulina is able to hold her ground much more firmly than she appears to do in the play. Weaver's powerful acting conveys the unmistakable tension associated with an incredible amount of suppressed anger. Illuminated by typically horror-movie-style lighting. Despite the satisfaction of Paulina's brand of justice, she can't, when faced with Roberto's honest confession and the fact that he too is human and has his own reasons for doing what he did, push herself to kill him. This moment sees the birth or manifestation of another facet of Paulina's character, the part of Paulina's mind that fantasized about doing to her torturers what they had done to her. I believe this circumstance serves a very important purpose, emphasized by its juxtaposition with the very last scene.
Common topics in this essay:
Paulina Paulina,
Poland Nazis,
Dorfman Gerardo's,
Paulina Fury,
Polanski Roberto,
Polanski's Paulina,
Unlike Dorfman's,
Ariel Dorfman's,
Roberto Miranda's,
Dorfman Polanski,
play film,
play polanski,
phallic symbol,
human rights,
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Acceptance Essays
