Source: Some information on this page may have been sourced as part of the 2023 Wikimedia Australia Partnership Projects grant, with the purpose of improving and expanding the use of Wikidata on our website. Wikidata is a free and open knowledge base that can be read and edited by both humans and machines. Read more about this project here.
Episode of Series “American Film Theater = The American Film Theatre Collection”.
Adapted from French playwright, Jean Genet’s absurdist play, “The Maids” is about a pair of sisters caught up in a twisted play-acting game whereby their antipathy for their mistress and for each other, is revealed. After having her husband framed and imprisoned, the sisters, employed as maids for Madame, plan to poison her. In her temporary absence however they fantasise about dominance, wealth and power with Claire (Susannah York) acting as Madame, whilst Solange (Glenda Jackson) alternately fawns over then rants mercilessly, spitting out endless bile that speaks of her own self-loathing and hatred for her class. The film presents an impressive, and appropriate, sense of claustrophobia as the two women steer along a tragic course. Stellar cast also includes Vivien Merchant.
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Appears in
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
319111
Languages
English
English
Audience classification
M (15+)
Subject categories
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Murder
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Women murderers
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Class consciousness
Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Working class in motion pictures
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Family - Psychological aspects
Family, Gender Identity, Relationships & Sexuality → Sisters
Feature films → Feature films - Great Britain
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Choice (Psychology)
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Insanity
Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Mental illness
Literature → French literature - Film and video adaptations
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
DVD; Access Print (Section 1)