So this is less about him and more about Drive, but I just had to give him a shout out because he’s so dreamy…
Anyhow, I saw Drive tonight and let me just say that everyone should go see it. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. But outside of the great acting, the good looking peeps, and the awesome plot, it made me think about our project in Dramaturgy.
We’re all well aware that in classical Greek tragedies, the gore was not seen on stage, but just described. For as long as I can remember (or since I started taking theatre classes) this has been justified by saying “by not seeing the violence, we imagine something even more gruesome.” But now I’m second guessing this assumption…
I am not faint of heart when it comes to blood and guts. I love it and it doesn’t startle me easily. There is a lot of very vivid violence and gore in Drive, but I was horrified. Not because it’s any more vivid or disgusting than The Walking Dead or any Tarantino movie, but because the rest of the movie was so intimate. There is hardly any dialogue and the acting is so heartfelt and sincere. It’s because of this stark contrast between the genuine love and the horrific violence that makes the gore valuable.
This made me think of our project and I wonder which adaptations choose to show the violence. For instance in Caridad Svich’s adaptation, Historical Antigone and Digital Antigone hang themselves on stage.
Furthermore, it got me even more excited for Keyword: Violence Project. Blood, guts and violence can be entertaining on it’s own. However, when it’s not there to serve itself but to serve the story, it can be an invaluable tool.
