Aeschylus: Agamemnon (1983 TV) part 6/10

[reveli]

The static nature of Hall's blocking and the decision to use full - rather than half -masks distances the viewer from the visceral emotions of Aeschylus' very edgy telling of this story. The rhyming stichomythia is fine, but John Lewin's adaptation of the play for Tyrone Guthrie's 1967/8 version of the trilogy is far, far gutsier, its rhymes and meter impelling the text and movement of the drama more successfully than in this respectable but ultimately dull production.

[kaitwospirit]

The number of people missing the point of this production amazes me. The static blocking and full masks are there because of a decision to, as closely as possible given the records that we have, reflect the way that the play would have been staged in ancient Greece. The point isn't to be "gutsy," it's to be accurate.

[reveli]

And you miss MY point; Peter Hall is staging the play for a 20th c. Brit audience, not a 5th c. BC Greek audience. Why create an artifact, however accurate, rather than employ theatrical techniques we've learned in 2500 years? Besides, we know virtually nothing about HOW those plays were actually staged and performed.

[panacea2010]

yes, because obviously there's really no point ever putting these on on stage anymore, for theatre has been made completely obsolete by the hyperrealistic possibilities of cinema, yes these ancient plays should only be re-enacted on film with CGI and 3D and never be so damned static and distanced ever again

[gwennn89]

hmm, this translation made the stichomythia rhymme..\: quite nice but cant decide if i like it..

[oliverutube123]

brilliant