The Balcony

The Balcony is a French play ("Le Balcon") by Jean Genet that was first produced in 1956. In English translation, the play has been performed frequently and was adapted for a 1963 film version.

Plot

Most of the action takes place in a special brothel that the madam refers to as a "house of illusions". The brothel is constructed of various rooms where "scenes" or role-plays are acted out by the patrons. Genet uses this setting to explore roles of power in society, for example, in one of the more sadomasochistic scenes a patron assumes the role of a judge who is punishing a thief, and the roles of the judge, executioner, and criminal are explored. Meanwhile, as these scenes unfold, there is a revolution going on outside in the city, and the occupants of the brothel are anxiously awaiting the coming of the Chief of Police. Genet also explores the role of the image in modern society as one of the prostitutes, Chantal, quits the brothel and becomes the embodiment of the spirit of the revolution. The Chief of Police eventually appears and it is revealed to the occupants of the brothel that the leaders of society (the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the Bishop, the General, etc.) have all been killed. Using the costumes and props in the house of illusions, the patrons' roles are realized when they pose in public as the societal figures in an effort to restore authority and order.

Theatrical productions

ambox | type = content |

text = Please help improve this section by adding for .The play was originally produced in London, England, in 1957, at the Arts Theatre where it had to be arranged to be performed at a "private club" to get around the Lord Chamberlain's ban on public performances of the play. Genet himself participated in the theatrics by accusing the director of ruining his play during the opening night performance. The production received mixed reviews. Genet preferred the Peter Brook production in Paris, France, in 1960. The New York stage production was based on Brook's version. Translated into English by Bernard Frechtman, the play had its New York première, Off-Broadway, at the Circle in the Square Downtown theatre. It was directed by José Quintero and featured Nancy Marchand, Grayson Hall, Sylvia Miles, Arthur Malet and Salome Jens. [cite news|title=Work by Genet Opens at Circle in Square |last=Atkinson |first=Brooks |date=1960-03-04 |work=The New York Times |url=http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F40616FF3F5916738DDDAD0894DB405B808AF1D3&scp=17&sq=Balcony%20Genet&st=cse]

The play is performed frequently; a 1999 production in New York City was reviewed by D. J. R. Bruckner. [cite news|title=Untangling Genet's Puzzle Of Power, Lost and Found |last=Bruckner |first=D. J. R. |work=The New York Times |date=1999-11-19 |url=http://theater2.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?html_title=&tols_title=BALCONY,%20THE%20(PLAY)&pdate=19991119&byline=By%20D.%20J.%20R.%20BRUCKNER&id=1077011432260&scp=6&sq=The%20Balcony&st=cse] Several versions of the play in translation by Frechtman have been published by Grove Press. [cite book|title=The Balcony: Revised Edition |last=Genet |first=Jean |coauthors=Bernard Frechtman |isbn=0802150349 |publisher=Grove Press |date=1994]

Film version

Infobox Film
name = The Balcony


image_size =
caption =
director = Joseph Strick
producer = Ben Maddow
Joseph Strick
writer = Jean Genet
Ben Maddow
narrator =
starring = Shelley Winters
Peter Falk
Lee Grant
music =
cinematography = George J. Folsey
editing = Chester W. Schaeffer
distributor =
released = 1963-03-21
runtime = 84 m
country = USA
language = English
budget =
gross =
preceded_by =
followed_by =
website =
amg_id =
imdb_id = 0056847

A film version directed by Joseph Strick was released in 1963. It starred Shelley Winters, Peter Falk, Lee Grant and Leonard Nimoy. George J. Folsey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Ben Maddow was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award award. The film also credits the photographer Helen Levitt as an assistant director, and the Oscar-winning editor Verna Fields as the sound editor. [imdb name|0056847]

Shortly after its release, the film was negatively reviewed by the "New York Times" critic, Bosley Crowther. [cite news|title='The Balcony' Emerges as Labored Mockery |last=Crowther |first=Bosley |url=http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0CE3D71030E03ABC4A51DFB5668388679EDE&ex=1332475200&en=709faf668585ee66&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink |date=1963-03-22 |work=The New York Times] Upon its release as a DVD in 2003, Karl Wareham reviewed it more favorably, "'The Balcony' is recommended for those who like an enigma of a film, one that tugs at your subconscious long after the titles fade. It’s a film that reaches to the very heart of why our society works in the way it does, and presents unrelenting questions and dilemmas." [cite web|title=DVD Times - The Balcony |last=Wareham |first=Karl |url=http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=10832 |work=DVD Times |date=2004-03-17 |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20050426005843/http://dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=10832 |archivedate=2005-04-26]

References