ween the cast and the spectators, was very much intact. It was necessary for the audience to feel threatened, or at the very least, uneasy, by the action taking place in front of them for the play to be successful. On film, or more importantly, on the screen, Brook was faced with overcoming the hurdle of celluloid; that is to say, creating and exploiting the atmosphere of discomfort with an audience that was seemingly disconnected from what they were viewing. The fact that he overcame that hurdle and created such an imaginative and successful film is testimony to his accomplishments not only as an artist, but as a filmmaker as well.From the opening shot of the movie, it’s immediately apparent how Brook decided to connect those seemingly disconnected viewers. The simplicity yet effectiveness of an over-the-shoulder camera angle is often overlooked in filmmaking, but throughout Marat/Sade, specifically the first scene, Brook utilizes this technique to place the audience right in the center of the action. As the movie begins, we, the viewers, find ourselves backstage in the asylum standing with the other inmates, being called upon by a group of nuns and prison guards to begin the performance. What’s so effective about this approach is that instead of giving the audience the obligatory establishing shot of the asylum or of the inmates waiting to be called onstage, Brook puts the camera and the viewer with the performers. This not only immediately involves us within the film and the characters, it also creates a feeling of anticipation, and perhaps discomfort, for the viewing audience by letting it remain a mystery as to what kind of situation we are headed for. The unsteady and slight jerks and movements of the camera in these over-the-shoulder shots only serve to further this idea of the viewer as an inmate of the asylum, rocking back and forth, preparing to perform.As stated, the theater performance of Marat/Sade offer...
