As Criadas

There's a memorably creepy scene in 'The Servant' where Dirk Bogarde and Sarah Miles disrespectfully cavort in James Fox's bathroom; here in the hands of her brother Christopher this becomes an entire film.

Only a gay author could envisage such shenanigans as see Glenda Jackson and Susannah York engaged in hysterical mind games in maid's uniforms in this American Film Theatre production of Jean Genet's play.

Now that Dame Glenda Jackson belongs to the ages, 'The Maids' serves as a reminder of why she was once known as "the sex kitten of the National"; while Vivien Merchant is an absolute hoot as Madame.

This was part of the 2nd season of "American Film Theater" - producer Ely Landau's idea of filming plays and showing them in theatres for only 2 days and nights and you had to buy tickets in advance a la a night at the theater or a concert . . . I believe they sold tickets at the door only if there were any left (much like theater or concerts)

The first season included the likes of "The Iceman Cometh", and "The Man in The Glass Booth" and "The Maids" were among the 2nd season. This was an interesting idea but I'm sure it was unsuccessful. It seems that these pictures have vanished since their original brief theatrical release.

"The Maids" played in US theatres in February 1975

This turned up late one night on a London TV station. Never shown theatrically in the UK since you could go and see the play where it belongs, in the theatre.

It is a difficult to watch film. The actors perform as if they are on a stage. The cinematography is headache inducing. Little attempt at editing. It is an unwatchable bore. Little wonder that the venture was short-lived.

I first saw 'The Maids' on PBS in the early 1980s, and loved it. The American Film Series was briefly available in Betamax format, but has long been unavailable. Now the series has been released on VHS and DVD, and I am delighted.

At the time I was unfamiliar with the play; this film served as an introduction to Genet's work, and further to the so-called 'Theatre of the Absurd.' Glenda Jackson and Susannah York give absolutely incredible performances as Solange and Claire, the title characters, who take turns dressing as their mistress (played by Vivien Merchant), and abusing each other in a parody of the master/slave relationship. It is difficult to recapitulate the plot in the space provided. Being faithful to the source text, the film is very wordy, and with a lesser cast and director would probably be unwatchable, but if you like full-throttle acting by three of the twentieth century's best actresses, and don't need an edit every four seconds, this is worth your time.

The Maids is one of the great stage classics of the XX century, and this 1974 version does it full justice. American Film Theatre was an attempt to bring stage to screen; I had previously seen only one of their efforts, Rhinoceros, which was ruined by an attempt to shift the setting from France to America.

The Maids doesn't make that mistake; the setting is ostentatiously, gorgeously French. Glenda Jackson and Susannah York have British accents, but this still maintains the European feel of the piece...and their acting is superb. Their ability to project histrionics at just the right moment brings to life what would otherwise be a stagebound snooze. The exquisite composition of colours and textures in the apartment also makes for compelling viewing.

The story concerns two psychotic and resentful maids who hatch a variety of fantastic plots for killing Madame, their employer. Also, the have a ceremony which involves one of them dressing up as Madame and tormenting the other; it is obvious that there is a vast pool of venom underneath the surface pretence of kindness and consideration shown by Madame.

The dialogue is ritualized and stylized, almost like Shakespearean blank verse - one would expect no less from Jean Genet, who was like Shakespeare in many ways. You have to be willing to like prose-poetry, but it's worth giving it a chance.

I'm convinced that the play was a major influence on Fassbinder's "Petra von Kant"; that movie is reckoned to be a classic, but this one is even better, so more people should check it out.