You make an interesting point there. Why not use a figure that people have actually heard of? On the other hand, it's possible that they used Fabre simply because he was a Dantoniste, to keep the focus on Danton and his friends. Mirabeau really belongs to an earlier period of the Revolution too (by necessity, since he died in 1791, but also, his statues were long since smashed by spring of 1794). Also, anyone who's seen the various drafts of David's painting - and it's pretty, famous, I think - would notice that Mirabeau is still in it. They could, I suppose, if they had cared about accuracy, tried to go into the (largely political) reasons that such paintings weren't finished, but I suppose it looks a lot worse to erase someone from a commemorative painting than to simply leave it unfinished.
I really don't know why he didn't depict Lucile's arrest. I mean, maybe the ribbon-thing she did at the end was supposed to be symbolic of her own death, but if it was, it wasn't very effective. I mean, I have a feeling the reaction he was looking for was not "WTF," but that was my reaction, and the reaction of everyone I've talked to whose seen the film about that incident. I agree that Wajda is trying to keep Lucile unpoliticized. And if cared more about historical accuracy than he does, I would say that maybe he ends the film before Lucile's arrest because he didn't want to get into the whole question of prison conspiracies, which were certainly political, and with which Lucile was almost certainly involved (though probably ineffectually). However, if he didn't feel comfortable using that as a pretext for Lucile's arrest, I can' think that he would have had much scruple about making something up. So I really don't know.
As for Éléonore in "Danton," the falsification there is as blatant as it could possibly be. Her brother was 15 or 16 at the point the film takes place, so she obviously would not be giving him a bath, or lessons, or discipline of any kind. (But especially not the bath. D:) In fact, he wasn't even at home. He was either away at school or with Le Bas (I don't remember which off the top of my head, but he definitely wasn't at home). Besides, the Revolutionaries weren't exactly fond of corporal punishment - the Commune had just passed a decree against it, and Saint-Just wrote in his Institutions républicaines that whoever strikes a woman or a child would be banished from his ideal republic. There is also no possible way she could strike a servant, unless she was someone else's servant (which would be bizarre), because the Duplays didn't have any.
And where are the rest of the Duplays in "Danton"? They're missing because the Dantonistes are the only ones who are allowed to have real families, because of the symbolism Wajda is trying to achieve. As you say, "That's ideology for you, it'll always leave you with no mates." And, of course, I could go on about, say, Saint-Just, as well...
It's quite amusing as Mantel claims to hate Wadja's Robespierre but has in effect written him as an almost identical character except straighter and with nicer waistcoats. How very true. Oh the irony.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2010-03-10 12:15 am (UTC)I really don't know why he didn't depict Lucile's arrest. I mean, maybe the ribbon-thing she did at the end was supposed to be symbolic of her own death, but if it was, it wasn't very effective. I mean, I have a feeling the reaction he was looking for was not "WTF," but that was my reaction, and the reaction of everyone I've talked to whose seen the film about that incident. I agree that Wajda is trying to keep Lucile unpoliticized. And if cared more about historical accuracy than he does, I would say that maybe he ends the film before Lucile's arrest because he didn't want to get into the whole question of prison conspiracies, which were certainly political, and with which Lucile was almost certainly involved (though probably ineffectually). However, if he didn't feel comfortable using that as a pretext for Lucile's arrest, I can' think that he would have had much scruple about making something up. So I really don't know.
As for Éléonore in "Danton," the falsification there is as blatant as it could possibly be. Her brother was 15 or 16 at the point the film takes place, so she obviously would not be giving him a bath, or lessons, or discipline of any kind. (But especially not the bath. D:) In fact, he wasn't even at home. He was either away at school or with Le Bas (I don't remember which off the top of my head, but he definitely wasn't at home). Besides, the Revolutionaries weren't exactly fond of corporal punishment - the Commune had just passed a decree against it, and Saint-Just wrote in his Institutions républicaines that whoever strikes a woman or a child would be banished from his ideal republic. There is also no possible way she could strike a servant, unless she was someone else's servant (which would be bizarre), because the Duplays didn't have any.
And where are the rest of the Duplays in "Danton"? They're missing because the Dantonistes are the only ones who are allowed to have real families, because of the symbolism Wajda is trying to achieve. As you say, "That's ideology for you, it'll always leave you with no mates." And, of course, I could go on about, say, Saint-Just, as well...
It's quite amusing as Mantel claims to hate Wadja's Robespierre but has in effect written him as an almost identical character except straighter and with nicer waistcoats.
How very true. Oh the irony.