Grand-Guignol

by Hand, Richard J.

• ISBN13: 9780859896962
• ISBN10: 085989696X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-01-01
• Publisher: Univ of Exeter Pr

Summary

The Theatre du Grand-Guignol in Paris (1897-1962) achieved a legendary reputation as the 'Theatre of Horror,' a venue displaying such explicit violence and blood-curdling terror that a resident doctor was employed to treat the numerous spectators who fainted each night. Indeed, the phrase 'grand guignol' has entered the language to describe any display of sensational horror. Since the theatre closed its doors forty years ago, the genre has been overlooked by critics and theatre historians. This book reconsiders the importance and influence of the Grand-Guignol within its social, cultural and historical contexts, and is the first attempt at a major evaluation of the genre as performance. It gives full consideration to practical applications and to the challenges presented to the actor and director. The book also includes oustanding new translations by the authors of ten Grand-Guignol plays, none of which have been previously available in English. The presentation of these plays in English for the first time is an implicit demand for a total reappraisal of the grand-guignol genre, not least for the unexpected inclusion of two very funny comedies.

Author Biography

Mike Wilson is Professor of Drama at the University of Glamorgan. He is author of Performance and Practice: Oral Narrative Traditions among Teenagers in Britain and Ireland (Ashgate, 1997). Richard Hand is a Principal Lecturer in Drama at the University of Glamorgan. He is also assistant editor and translator of Naturalism and Symbolism in European Theatre, 1850 - 1918(CUP, 1996).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations	viii
Preface	ix
Part One: An Introduction to the Grand-Guignol	1	(78)
An Historical Outline of the Grand-Guignol	3	(23)
The Topography of Horror: Location and venue	26	(7)
Acts of Horror: Performing in the Grand-Guignol	33	(19)
Technical Aspects of Grand-Guignol Practice	52	(15)
Issues of Audience and Reception at the Grand-Guignol	67	(12)
Part Two: Ten Plays of the Grand-Guignol	79	(186)
A Note on the Translations	81	(184)
Jack (Lui!)	83	(10)
Oscar Metenier
The Ultimate Torture (La Derniere Torture)	93	(16)
Andre de Lorde
Eugene Morel
The Lighthouse Keepers (Gardiens de phare)	109	(12)
Paul Autier
Paul Cloquemin
Chop-Chop! or The Guillotine (La Veuve)	121	(18)
Eugene Heros
Leon Abric
Tics, or Doing The Deed (Apres Coup! . . . ou Tics)	139	(16)
Rene Berton
In the Darkroom (Sous la lumiere rouge)	155	(25)
Maurice Level
Etienne Rey
The Final Kiss (Le Baiser dans la nuit)	180	(15)
Maurice Level
The Torture Garden (Le Jardin des supplices)	195	(36)
Pierre Chaine
Andre de Lorde
Euthanasia (L'Euthanasie ou le Devoir de tuer)	231	(13)
Rene Berton
The Kiss of Blood (Le Baiser de sang)	244	(21)
Jean Aragny
Francis Neilson
Bibliography	265	(4)
Filmography	269	(2)
Index	271