Olga Partan1; 1 College of the Holy Cross, United States
Discussion
This paper will focus on the representation of women in Michael Mayer’s 2018 cinematic adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull. I dedicate special attention to the female actors who give fresh interpretations to the Chekhovian heroines’ social and emotional anxiety, helping to render these films more modern and relatable to today’s moviegoers. I will discuss how the remarkable performances of Annette Bening as Irina Arkadina, Saoirse Ronan as Nina, and Elisabeth Moss as Masha enrich the film with tragic and comic overtones. I will address such issues as how does Mayer’s cinematic narratives balance between the film and theater mediums? What directorial and cinematographic choices contribute to the creation of a Chekhovian atmosphere on screen? What role does fidelity to Chekhov’s original play in the screenplay written by Stephen Karam?
