la petite phrase, le cinéma

As some of you know, my world is divided into those who have experienced proust and those who have not. 
Furthermore, girlWorld is divided into those who can do proust on film, and those who can't. 
Which is easy, because this universe contains only two directors who, in my opinion, have done cinematic justice to the world's greatest work of literature, and thus attained artistic perfection: raul ruiz and volker schlöndorff
Here are their two versions of swann being flooded with emotion, memory and time as he listens to la petite phrase in vinteuil's sonata:




In this clip the sonata starts at 14:30, but the whole sequence is orgasmic: starring jeremy irons, ornella muti, fanny ardant, and alain delon as le baron de charlus...magnifique! 



« Cette soif d'un charme inconnu, la petite phrase l'éveillait en lui, mais ne lui apportait rien de précis pour l'assouvir. De sorte que ces parties de l'âme de Swann où la petite phrase avait effacé le souci des intérêts matériels, les considérations humaines et valables pour tous, elle les avait laissées vacantes et en blanc, et il était libre d'y inscrire le nom d'Odette. Puis à ce que l'affection d'Odette pouvait avoir d'un peu court et décevant, la petite phrase venait ajouter, amalgamer son essence mystérieuse...»


swann's way, 1913

4 comments:

Dalva said...

madelaine girl, I experience Proust so deeply ... worked on Raoul´s version.
smack

girlontape said...

OK Dalva... you just BLEW my mind AWAY.... now we MUST meet live... I must touch you so I can be ONE degree of separation away from RAUL RUIZ!!! I am in awe

lux gioia said...

gracias, tu blog es precioso.

girlontape said...

merci Lux!