Reigen (La Ronde, also translated as Hands Around - in the sense of "Ring Around the Rosie", in which all fall down at the end) is a sexual morality play written by Arthur Schnitzler in 1900. The play, set in the 1890s in Vienna, consists of ten brief interlocking scenes (dialogues) between pairs of lovers, five men and five women. Each of its ten
characters appears in two consecutive scenes. By choosing characters across all levels of society, the play offers
social commentary on how sexual contact disregards class boundaries.
Though written in 1900, the play could not be performed until 1920 – and
even then it provoked strong reactions and Schnitzler was attacked as "immoral." Of course, there
is nothing that could not be publicly said or shown today in either play, film or on TV.
[Poster for the film by Max Ophüls]
The Courtesan and the Soldier
The Soldier and the Parlor Maid
The Parlor Maid and the Young Gentleman
The Young Gentleman and the Young Wife
The Young Wife and The Husband
The Husband and the Little Miss
The Little Miss and the Poet
The Poet and the Actress
The Actress and the Count
The Count and the Courtesan
When one act is finished one of the characters is left behind, whereas
the other moves on to the next partner. In the end the circle is closed when the courtesan from the beginning
comes on stage again, now with a count rather than with a soldier. In this way, Schnitzler fits his couples together by always
matching one person with a character from a different social class, gradually climbing the social ladder from scene to scene. Each time a higher social
class is reached, the dialogue becomes longer, as the higher classes are more formal
than the lower ones. What each class has in common is that all individuals are only
interested in their own satisfaction, not in any deeper human interaction. The act itself is never depicted (Schnitzler himself refers to it in the script with --- ), and it is only in a most delicate way referred to by the characters. It is all in the mind of the viewer/reader.
Although the social classes have faded away today, relations between men and women have not changed that much, and Schnitzler's analysis is still right today.
[Arthur Schnitzler]
Arthur Schnitzler (1862-1931) was an Austrian playwright and novelist with Jewish roots. He was a practicing medical doctor (although he later dedicated all his time to writing), deeply interested in psychology, but also a bon-vivant of the latter days of the Austrian Empire. Schnitzler's themes are the eternal ones of love and death. Besides for his plays, he is also known for his excellent short stories. Although he was not a follower of Freud, he knew Freud well and in his work we see a great interest in dream psychology. That is of course also the case, as the title announces, in one of Schnitzler's masterworks, Dream Story.
Among almost 20 films based on the play, the greatest adaptation of Reigen is the 1950 French film directed by Max Ophüls called La Ronde, a beautiful, whimsical film, with light irony, but no sarcasm. We are all weak, so let's smile about life, instead of setting strict rules for others. Ophüls shows understanding and forgiveness for the foibles of humankind.
It is a light film in the positive sense of the word: a film that for a
few moments takes the burden of life from our shoulders and makes us
feel feather-light ourselves. But there is also a bittersweet note, as
all romantic illusions of love are shown to be false. At the same time,
it is a nostalgic film about European elegance that had been swept away
by two terrible wars.
Ophüls plays with the censorship issue by having his master of
ceremonies literally cut a certain love scene from the film. Even so,
the film was censored the first time it was shown in the U.S. That was
in 1950, when murder, suicide and all kinds of violence were already
normal cinematic fare. Why is violence in our warped society more
acceptable than lovemaking?
I have read Reigen in the original German version at Gutenberg.org. It is available in book form from S. Fischer Verlage.
Several English translations are available, for example Round Dance and Other Plays translated by M.Q. Davies in Oxford World's Classics. There is also an older English version listed on Gutenberg.org.
Photos from Wikipedia.
Greatest Plays of All Time