Purely script wise, I believe that the BBC version is more true to the Sophocles script, in that I believe it is more faithful to Sophocles' original rendition of the story (depth of character of Antigone, employment of full chorus as opposed to solo sentries as shown in the Greek adaptation, representation of Creon as an autocrat in Thebes--especially the enlarged photos of him hanging in the main hall... just a few that crop up to mind right now). However the Greek version does provide interesting deviations and anecdotes as to how Greek life was like at that time which I found fascinating, especially as I really am not at all familiar with that time period, including the scene right before Creon makes his great entrance. Although the 'deviations' were somewhat informative to begin with, they sometimes deviated too much to the point that I thought some scenes did little to help shape and develop the character and overall plot of Antigone.
2. What themes does each version choose to highlight more and what effect does it have?
2. What themes does each version choose to highlight more and what effect does it have?
In my view, I think the Greek adaptation was more geared towards the public and mostly for entertainment purposes rather than retelling the story of the play itself. As I've mentioned, there are some tangential events and some fictional details added to the Greek adaptation for embellishment and general entertainment which (I think) were in plain view ... one that comes to mind right now is how Antigone came to be found by the soldier; following the capture of Antigone, the soldier goes up to Creon and somewhat theatrically retells his adventure, about how there was a sandstorm and how he and his fellow soldiers had to be stationed atop a hill to 'spy' on Antigone. While I can see how some moviegoers would be interested in such a deviation, I for one was skeptical as to how much of the real plot this particular scene connoted.
The BBC version on the other hand was in my opinion overly modernized. As Rosa briefly mentioned in the discussion in class today even from their costumes we could directly pick up that the British adaptation was not set in the same era. When I first saw the chorus on the screen I was briefly confused as to who they were (partly due to their costume)-- members were wearing cravats and a black overcoat which I thought were, again, too modern. All that notwithstanding, the degree to which the BBC adaptation 'stuck' to the original play was far greater than the Greek one did. What I specifically liked about the BBC version was the portrayal of Antigone especially personality-wise; more than once I thought that the Greek Antigone (I mean the Antigone from the Greek adaptation) was too acquiescing, very unlike the headstrong, confident, almost stubborn Antigone I had pictured in my mind. I was glad to see that the BBC's interpretation of Antigone was far more active and true to my understanding of the character. This is why in a sense I sympathize with Annette's earlier comment of the feminism in Antigone the play. I feel that the BBC adaptation did Antigone's feminist, traditional, determined side justice.
3. Which version did you like the most and for what specific reasons?
I'm honestly torn. As for the representation of Antigone I much prefer the Juliet Stephenson version, as I believe a woman willing to risk her life for the proper treatment of her brother must be fiery and passionate to the point of singlemindedness, and in my view the BBC version did that a lot better than the Greek version did. I have to say I was disappointed in the Greek version for failing to include more Antigone after the altercation between Ismene and Antigone in the first part of the adaptation; isn't Antigone the main character of the play? I felt that the tragic heroine--Antigone--was actually playing a more supporting role as opposed to being the protagonist of the story. All this aside, the sixteen year old impatient side of me much prefers the Greek adaptation as it is not altogether dry (as true adaptations can often be) and provides insight into life in Ancient Greece.
1 comment:
Veronica, your comments on the various interpretations are interesting and there is obvious engagement with the task set, great work.
The more passive Antigone is far more traditional than the 80's British version as the more Westernised feminist interpretation has been adapted to suit the time and place the production was performed regardless of the more traditional setting of the play.
This awareness of our own "cultural lenses" are important to unpack and deconstruct for this part of the course as well as try as best we can to understand the context and time that the plays were set.
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