Lis and I just watched "Titus"

[xiphias]

Titus explains that the Queen's two sons are in the pies she just ate, stabs her in the throat, and a brawl breaks out.

Me: [turns to Lis] Wow, Titus throws the BEST parties, dosn't he?

In the brawl, Emperor Saturnius picks up a big ole spiky candelabra and stabs Titus through the chest with it.

Lis: Emperor Saturnius, in the dining room, with the candlestick.

Comments

Spoiler for the book, the play, or the movie?

[beardedone.livejournal.com]

I loved watching the play. I haven't seen the film, and we never studied Titus Andronicus, even though it was one of Shakespeare's best works. (I still think he stole the story from the Greeks.)

Good call, cheshyre.

Re: Spoiler for the book, the play, or the movie?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

A little of all three. Mostly the movie. But, y'know, knowing some of who gets slaughtered in the "feast scene" could be considered a spoiler.

A lot of people consider it one of his worst works. But it was one of his most popular during his lifetime.

Many people use this as an example of why "popular" is different from "good".

Anyway, I think it's a lot of fun.

And of course he stole the story from the Greeks. He even SAYS where he stole some of it from. And he stole the rest from the Romans. Shakespeare steals real good.

[jenett]

My take on it is that you've got to love any play in which 4 people die in 8 lines.

What did you both think of the movie?

[xiphias.livejournal.com]

I don't know. I mean, Shakespeare wrote this really bloody slasher flick, um, play, designed to be titilating, gross-out, and shocking -- a sixteenth-century Nightmare on Elm Street. And Julie Taymor did it in a dreamlike, surrealistic style.

I don't know. I'm not sure I get the point of doing it SO stylized, SO surrealistic. I wonder if you couldn't just do it as a "straight" slasher film. I wonder if Julie Taymor, by adding this artistic level to it, isn't putting too much into it?

[cheshyre]

My favorite ad-lib was during the dinner party, where I called out:

"Janet gets it! Brad gets it! ... Rocky gets it but doesn't care!"

[hangedwoman.livejournal.com]

Quite possibly the best cut tag line I have ever seen.

I sort of saw this movie; I was staying at my parents house after surgery, drifting in and out of sleep on the couch in a drug and exhaustion-induced haze. Much the same way I saw "Kiss of the Spider Woman", on the day of my first real (and worst to date) hangover.

[cheshyre]

Okay, I just came across this post again, while looking at just how much Shakespeare can be found in *my* blog, and it *still* makes me laugh out loud.