Talk:Book:Moving Pictures

Red links that woud've stayed Red indefinitely

I removed a bunch of wikilinks to unwritten articles on the different clicks that appear in Moving Pictures. There simply isn't enough material in the chronicles to warrant exclusive articles on each click (barring Blown Away; all material is covered in this article Iron Hippo 23:18, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

Hi,

The article, in the Things and Concepts sections, mentions:

** Pelias and Melisande, parodying Romeo and Juliet (or possibly one of the Greek/Roman romantic tragedies that influenced Romeo and Juliet)

Pélléas et Mélisande (sometimes spelled, like here, Pélias, probably by analogy to the Greek hero) is actually a theater drama written by Belgian writer Maurice Maeterlinck in the 19th century, there is no visible link to Romeo and Juliet. It's been notably adapted in an opera by Claude Debussy. The scene that appear in Moving Pictures, where Mélisande is on the balcony (actually, only at a window), and Pélias has a long speech, is directly taken from this play:

(Mélisande leans out of the window)

Pélléas - Oh! Mélisande!... oh! you are pretty!... you are pretty like that!... lean out! lean out!... let me come nearer of you...

Mélisande - I can't come nearer... I lean out as well as I can...

Pélléas - I can not climb higher... give me at least your hand tonight... before I go away... I go tomorrow...

Mélisande - No, no, no...

Pélléas - Yes, yes; I go away, I go away tomorrow... give me your hand, your small hand on the lips...

Mélisande - I do not give my hand if you go away...

Pélléas - Give, give...

Mélisande - Will you not go away?... I see a rose in the dark...

Pélléas - Where then?... I only see the branches of the willow over the wall...

Mélisande - Lower, lower, in the garden; there, in the dark green.

Pélléas - It is not a rose... I will go see in a while, but give me your hand first; first, your hand...

Mélisande - Here, here; I can not lean out more...

Pélléas - My lips can not reach your hand...

Mélisande - I can not lean out more... I am going to fall... Oh! oh! my hair is running down the tower!

(Its hair [...] floods Pélléas)

Pélléas - Oh! oh! what is it?... Your hair, your hair is falling to me!... your whole hair, Mélisande, your whole hair is fallen down the tower! ... I hold it in my arms, I take it around my neck... I will not open any more my hands tonight...

Mélisande - Let me! let me!... you are going to make me fall!

Pélléas - No, no, no;... I have never seen such hair as yours, Mélisande!...; See, see; they are coming from so high and are flooding me to the heart... They are mild and sweet, as if they were falling from the sky!... I do not see the sky any more across your hair and their gentle light is hiding its light!... Look, look then, my hands can not withhold them... They are fleeing me, fleeing me to the branches of the willow... They are escaping from everywhere [...] and they love me, they love me a thousand times better than you do!

(This is a free translation, in my poor English, from the original)

B.A.