FRENCH PLAYS OF THE 1940s “OFF THE PAGE”

France recovering from the first shock of defeat and the first rigors of the German Occupation produced the most stimulating drama of the period…as a reaction to political and military helplessness.” [John Gassner]  That these exciting pieces were tolerated by the German Authority in Paris is a tribute to the cleverness of their authors (and perhaps to the obtuseness of the Nazis.)
Many used Greek myths and legends and historical figures to mask their very contemporary hatred of tyranny and resistance to it.
 
I have chosen three representative plays of the period by three of its best playwrights.  I have omitted Sartre because his plays either have too few  characters or are (frankly) not as good theatre as those I’ve included. (I suggest you read NO EXIT and THE FLIES  on your own as great examples of “existential” plays.)
 
PLEASE BE SURE TO HAVE READ ANTIGONE BY SOPHOCLES BY THE FIRST CLASS SO WE CAN COMPARE WITH ANOUILH’S VERSION.  The translation doesn’t matter.
 
Our first play will be ANTIGONE  by Anouilh. This is a reinterpretation, not a restatement, of Sophocles’s play, written at a time when the French were torn between resistance and accommodation. It brings up the question of the value of “heroic action” and asserts the dignity of life. What can one do as the individual against the state? The conflict may seem clear, but is Creon really a villain?
The subtitle of CALIGULA by Camus is “The Meaning of Death”. Written in 1938, but not produced in Paris until 1945 with Gerard Phillipe in the title role, it is very theatrical. The play is deeply concerned with the “absurdity of life” as Caligula perceives it.  As the most powerful man in the world, Caligula wants to make “the impossible possible”. Is he a madman or a very rational one who wishes to push logic as far as it will go? The play is packed with theatrical moments that will be fun to try to stage.
 
THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT by Giraudoux, created during the early days of the Liberation, is not an existential drama of Occupation. Its tone is light and almost dreamlike, (and it has great parts for women). It is a poetic fantasy dealing with the clear conflict between good and evil: it unhesitatingly tells us that the universal destruction of mankind is evil.  Is it really crazy to be “mad” in a world that makes no sense? Giraudoux makes us believe in this world of fantasy and dreams.
 
TEXTS:
ANTIGONE  by Sophocles, any translation, to be read BEFORE the first meeting. Bring your text.
To insure that we’ll all be “on the same page” as it were, all the scripts will be  photocopied. The charge for the packet is $10, to be picked up at PSRC before the first class (Oct 7).  Please pay PSRC.
ANTIGONE  by Anouilh
CALIGULA   by Camus
THE MADWOMAN OF CHAILLOT  by Giraudoux.