Irma Vep, Persuasion, and Funny Girl
Great gowns (catsuits), beautiful gowns (gowns), plus the most exciting thing to happen on Broadway in a long time
Hello!
On this week’s episode of Criticism Is Dead, we discuss Irma Vep and Persuasion, two adaptations whose necessity some have called into question.
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02:23 Irma Vep, streaming on HBO Max, is a strange, fascinating creature, half intertextual wink and half showbiz dramedy.
As one kind of show, this limited series has a bit of that Call My Agent! magic in its amusing portrayal of what goes on behind the scenes of a French production. But peel back that surface, and slightly weirder layers lurk underneath: ones that dabble in obsession and possession, in the trappings of fame, in what it takes to make (and become) art, in meta narratives and rabbit holes. It takes a little more knowledge and context to be able to get the significance of what happens on those levels, which may or may not be to your taste — but, at the very least, there’s always the first layer to keep you entertained.
And yes, Alicia Vikander looks great in a catsuit.
P.S. Angelica Jade Bastién’s review, whether or not you agree with it, has some terrific writing, as per usual.
19:01 Netflix’s adaptation of Persuasion may have kept Jane Austen’s plot intact, but little of the source material’s spirit remains.
We’ve talked about the inherent difficulty of acts of adaptation and translation: how hard it is to maintain the soul of something while also offering something of your own in the creative process. It takes a very deft hand to accomplish this, and in the case of Persuasion the Netflix film, that skill was lacking. This version, as many have pointed out, stumbled in the gap between a more faithful adaptation and a more modern take that still captures the essence of the source material. Anachronisms for the sake of anachronisms are littered throughout; fourth-wall breaks that come off more corny than insightful. The end result makes for a fine, if exceedingly average, Bridgerton-style period piece, but it is not a good adaptation of Jane Austen’s work.
37:29 Plus, culture notes breaking down the ultimate theatre kid drama that is the Beanie Feldstein/Lea Michele/Funny Girl mess.
Bonus links
Thnks fr th mmrs 😞
Congrats to a couple we’ve been sorta kinda rooting for I guess <3
The Bear stars looking good:
An accounting of Marvel directors’ “one for them, one for me” output.
Jon Bernthal hive rise up:
That’s it for now. See you next week!
— Jenny
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Some credits:
Music: REEKAH
Artwork and design: Sara Macias and Andrew Liu