Marat/Sade (1967)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

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:

Patrick Magee won the 1966 Tony Award (New York City) for Supporting or Features Actor in a Drama for "Marat/Sade" as Marquis de Sade recreating his role in this production.

Quotes:

Marquis de Sade: To me, the only reality is imagination; the world inside myself. The revolution no longer interests me.

Movie Connections:

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

Amazing Acting/Spectacular Film

When Marat/Sade was first shown--those of us used to the traditional Hollywood film entertainments were just stunned. What a tour de force of acting, story, makeup, style, filming and music. We didn't know what to make of it. On the one hand it was the scariest, most disturbing film we had seen, on the other

hand it was a grand entertainment with absolutely intriguing characters. Was it historically accurate? Is it a dream? Was that really supposed to be the

Marquis de Sade up on the screen? The film has amazing bookends: The

opening film credits appearing in complete silence one word at a time and then disappearing one word at a time, has to be sort of a classic of film titles-- anticipating the minimalist art movements in the visual arts. Before the film even begins, we are off kilter, completely disoriented. The horrifying ending at the time was a shocker. One is really unprepared for this spectacular brutality--and the fact that it just ends in the midst of the chaos with zero resolution again is totally disorienting. This remains a great film--with some of the most amazing acting ever caught on screen. For most of us here in the U.S., it was the first time we saw Glenda Jackson. Her voice, her presence, her amazing acting

technique--she became instantaneously recognized as one of the great screen

actresses. And sure enough shortly thereafter, she won her two academy

awards. If you enjoy great theatre, and great film treatments of theatrical

material--this film is simply not to be missed.