Post by reut on Dec 26, 2015 21:43:58 GMT 1
A few thoughts and impressions about "Perfume", like I promised in the other thread. I wasn't sure if to start with bad and then to finish with good or the other way round. I guess I will start with good, then some bad and then some good again.
What I was impressed the most - I was totally shocked even - is by how he interpreted Russian dialogues. I know for sure he doesn't know Russian. And yet I totally believed he did, because he acted so precisely and so well. Just incredible. Especially I loved his scene with Artur Gachinski/Baldini (in second video).
I loved his costumes, his sleeveless top surprisingly looked good on him (a few years ago it wouldn't have, but his body has matured and changed a bit since then ). In general, based on what I saw on photos and videos, he looked really great. Maybe a bit too well and handsome for a character which should be ugly, dirty and disgusting.
They didn't fully follow the book in the script and they made Grenouille less repellent than he was in the book. They kind of went with the idea that after all he was a genius, who should be judged by different measures. Their tagline was "Это история не убийцы, а история рождения гения!" ("This is not a story of a murderer, this is story of a birth of genius!"). Stephane himself also had a bit different perspective on this character which you can hear in what he explained during the meeting, he saw Grenouille as someone miserable who didn't get in his childhood the very basic, he didn't know love. And now it's kind of understandable that he wants to be loved, in any possible way and paying any price.
I'd say it's a bit not what was in the book, but of course they had every right to bring their own interpretation. It was not exact adaptation of the book, just like, for example, "Notre Dame de Paris" is not exact adaptation of what Victor Hugo wrote.
Yet some directions of their adaptation were quite... unexpected. For example, they added an idea that magical scent which Grenouille was trying to create and which charmed him in his first victim was the scent of virginity. Hence in duet with Naomi, who in book was his first victim, the story is quite different, they sleep together (and before that she begs him "my dear, please, pick my flower" and he answers "yes, my dear, I will pick!"), then he wakes up and can't recognize her while she is crying for him why he doesn't want her anymore. In original story it was not possible, Grenouille was so detestable nobody would want to sleep with him and nobody would be disappointed and sad that he doesn't love her back. And this idea of losing virginity goes through the whole show. Grenouille is obsessed with taking the scent "before you suddenly become a woman", it is repeated again and again, in quite vulgar way sometimes.
And here we come to the worst part of the show, the lyrics. It was absolutely tasteless, cheap and gross. Maybe in our world where "50 shades of grey" becomes best seller it is perceived as normal, but I was quite shocked to be exposed to something like this, performed on the stage, with Stephane skating to it.
They proud themselves and tell it in every interview and every promotion article that this is the only adaptation Süskind gave his permission to be created, after he heard the music and read the script. How on earth Süskind could agree to that?! I really don't know.
Just some examples, there were much more but I don't feel like listening again and translating all of that.
In that scene where the crowd is getting closer and closer to Stephane and then "eats" him (video number 9).
Inhale me, inhale me,
Drink my smell, drink it,
Be inflamed with love to me,
And get drunk by this love,
Be inflamed with love to me,
Catch my every glance.
Crave for me, crave for me,
Love me, love me.
Love me with your soul,
Love me with all your skin.
Make love to me while standing,
Make love to me while laying.
Love me with your eyes,
Tear off all your clothes.
Make love to me, make love to me
To full unconsciousness.
Or, another one, "I'm the perfumer" (video number 8):
While you're still not madam,
Mademoiselle, I swear by God,
I won't let anyone have your wonderful smell of touch-me-not.
...
It so frightening to think that this smell can disappear today or tomorrow
When you go into bed with someone
And suddenly become a woman.
I mean, REALLY? It was so awful I couldn't stop laughing.
Now back to something good. Stephane wasn't in Russia for a year and a half. And he was back now, declined other projects for that, which is very appreciated by all his fans. He was on the ice A LOT and he was definitely THE STAR of this project. They all heard and read only very high appreciation of his performances which is always nice to know. It was definitely a very interesting and changeling task for him and he definitely excelled in it.
I wish only that next time the level of everything - music, singers, other skaters, choreo, texts - will be more up to his...
What I was impressed the most - I was totally shocked even - is by how he interpreted Russian dialogues. I know for sure he doesn't know Russian. And yet I totally believed he did, because he acted so precisely and so well. Just incredible. Especially I loved his scene with Artur Gachinski/Baldini (in second video).
I loved his costumes, his sleeveless top surprisingly looked good on him (a few years ago it wouldn't have, but his body has matured and changed a bit since then ). In general, based on what I saw on photos and videos, he looked really great. Maybe a bit too well and handsome for a character which should be ugly, dirty and disgusting.
They didn't fully follow the book in the script and they made Grenouille less repellent than he was in the book. They kind of went with the idea that after all he was a genius, who should be judged by different measures. Their tagline was "Это история не убийцы, а история рождения гения!" ("This is not a story of a murderer, this is story of a birth of genius!"). Stephane himself also had a bit different perspective on this character which you can hear in what he explained during the meeting, he saw Grenouille as someone miserable who didn't get in his childhood the very basic, he didn't know love. And now it's kind of understandable that he wants to be loved, in any possible way and paying any price.
I'd say it's a bit not what was in the book, but of course they had every right to bring their own interpretation. It was not exact adaptation of the book, just like, for example, "Notre Dame de Paris" is not exact adaptation of what Victor Hugo wrote.
Yet some directions of their adaptation were quite... unexpected. For example, they added an idea that magical scent which Grenouille was trying to create and which charmed him in his first victim was the scent of virginity. Hence in duet with Naomi, who in book was his first victim, the story is quite different, they sleep together (and before that she begs him "my dear, please, pick my flower" and he answers "yes, my dear, I will pick!"), then he wakes up and can't recognize her while she is crying for him why he doesn't want her anymore. In original story it was not possible, Grenouille was so detestable nobody would want to sleep with him and nobody would be disappointed and sad that he doesn't love her back. And this idea of losing virginity goes through the whole show. Grenouille is obsessed with taking the scent "before you suddenly become a woman", it is repeated again and again, in quite vulgar way sometimes.
And here we come to the worst part of the show, the lyrics. It was absolutely tasteless, cheap and gross. Maybe in our world where "50 shades of grey" becomes best seller it is perceived as normal, but I was quite shocked to be exposed to something like this, performed on the stage, with Stephane skating to it.
They proud themselves and tell it in every interview and every promotion article that this is the only adaptation Süskind gave his permission to be created, after he heard the music and read the script. How on earth Süskind could agree to that?! I really don't know.
Just some examples, there were much more but I don't feel like listening again and translating all of that.
In that scene where the crowd is getting closer and closer to Stephane and then "eats" him (video number 9).
Inhale me, inhale me,
Drink my smell, drink it,
Be inflamed with love to me,
And get drunk by this love,
Be inflamed with love to me,
Catch my every glance.
Crave for me, crave for me,
Love me, love me.
Love me with your soul,
Love me with all your skin.
Make love to me while standing,
Make love to me while laying.
Love me with your eyes,
Tear off all your clothes.
Make love to me, make love to me
To full unconsciousness.
Or, another one, "I'm the perfumer" (video number 8):
While you're still not madam,
Mademoiselle, I swear by God,
I won't let anyone have your wonderful smell of touch-me-not.
...
It so frightening to think that this smell can disappear today or tomorrow
When you go into bed with someone
And suddenly become a woman.
I mean, REALLY? It was so awful I couldn't stop laughing.
Now back to something good. Stephane wasn't in Russia for a year and a half. And he was back now, declined other projects for that, which is very appreciated by all his fans. He was on the ice A LOT and he was definitely THE STAR of this project. They all heard and read only very high appreciation of his performances which is always nice to know. It was definitely a very interesting and changeling task for him and he definitely excelled in it.
I wish only that next time the level of everything - music, singers, other skaters, choreo, texts - will be more up to his...