(1975)
2.5
Craig Butler
Like many of the entries in the well-intentioned American Film Theatre series, The Maids tries to remain true to both its theatrical origins and the different requirements of the cinema. It straddles the fence rather too severely, unfortunately, and, as a result, comes across as rather muddled and unsatisfying. Jean Genet's script has been faithfully recreated onscreen, but it's a transfer rather than an adaptation. As a result, dialogue that was stylized and dramatic on-stage often becomes stilted and ponderous onscreen. Genet's "Theatre of the Absurd" treatment of the story also needs a cinematic re-thinking; it cries out for a looser, more fluid lensing than it receives from director Christopher Miles. Instead, Miles has concentrated his efforts on his cast, and while this may make the film, as a whole, less than enthralling, it does provide viewers with some highly charged, occasionally overly theatrical, but always engrossing, performances from Glenda Jackson and Susannah York. No one can be as frighteningly acidic or embody evil as convincingly as Jackson, of course, but the surprise is how well York holds her own against this formidable presence. The chemistry between the two is electric and disturbing, and the intensity they bring to their parts is fascinating to watch.
releases for The Maids on AllMovie
The Maids (1975)
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Title/Studio |
Release Date |
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The Maids
Fremantle
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September 27, 2004 |
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The Maids
Kino
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April 1, 2003 |
