2002 Witches Ball Film References
Our theme for this years Witches Ball is "Bohemia and the Moulin Rouge".
Historically, the Bohemian Period began in the 1830's and ended with the beginning of World War I in 1914.
Many of our attendees will wear costumes from the turn of the century, which is the highlight of this time
period and the heyday of the Moulin Rouge.
These twenty years prior to 1900 were a period of achievement, invention and upheaval in Europe.
This time period (1880 - 1900) is known as the Fin-de-siecle period in France and the late Victorian Age in England.
Below you'll find a list of films based in and on this time period. We hope these films will inspire and delight
you as you prepare your costumes for this year's ball.
An Ideal Husband - Comedy (1999)
Based on the play by Oscar Wilde. The plot hinges on Northam, a member of Parliament with a skeleton in his closet
who is blackmailed into a shady business deal by a lady of mystery, who turns out to be a loathed school chum of the
parliamentarian's wife. Everything is resolved happily, but not until after some devious twists of fate, several
mistaken identities, lots of comic banter, and much social skewering. Wilde, who came to ruin when his homosexuality
was brought to light, has a sharp eye for hypocrisy and the artificial poses demanded by society.
A Room with a View - Comedy (1984)
This romantic comedy adaptation from E.M. Forster's novel was nominated for eight Academy Awards (and won for Best
Adapted Screenplay) It's a comedy about a clash between romance and repression within the British class system of
manners and mores.
Camille - Romance (1936)
A beautiful courtesan called Camille and a young man in the foreign service, Armand Duval, are in love.
Camille is forced to abandon her dreams of life with Duval by the intolerance of French society which would doom his
career and prevent his sister from marrying into a "respectable" family if Duval married Camille. It starts Greta Garbo
as Camille.
The film is based on the play, "La Dame Aux Camellias" (The Lady of the Camellias, 1852) by Alexander Dumas, the Younger.
The play was a huge hit in Paris. The role of Camille was played by the great french actress, Sarah Bernhardt.
The title character is a member of the "demimonde," women who gave their favors to wealthy "protectors" under
arrangements that were often contractual. Women of the demimonde were often independent and sometimes lived lavishly.
While the courtesans of the demimonde had a social standing well below that held by women of unquestioned virtue and
respectability, they were not considered prostitutes. The demimonde was an institution in France for many decades.
This same story line appears in both "Gigi" and "La Traviata"
Cyrano der Bergerac (1991)
Edmond Rostand's verse drama by this name was the hit of the Paris stage when it premiered in 1897.
The film version that came out in 1991. It is considered a classic. "Equipped with a massive nose and a heart to match,
Gerard Depardieu soars as the heart-broken soldier who must lend his words of love to another man to woo the woman he
yearns for. Rappeneau spared no expense in taking this Edmond Rostand play into realistic locations for the battle scenes
in the second act, making the film as exciting as it is romantic and funny." Performed in French with English subtitles.
A wonderful English language version was made in 1950. It stared Jose Ferrer.
Steve Martin later adapted this play a made it into a modern film love story titled "Roxanne".
Howard's End - Drama (1992)
E.M. Forster's beautifully subtle story of the crisscrossing paths of the privileged and those they disdain--and of a
remarkable pair of women who can see beyond class distinctions. Dramatic and tragic, but also touching and funny
Gigi - Musical (1956)
A lively and gorgeous musical set in Paris at the turn of the century. It is based on Colette's novel about a family
with a tradition of providing mistresses to the rich. The film won two Academy Awards.
La Boheme (The Bohemians) - Opera
Several movie versions have been made of Puccini's famous opera about two domed lovers which had it's premier
in 1896. The two most notable film versions star Carrares and Pavarotti.
The rock opera, Rent, was inspired by La Boheme. The storyline for the 2001 film, Moulin Rouge owes much to
this opera, as well.
La Traviata - Opera (1982)
Sung in Italian with English subtitles. La Traviata" is based upon a play, "La Dame Aux Camellias" (The Lady of the
Camellias, 1852) by Alexander Dumas, the Younger. The play, in turn, was based upon the life of Marie Duplessis who,
in 1847, died of tuberculosis at age 24. It is reported that to this day people put flowers on the grave of Mme.
Duplessis in Paris.
The play was popularized in the United States under the name "Camille" and was made into a wonderful 1936 motion
picture starring Greta Garbo. Verdi adapted the opera from the play.
Madame Bovery - Drama
There have been many TV and film adaptations of this famous french novel over the years. Actresses love to play the
beautiful but doomed Emma Bovery. One film by that title (1936) stars James Mason as the novelist Gustave Flaubert.
Moulin Rouge - Musical (2001)
A lively musical set in Paris during the heyday of the famous dance hall. It features modern music and a tragic love
story in a gorgeous setting.
Moulin Rouge - Drama (1954)
A fictionalized account of the life and time of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864 - 1901) the great French artist who
overcame a physical handicap but succumbed to alcoholism. The movie is based on a novel by Pierre La Mure. It is
noteworthy for it's recreation of the famous dance hall and for the performance by Jose Ferrer as Leutrec. It won
the Academy Award for Best Art Direction.
Toulouse-Lautrec was the scion of one of France's oldest aristocratic families. As a youth, due to a congenital calcium
deficiency, he broke both legs and they stopped growing. He was thus handicapped for life. Toulouse-Lautrec took up
painting during his convalescence and became one of the most original and prolific of French painters. He frequented
the cabarets and brothels of Paris and was friends with a number of artists and intellectuals, including Vincent Van Gogh
and Oscar Wilde. The Moulin Rouge was a famous cabaret in Paris frequented by Lautrec. One of his most famous works is a
poster created for the Moulin Rouge. Lautrec died of a stroke brought on by his alcoholism.
My Fair Lady - Musical (1964)
A musical adaptation of Pygmalion. Linguist Henry Higgins draws low class Eliza into a social experiment that works
almost too well.
Not For Ourselves Alone - Documentary (1999)
A documentary on the lives of two famous suffragettes: Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. This was made by
the wonderful team headed by Ken Burns.
In the 19th century, Susan B. Anthony had few choices for her life: to live with a husband as "a doll or a drudge"
(marry a poor man, she explains, and you spend your life doing housework as a drudge; marry a rich man, and you spend
your life prettying yourself up and looking like a doll), to work as a schoolteacher, or to live with her family as an
"old maid." And while she chose the life of the spinster to retain her independence, she didn't resign herself to a life
of leisure. Born into a Quaker family devoted to abolition, Anthony championed the reform movement and dedicated herself
to the suffragette life. In contrast, Elizabeth Cady Stanton married and had many children, yet this did not stop her
from seeking the vote for women. A friendship with Lucretia Mott sparked a desire in this abolitionist to work for the
cause of women, and Stanton and Anthony eventually teamed up to fire up the revolution of women in the United States.
Lillie - Biopic (1979)
Masterpiece Theatre epic about the life and loves of Lillie Langtry; notorious actress, mistress of Edward VII, friend
of Oscar Wild and Victorian superstar.
Lust for Life - Drama (1954)
The tragic story of Vincent van Gogh's life staring Kurt Douglas as the tortured Vincent and Anthony Quinn as the earthy
and vibrate painter, Paul Gaughin. This movie is heavy on the drama and light on the facts, but it's still very beautiful
to look at. The chemistry between the two actors is excellent.
Pygmalion - Comedy (1938)
Adapt ion of George Bernard Shaw's wonderful stage play about class, love, culture and diction.
The Age of Innocence - Drama (1993)
Adapted from the Edith Wharton novel set in 1870. This is a story about manners and morals in New York High Society
where the psychological violence inflicted between characters damages everyone around them.
The Bostonians - Drama (1984)
An adapt ion of the Henry James novel. The story involves a triangle of conflicting relationships, in which a repressed
lesbian engages in a subtle, unspoken tug-of-war with a Southern lawyer for the affections of a young woman who is just
coming into her own as a young suffragette.
The Europeans - Drama (1970)
An adapt ion of the Henry James novel. This story takes place in a New England arcadia that stands for everything
beautiful, pure and good. Into this Eden come a sophisticated European brother and sister who turn up unexpectedly
on the doorstep of their staid American cousins, the Wentworths. The fortune-hunting Eugenia and her high-spirited
brother Felix turn this Puritan world upside down. The movie is filmed to look like an impressionist painting.
The Governess - Drama (1998)
The story of an impoverished Jewish woman who lives in anti-Semitic England in the mid-19th century. Following the murder
of her beloved father she camouflages her identity as a Protestant of Italian descent and takes a job as governess to an
unorthodox Scottish family. She becomes an aide, confidante, and lover to the man of the house, a naturalist dabbling with
early experiments in photography. In this film by Sandra Goldbacher, sundry conventions from Victorian novels mix with a
contemporary, feminist point of view.
The Great Race - Comedy (1965)
This slapstick comedy is centered around the New-York-to-Paris auto race in 1905. It stars Tony Curtis, Natalie Wood,
Jack Lemon and Peter Falk. It's very silly and great fun. It features some splendid costumes, amazing machines and has
one of the best pie fights ever caught on film.
The Importance of Being Earnest - Comedy (2002)
Based on the play by Oscar Wilde. As of this writing, this film is showing in theatres.
The Life of Emile Zola - Biopic (1937)
The life of the famous French writer and court defender . It won the Oscar for Best Picture
The Story of Louis Pasteur - Biopic (1936)
A story about the famous 19th century French scientist
Topsy Turvy - Biopic (1999)
A lovely film about the relationship of Gilbert & Sullivan and the making of their musical "The Mikado" which
premiered in London in 1884 and was inspired by the European fasination with all things Japanese. It offers a wealth
of historical detail and costumes and features music from the era.
Vincent and Theo - Drama (1990)
A cinematic portrait by Robert Altman of the intense, complex relationship between the wildly creative and eccentric
19th Century artist, Vincent Van Gogh, and his brother, Theo.
Wings of the Dove - Drama (1994)
This brilliant adoption from the Henry James novel features love, sex, intrigue, betrayal, nobility and idealism. It
has some of the finest costumes ever shown on film and many beautiful scenes shot in turn of the century houses, churches
and plazas. The scenes featuring the Venetian Ball are especially good. It is also a great movie.
We would also recommend the
films
by the great French filmmaker Jean Renoir.
Born in 1894, he was the son of the famous painter, August Renoir. Many of his films are about French history and
culture. Among these are "French Can Can" (1955) and "Madame Bovery" (1933).
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