Marat/Sade (1967)

Director:

Peter Brook

Writers:

Adrian Mitchell (screenplay)
Geoffrey Skelton (English translation)

Release Date:

13 April 1967 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Music

Plot:

In an insane Asylum, Marquis de Sade directs the Jean Paul Marat's last days through a theather play. The actors are the patients.

Plot Keywords:

Marquis De Sade | Jean Paul Marat | Insane Asylum | Chaos | Mental Patient

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Patrick Magee	...	Marquis de Sade
Ian Richardson	...	Jean-Paul Marat
Michael Williams	...	Herald
Clifford Rose	...	Monsieur Coulmier
Glenda Jackson	...	Charlotte Corday
Freddie Jones	...	Cucurucu
Hugh Sullivan	...	Kokol
John Hussey	...	Newly Rich Lady
William Morgan Sheppard	...	A Mad Animal
Jonathan Burn	...	Polpoch
Jeanette Landis	...	Rossignol
Robert Langdon Lloyd	...	Jacques Roux (as Robert Lloyd)
John Steiner	...	Monsieur Dupere
James Mellor	...	Schoolmaster
Henry Woolf	...	Father

Also Known As:

The Persecution and Assassination of Jean-Paul Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum at Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade (UK) (complete title)

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X | USA:Not Rated | Argentina:16 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Marat Sade Productions

Trivia:

The full title of the original Broadway play was "The Persecution and Assassination of Marat as Performed by the Inmates of the Asylum of Charenton Under the Direction of the Marquis de Sade" which opened on December 27, 1965 at the Martin Beck Theatre and ran for 145 performances. Ian Richardson, Michael Williams, Clifford Rose, Glenda Jackson, Freddie Jones, Hugh Sullivan, John Hussey, William Morgan Sheppard, Jonathan Burn, Jeanette Landis, Paul Robert Langdon, John Steiner, James Mellor, Henry Woolf, John Harwood, Leon Lissek, Susan Williamson, Carol Raymont, Mary Allen, Robert Lloyd, Jacques Roux, Patrick Magee, Mark Jones, Brenda Kempner, Maroussia Frank, Tamara Fuerst, Lynn Pinkney, Ian Hogg, Ruth Baker, Michael Farnsworth, Guy Gordon, Michael Percival, Heather Canning, Jennifer Tudor, Timothy Hardy, and Stanford Trowell recreated their stage roles in the movie version. The original play was written by Geoffrey Skelton, with the English translation by Peter Weiss.

Quotes:

Marquis de Sade: And what's the point of a revolution without general copulation?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Asylum: (#1.4)" (1996)

expertly portrayed characters from the asylum at Charenton

I was hooked on this movie the minute I laid eyes upon it... bought the video and meticulously transcribed every word onto my copy of a transcript. I found the Shakespearean troupe to be excellent in their portrayals of madmen performing a play. The French Revolution being the main theme, echoed by various inmates' views of it, as well as several forays into philosophical thinking of man's condition. Plenty of symbolism, hard to draw a line where reality ends and madness begins (is it history, the play, the actor, the character, the madman, the script, etc.). Bears repeated watchings well, if one is interested in terrific character portrayal, philosophy, history, mental illness in general, etc. Asks that you pay close attention at all times, however... some of the extended debates between De Sade and Marat are absolutely riveting to watch. The interplay of several levels of perception is fascinating, and the overall effect is definitely one of a real insane asylum, disturbingly so at times. There is much humour here as well, again on multiple levels... this is definitely an intellectual movie, a thinking man's movie... all action takes place in the single bathouse of the asylum. Many aspects both of history and the philosophies of revolutionary leaders and their antagonists are explored. Highly recommended watching.