God of Carnage (Ff Plays)

It's a play. I watched it in production. Shows our learned, hidden biases, when cornered.

Sitting comfortable within the ranks of Albert Camus, Harold Pinter, and the other established masters of Absurdist theatre, The God of Carnage is an excellent translation from Christopher Hampton (in both clarity and precision) from Christopher Hampton of the original French play.I read this after having seen the Roman Polanski adaptation, and there was a small disappointment at first - not only for the play which was effectively a script for the play, but also in Polanski, having expected some parts to have been made up or, at least, modified.The contents of this book are very close to the screenplay, so if you're buying it only for 'additional content' outwith the film, be warned. Since buying it, however, I've read it a few times, and I love it. Reza excellently brings together classical existentialism and nihilism, middle-class and bourgeoisie criticism, both high- and toilet-humour, a Pinteresque feeling of general uneasiness, and top-quality dialogue with that powerful 'overheard-on-the-subway' feeling which only comes from effective ultra-realistic writing.

Arrived in time as advised. Exactly what I needed. Good condition and packaging. Excellent play and clear script to read

I performed this play for my As Drama performance, fantasticly funny play, definitely a must read even if not performing.

Hilarious play, great simple edition.

I bought this as I LOVED Yasmina Reza previous work with ART. I thought the play was amazing, and me and my friends actually acted it for fun. I loved the triangle between these friends and their friendships about to fall apart.In God of Carnage, it's a similar scenario, only it's two couples who meet for the first time to discuss their son's bad behaviour towards one another and at the beginning they're very polite and little by little , incidents happen, funny things that starts to create chaos... Yasmina is quite funny in a sarcastic way as well.. Its a good idea but a bit of a repetition if you've read Art. So I'm not convinced to see the film either... Disappointing.

Really good listen

"[Are] we interested in anything but ourselves? Of course we'd all like to believe in the possibility of improvement", says poor Alain, one of the four characters in Yasmina Reza's play "The god of carnage". He may be naïve for a single moment saying this, but deep down he - and probably the French dramatist - do not believe in the possibility of improving the human being.Alain, his wife Annette, and the couple Véronique and Michel, are clear example of the well meant bourgeoisies whose blindness do not allow to see beyond their belly tummy. The answer to Alain first question is: not. No, they - and for extension we - are not interested in anything but themselves. The excuse for the gathering is each couple's child behavior - one of them has hurt the other with a stick. This is said in the first lines of the play, but what arises after a couple of minutes is the inherent nastiness that inhabits the inside of each of us.Reza's strong dialogues - translated with pitch perfection by Christopher Hampton - exposes above all her characters' moral fragilities. They are like a quartet playing a game whose winner is the one who best betrays his/her companions. For that they pair up with somebody else from the other couple, but, in the end, each is playing for on his/her own.What is it to be a parent? What is it to be half of a married couple? Are there rules for one live in society? How to fulfill other people's expectations towards us? Or, as a matter of fact, should we? There is a lot of irony in "The god of carnage" because we behave as others expect us to, and rarely show our true colors. They criticize the children's behavior and are hoped to teach them how to behave. But how can they do that when they themselves behave worse?