Overview

Adapted from an obscure Guy de Maupassant novella, lifted from a paperback bought by Meaney as an undergrad for 99 cents. What’s evident is Horn’s fascination for squared-off blocking and choreography, including a glimpse at a performance of Orpheus and Eurydice in minature. Star Adam Macadam brought on other members of Charles Ludlam’s Ridiculous Theater Company, many of whom would return to work on DOOMED LOVE. Featuring ancient costumes on loan from the Metropolitan Opera (repurposed from early twentieth century productions of Tosca and La Traviata), ELAINE aspires to high gothic on a shoestring budget. Horn and Meaney shot at locations including the Morris-Jumel Mansion in Washington Heights, the Frick, and the Carnegie Hall Cinema, then operated by Sid Geffen and Jackie Raynal – the programmers responsible for hosting the first-ever New York City screenings of films by Marguerite Duras, an influence on the filmmakers (alongside Daniel Schmid, Douglas Sirk and Alain Resnais.)

Top Cast

A

Adam Macadam

Maupassant

B

Black-Eyed Susan

Elaine

B

Brien Coleman

Dore Monserrat

Lisa Jane Persky

Felicie

Lola Pashalinski

Baroness Peterat

R

Rene Machado

Orpheus

Duncan Hannah

Julien

E

Ethyl Eichelberger

Ghost

B

Bill Gehr

Voice of Ghost

J

Jack Mallory

Secretary

G

Georg Osterman

Young Man

R

Richard Gibbs

Doctor