The Lady of the Camellias
The Lady of the Camellias (La Dame aux Camellias ) is a novel by French author Alexandre Dumas, fils He appeared in 1848 in Paris and became one of the greatest successes of the other in the shadow of his father standing author.
Time and effect of the piece
Like other novels of Dumas the Younger, the book with the Paris demimonde, the demi - monde in which Dumas moved. The plot of the Lady of the Camellias is partly autobiographical and tells the story of his encounter the age of twenty with the milliner and courtesan Marie Duplessis.
Since the book from the public was very successful, he reworked the piece to a stage drama, which premiered on February 2, 1852 in Paris, after being the premiere moved from moral considerations, several times. From 1880, the French actress Sarah Bernhardt played the title role in Lady of the Camellias and so celebrated worldwide with great success. The piece should be about their life role, which was filmed in 1911 with her; In 1936 it was filmed again directed by George Cukor, this time with Greta Garbo and Robert Taylor in the lead roles (see: The Lady of the Camellias (1936 ) ). The first film adaptation of the substance in 1907 in Denmark, directed by Viggo Larsen.
Musically, the Lady of the Camellias was a success: Giuseppe Verdi set to music the drama in 1853 in the Traviata as one of the first realistic operas of his time.
The choreographer John Neumeier created in 1978 a ballet, which premiered on November 4 of the same year in the Great House of Württemberg State Theatre in Stuttgart with Marcia Haydée in the title role. See the main article The Lady of the Camellias ( ballet ).
John Neumeier even filmed his ballet in 1987 with Marcia Haydée, Ivan Liska, Francois Klaus, Colleen Scott and Vladimir Klos in the lead roles. Of the 129 minute-long film was released in theaters on November 19, 1987. The Film Review Board Wiesbaden awarded him the title of " most valuable". The lexicon of international film proclaims: The famous love fate of Paris, Lady of the Camellias ' ... as morbid lyrical ballet of exemplary artistic unity. By aestheticism and romanticism, however, the social context of the socially conditioned soul experiences a drama not appropriate weakening. Impressive mainly because of the masterful choreography and dance feats.
From the Bavarian Radio also exist two radio plays.
Action
The young Armand Duval, a man from the best circles of Parisian society learns the courtesan Marguerite Gautier know and love. The single flowers with which one can bestow it, are camellias. After initial jealousies and retreats by Armands, the more violently in love with her and accordingly reacts angrily to their lifestyle, also Marguerite in love with him and tried to give up their former, dissolute life for his sake and to begin with it a new life together.
When his father, a very sittsamer person who is very concerned about his son, learns of the affair, it first tries vigorously to dissuade them. When he refuses, politely but firmly, the Father is looking secretly at Marguerite. As they who first makes him her indignant accusations, convinced of the authenticity of her love for Armand, he conjures them not to endanger his son and his future with the infamous connection. She bends, breaks up with Armand and returns to her old life for his sake.
Armand learns nothing of the events and is deeply hurt. Only when it is difficult lung disease dying, he learns the reasons for their actions.
Expenditure
- Alexandre Dumas, fils: The Lady of the Camellias. Translated by Walter Hoyer. Aufbau Taschenbuch Verlag, Berlin 2002, ISBN 3-7466-6100-5
- Alexandre Dumas, fils: The Lady of the Camellias, novel, translated from the French and with an epilogue edited by Michaela Messner, dtv, Munich 1993, 7th Edition 2005, ISBN 978-3-423-12479-9
- Alexandre Dumas, fils: The Lady of the Camellias, Complete translation by Andrea Spingler, Berlin: Island, 2012, ISBN 978-3-458-17557-5