“Spurs” is a short story about a midget circus performer named falling in love with a bareback rider named Jeanne Marie. Jeanne brushes off Jacques at first, but decides to marry him after he inherits a vast estate from his deceased uncle. The short story was adapted into a film titled Freaks which loosely follows the original work.
After the wedding between Jeanne and Jacques, a feast is held in a circus tent in a town called Roubaix. The tone in this scene is both jovial and bizarre, much like a real circus. The narrator goes into detail describing the many freaks attending the party. This helps make the reader feel as though they are a part of the celebration. Also in attendance are St. Eustache, Jacques’ wolfdog, and Jeanne’s …show more content…
One major discrepancy is the names of the characters. Jacques’ film counterpart is named Hans, Jeanne is renamed to Cleopatra and Simon is named Hercules. The wedding feast begins with the circus performers sitting around a table in the circus tent, reveling and showing off their various talents and oddities. The mise-en-scene does an excellent job of adding believability to the scene. The scene appears to shot in a real circus tent, and the table is filled with things one would expect to find at a feast. Much of the scene is shot at eye-level, helping the viewer feel as though they are sitting at the table. Hercules appears amused by the freaks in front of him, but Cleopatra is visibly disgusted. Another key difference between the film and the short story is that Cleopatra attempts to poison Hans, whereas her “Spurs” counterpart decides to wait out her husband’s death. It is worth noting the symbolic nature of the name Cleopatra, as the Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra is believed to have been killed by poison. Cleopatra becomes intoxicated and begins loudly teasing her new husband, although he does not initially realize that she is making fun of him. She proclaims that she is so happy she could even kiss Hercules, who stands up and passionately kisses her. This causes Hans’ previously happy expression to morph into an expression of disappointment
After the wedding between Jeanne and Jacques, a feast is held in a circus tent in a town called Roubaix. The tone in this scene is both jovial and bizarre, much like a real circus. The narrator goes into detail describing the many freaks attending the party. This helps make the reader feel as though they are a part of the celebration. Also in attendance are St. Eustache, Jacques’ wolfdog, and Jeanne’s …show more content…
One major discrepancy is the names of the characters. Jacques’ film counterpart is named Hans, Jeanne is renamed to Cleopatra and Simon is named Hercules. The wedding feast begins with the circus performers sitting around a table in the circus tent, reveling and showing off their various talents and oddities. The mise-en-scene does an excellent job of adding believability to the scene. The scene appears to shot in a real circus tent, and the table is filled with things one would expect to find at a feast. Much of the scene is shot at eye-level, helping the viewer feel as though they are sitting at the table. Hercules appears amused by the freaks in front of him, but Cleopatra is visibly disgusted. Another key difference between the film and the short story is that Cleopatra attempts to poison Hans, whereas her “Spurs” counterpart decides to wait out her husband’s death. It is worth noting the symbolic nature of the name Cleopatra, as the Egyptian Pharaoh Cleopatra is believed to have been killed by poison. Cleopatra becomes intoxicated and begins loudly teasing her new husband, although he does not initially realize that she is making fun of him. She proclaims that she is so happy she could even kiss Hercules, who stands up and passionately kisses her. This causes Hans’ previously happy expression to morph into an expression of disappointment