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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Oct 1, 2021 12:06:27 GMT
This was suggested by the following thread of Dem Bones: vaultofevil.proboards.com/thread/2169/mel-gordon-grand-guignolMy online ebook site has a surprising number of books with this as a theme. I thought I would list some here. For those fiends who are interested. Le Théâtre du Grand-Guignol lasted from 1897 until 1962. There was a British version in the 1920s. Please list books on this theatre of horror here. Former building of the theatre in the Pigalle district of Paris.
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Oct 1, 2021 12:14:51 GMT
Thirty Hours with a Corpse: and Other Tales of the Grand Guignol By Maurice Level Blurb: Characterized by gratuitous acts of brutality and surprise endings, these tales of obsession and violence are the creations of a twentieth-century French writer whose works were staged by the legendary Théâtre du Grand-Guignol of Paris. The precursors of modern thrillers and slasher films, these stories have been specially selected for this edition and introduced by horror specialist S. T. Joshi. Thirty-nine conte cruel ("cruel tales") include "In the Light of the Red Lamp," in which a husband's photographs of his dead wife reveal a deeper tragedy; "Fascination," the tale of a morbid passion that develops when the narrator, determined to stay at home, shoots his mistress for the sake of peace and quiet; and "The Bastard," concerning a father's suspicions about his son's paternity. Other stories include "The Taint," a view of infanticide as mercy-killing; "The Test," in which an accused murderer is forced to reenact his crime; and "A Maniac," recounting a thrill-seeker's ghoulish impulse to witness death-defying stunts gone wrong. I'm not sure if these are much to do with the Grand Guignol other than the author having written for the theatre. It seems it's just using the link to catch peoples interest. But I'll list it anyway, as some may find it of interest.
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Oct 1, 2021 12:23:01 GMT
Grand-Guignol: The French Theatre of Horror By Richard J. Hand and Michael Wilson Publisher: University of Exeter Press; Illustrated edition (1 Aug. 2002) Paperback: 288 pages ISBN-10: 085989696X ISBN-13: 978-0859896962 Dimensions: 23.37 x 2.29 x 15.49 cm Blurb: The Théâtre du Grand-Guignol in Paris (1897 - 1962) achieved a legendary reputation as the 'Theatre of Horror' a venue displaying such explicit violence and blood-curdling terror that a resident doctor was employed to treat the numerous spectators who fainted each night. Indeed, the phrase 'grand guignol' has entered the language to describe any display of sensational horror. Since the theatre closed its doors forty years ago, the genre has been overlooked by critics and theatre historians. This book reconsiders the importance and influence of the Grand-Guignol within its social, cultural and historical contexts, and is the first attempt at a major evaluation of the genre as performance. It gives full consideration to practical applications and to the challenges presented to the actor and director. The book also includes outstanding new translations by the authors of ten Grand-Guignol plays, none of which have been previously available in English. The presentation of these plays in English for the first time is an implicit demand for a total reappraisal of the grand-guignol genre, not least for the unexpected inclusion of two very funny comedies. Plays included: Jack (Lui!) by Oscar Méténier The Ultimate Torture (La Dernière Torture) by André de Lorde and Eugène Morel The Lighthouse Keepers (Gardiens de phare) by Paul Autier and Paul Cloquemin Chop-Chop! or The Guillotine (La Veuve) by Eugène Héros and Léon Abric Tics, or Doing The Deed (Après Coup! . . . ou Tics) by René Berton In the Darkroom (Sous la lumière rouge) by Maurice Level and Étienne Rey The Final Kiss (Le Baiser dans la nuit) by Maurice Level The Torture Garden (Le Jardin des supplices) by Pierre Chaine and André de Lorde Euthanasia (L’Euthanasie ou le Devoir de tuer) by René Berton The Kiss of Blood (Le Baiser de sang) by Jean Aragny and Francis Neilson
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Oct 1, 2021 12:40:01 GMT
Performing Grand-Guignol: Playing the Theatre of Horror by Richard J. Hand, Michael Wilson Publisher: University of Exeter Press; 1st edition (31 Mar. 2016) Hardcover: 320 pages ISBN-10: 0859899950 ISBN-13: 978-0859899956 Dimensions: 15.24 x 2.79 x 22.86 cm Blurb: From the authors of the successful Grand-Guignol and London’s Grand Guignol - also published by UEP – this book includes translations of a further eleven plays, adding significantly to the repertoire of Grand-Guignol plays available in the English language. The emphasis in the translation and adaptation of these plays is once again to foreground the performability of the scripts within a modern context – making Performing Grand-Guignol an ideal acting guide. Hand and Wilson have acquired extremely rare acting copies of plays which have never been published and scripts that were published in the early years of the twentieth century but have not been published since – even in French. Includes plays written by, or adapted from, such notable writers as Octave Mirbeau, Gaston Leroux and St John Ervine as well as examples by Grand-Guignol stalwarts René Berton and André de Lorde. Also included is the 1920s London translation of Blind Man’s Buff written by Charles Hellem and Pol d’Estoc and banned by the Lord Chamberlain. A brief history of the Parisian theatre is also included, for the benefit of readers who have not read the previous books. Prefaces and Plays: First Programme The Haunted House (La Maison hantée) by Marc Bonis-Charancle The Kama Sutra or Never Play with Fire … (Kama Soutra, ou Il ne faut pas jouer avec le feu) by Régis Gignoux Blind Man’s Buff by Charles Hellem and Pol d’Estoc The Light in the Tomb/Gott mit uns! (La Lumière dans le tombeau/Gott mituns!) by René Berton Second Programme Progress by St. John Ervine A Silk Dress (Une Robe de Soie) by Henriette Charasson The Great Terror (La Grande épouvante) by André de Lorde and Henri Bauche Third Programme The Wax Museum (Figures de Cire) by André de Lorde and Georges Montignac The Lovers (Les Amants) by Octave Mirbeau The Man Who Met the Devil (L’Homme qui a vu le diable) by Gaston Leroux The Man Who Killed Death (L’Homme qui a tué la mort) by René Berton
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Post by helrunar on Oct 1, 2021 13:09:01 GMT
There's an interesting Grand-Guignol storyline in series 2 of the television series Penny Dreadful. The details have faded from memory but it might be something to explore. I never watched the third series of that show because what I heard about changes in the storyline didn't ring my chimes... the first two series had some excellent things to offer however.
cheers, H.
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Post by dem bones on Oct 1, 2021 14:31:19 GMT
Princess, I had a fiver left on an Am*z*n voucher, so ordered a pre-loved paperback of the one you alerted us to yesterday, Hand & Wilson's London's Grand Guignol - should arrive some time next week. For me, the best (translation: cruellest) of Maurice Level's ghoulish tales are horror 'classics.'
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Oct 1, 2021 14:37:57 GMT
Princess, I had a fiver left on an Am*z*n voucher, so ordered a pre-loved paperback of the one you alerted us to yesterday, Hand & Wilson's London's Grand Guignol - should arrive some time next week. For me, the best (translation: cruellest) of Maurice Level's ghoulish tales are horror 'classics.' I do intend to read one of these soon. I'm not sure which. The one you ordered has ten plays in it including a Noel Coward one.
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Post by 𝘗rincess 𝘵uvstarr on Oct 1, 2021 14:43:48 GMT
Didn't the plays have to pass a censor? Wasn't it only in the 1960s that things changed? I don't know how things worked in the French theatre, but I'd imagine they could be more gruesome.
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Post by Dr Strange on Oct 1, 2021 15:28:48 GMT
There's a great article here - www.bbc.com/culture/article/20190304-why-the-grand-guignol-was-so-shockingSeems the main problems the Lord Chamberlain (the British theatrical censor of the time) posed for the British Grand Guignol theatre (which only lasted a couple of years) were (a) he "didn’t like stage blood, so there were a lot of strangulations and other inventively non-splattering forms of death", and (b) "they ran into real problems with the sex farces. Fine in France; banned in Britain. Censorship made it impossible for them, with plays being banned outright or tinkered with by the Lord Chamberlain’s office. It was maybe too continental for Britain at that time.”
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Post by andydecker on Oct 1, 2021 16:28:41 GMT
... the first two series had some excellent things to offer however. cheers, H. I also stopped in the third season. I thought the Dracula character so terribly lame, also I hated the western setting. Aside from the fabulous Eva Green which was the main reason I started this I became a big fan of Timothy Dalton. I used to hate Dalton as an actor, I hated his Bond and wasn't a fan of his other stuff. But it is strange how these subjective impressions can change. In Penny Dreadful he suddenly became he powerhouse actor. He nailed the Victorian explorer type at least how one - or I - imagined the type, the brutal "once more into the breach" and "I don't care how many native carriers die". It carried the whole series.
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Post by andydecker on Oct 1, 2021 18:15:57 GMT
For me, the best (translation: cruellest) of Maurice Level's ghoulish tales are horror 'classics.' Also put Level on my wishlist, but can't decide to buy the collection. I fear this is one of those books you just read the - hopefully included - foreword or afterword and browse the rest once. I couldn't get into the plays in the first place. I had the impression that they are often pretty dull and (of course) melodramatic, interrupted by just a few shocking scenes. Which may be better seen than read.
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Post by jamesdoig on Oct 1, 2021 20:16:18 GMT
I also stopped in the third season. I thought the Dracula character so terribly lame, also I hated the western setting. Aside from the fabulous Eva Green which was the main reason I started this I became a big fan of Timothy Dalton. I used to hate Dalton as an actor, I hated his Bond and wasn't a fan of his other stuff.
I agree completely, though I finished the last season three regardless - it was certainly one of the better horror series of recent times. Has anyone watched Midnight Mass in Netflix - quite an unusual vampire flick. Or Fear Street - must say I enjoyed it, grand guignol for 21st century teenagers. Chapelwaite, though, is a bit hard to sit through.
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Post by David A. Riley on Oct 1, 2021 20:43:43 GMT
I also stopped in the third season. I thought the Dracula character so terribly lame, also I hated the western setting. Aside from the fabulous Eva Green which was the main reason I started this I became a big fan of Timothy Dalton. I used to hate Dalton as an actor, I hated his Bond and wasn't a fan of his other stuff.
I agree completely, though I finished the last season three regardless - it was certainly one of the better horror series of recent times. Has anyone watched Midnight Mass in Netflix - quite an unusual vampire flick. Or Fear Street - must say I enjoyed it, grand guignol for 21st century teenagers. Chapelwaite, though, is a bit hard to sit through. I watched Midnight Mass the other night and was very impressed with its originality. I liked its slow pace and the development of the various characters. I also liked the quality of the acting in it and the careful use of CGI. Very well done. I'd say it's one of the best vampire tales on TV or the Big Screen in recent years.
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Post by helrunar on Oct 1, 2021 22:35:18 GMT
Interested to hear you both liked Midnight Mass. I might have to take a look at that one. One of these years.
H.
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Post by cauldronbrewer on Oct 1, 2021 22:49:46 GMT
... the first two series had some excellent things to offer however. cheers, H. I also stopped in the third season. I liked the first season of Penny Dreadful, but I never even got around to watching the second one.
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