Reading plays is awesome, as is writing them. Telling a story without anything but dialogue is quite the challenge. And when one reads a play, you don’t have the actors one would normally rely upon to provide nuance. Ariel Dorfman intentionally refrains from naming the country where “Death & the Maiden” takes place, although it’s obviously Chile. This is an obvious attempt to reinforce the universality of the tale, and it succeeds. Leaving aside the deeply creepy feeling of being confronted by mankind at his worst, committing the most heinous crimes imaginable, the narrative and pacing are very strong in this play.
At this point I’ll provide a brief synopsis of the story: Gerardo Escobar and his wife Paulina are staying at their remote beach house. The unidentified country in which they live has recently reverted to democracy after an extended period of military dictatorship. Gerardo, a lawyer, has been appointed to head a truth and reconciliation committee. Years ago, shortly after the military seized power, Paulina was abducted and tortured. It is implied that the army was using her to get to Gerardo, a leftist student leader at the time. Paulina never gave him up during the torture, so Gerardo was never captured, and this unspoken fact continues to color their marriage. At the beginning of the play, Gerardo gets a flat tire and a Good Samaritan, Dr. Roberto Miranda, gives him a ride home. Paulina, who was blindfolded the entire time she was held prisoner, hears Dr. Miranda’s voice and recognizes it instantly. She is convinced that he was one of her torturers. That’s when things get crazy.
The character development is especially strong in “Death & the Maiden.” I have a theory that in most stories there is one relationship that is more important dramatically than any others. In this case, it’s the relationship between Gerardo and Paulina. Dr. Miranda is meant to be more of a puzzle, a monkey wrench thrown into the machinery of the Escobars’ marriage that forces a cathartic conversation that is long overdue. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the character development is the constant shifting of power among the three characters. Power, and its ability to brutalize the wielder, is one of the main themes.
I understand that the American premiere of the play had Glenn Close and Richard Dreyfus as the Escobars and Gene Hackman as Dr. Miranda. Great casting. I would highly recommend the movie version as well (here’s the IMDB entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109579/). Directed by noted ephebophile Roman Polanski, it stars Ben Kingsley as Dr. Miranda and Sigourney Weaver as Paulina. Gerardo is portrayed by the totally underrated English character actor Stuart Wilson. You may remember him from such films The Rock, Lethal Weapon 3, & The Mask of Zorro.
At this point I’ll provide a brief synopsis of the story: Gerardo Escobar and his wife Paulina are staying at their remote beach house. The unidentified country in which they live has recently reverted to democracy after an extended period of military dictatorship. Gerardo, a lawyer, has been appointed to head a truth and reconciliation committee. Years ago, shortly after the military seized power, Paulina was abducted and tortured. It is implied that the army was using her to get to Gerardo, a leftist student leader at the time. Paulina never gave him up during the torture, so Gerardo was never captured, and this unspoken fact continues to color their marriage. At the beginning of the play, Gerardo gets a flat tire and a Good Samaritan, Dr. Roberto Miranda, gives him a ride home. Paulina, who was blindfolded the entire time she was held prisoner, hears Dr. Miranda’s voice and recognizes it instantly. She is convinced that he was one of her torturers. That’s when things get crazy.
The character development is especially strong in “Death & the Maiden.” I have a theory that in most stories there is one relationship that is more important dramatically than any others. In this case, it’s the relationship between Gerardo and Paulina. Dr. Miranda is meant to be more of a puzzle, a monkey wrench thrown into the machinery of the Escobars’ marriage that forces a cathartic conversation that is long overdue. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the character development is the constant shifting of power among the three characters. Power, and its ability to brutalize the wielder, is one of the main themes.
I understand that the American premiere of the play had Glenn Close and Richard Dreyfus as the Escobars and Gene Hackman as Dr. Miranda. Great casting. I would highly recommend the movie version as well (here’s the IMDB entry: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109579/). Directed by noted ephebophile Roman Polanski, it stars Ben Kingsley as Dr. Miranda and Sigourney Weaver as Paulina. Gerardo is portrayed by the totally underrated English character actor Stuart Wilson. You may remember him from such films The Rock, Lethal Weapon 3, & The Mask of Zorro.
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