Friday, December 21, 2012

Magnifique: Play- Celimene and the Cardinal

Stumbled upon a light, souffle like play. In French and very French. Luckily, with English subtitles :) Remembered a bit from the days I learnt French. Only the French can do a play on subjects as seemingly disparate as religion and love.

It's a sequel to Moliere's The Misanthrope, but the director Jacques Rampal has written it. Very witty with lines like- so now that your servant has quit, who's the replacement? asks the Cardinal.
Celimene replies, wiggling her fingers- I have ten!

Celimene is a feisty character, rarely getting cowed down by the Cardinal. An ex lover, he tries to browbeat her bees saal baad. He stumbles on a book of paintings of her done by her husband. He denounces them while looking through them :) Tauba Tauba types.

Celimene invents a confession to keep her husband from jail. The Cardinal is conscience stricken, realising that he is the greater sinner. He returns the book of her paintings to her and vows to go away to a desert island.

Realising that he still carries a torch for her, Celimene gives him the book of paintings. A wonderfully nuanced note. I want to read The Misanthrope now, or better still watch it. I coveted Celimene's outfit the moment I saw it. A bottle green with layers, flounces and ruffles enough to gladden Anne of Green Gables's heart. Gowns aren't that useful here, but a kurta...

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