The Maids

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.

Thank God for the Trio network who are showing the American Express film series every Saturday night. I remember seeing the movie in 1974 when it played only two nights at the Metro Theatre. It was through the AmEx and you purchased tickets via subscription. It was the only way we theater buffs could see some great plays on film.

"The Maid" was on Trio recently and I taped it for later viewing. After watching Glenda Jackson and Susannah York, one can see one of the great acting duos in the 20th Century. However I was mesmerized by the performance of Vivien Merchant as their employer. This was also a great piece of acting. I will keep this tape to watch over again.

Jean Genet is a genius storyteller who pulls us in from the beginning, the way the characters play off of one another is brilliant, wonderful acting to boot. Don't miss it!

Based on Jean Genet's play Solange (Glenda Jackson) and Claire (Susanna York) plays sisters who as maids in a luxuriant Paris apartment, dress up when Madame is away and act out strange, sadomasochistic scenes where Madame is ridiculed even murdered.

Made as a part of the American Film Theatre season, this is by nature a very stage bound film, set pretty much exclusively in the Parisian apartment. The attraction for seeing this, assuming you aren't necessarily acquainted with Genet's somewhat absurdist play is watching the 2 great actresses having a great time spouting out Genet's exhuberant, colourful dialogue. Other than that is a strange little chamber piece loaded up with gallons of hidden meaning that I obviously missed.

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