The Triumph of Love
Encyclopedia
The Triumph of Love is a 2001
romantic comedy film
, based on Marivaux's play Le Triomphe de l'amour (1732), directed by Clare Peploe, produced by her husband Bernardo Bertolucci
, and starring Mira Sorvino
and Ben Kingsley
. The play has also been made into a musical
, Triumph of Love
.
In an unidentified country in 18th century Europe
, an usurper's daughter (Mira Sorvino
) has inherited the throne and feels guilty about her family's crimes. She learns that the Queen gave birth to a prince and the rightful heir, Agis (Jay Rodan
), who was secretly sent to live with the great philosopher, Hermocrates. Agis has been taught to hate her and the entire female sex, and to reject all love. After gaining information from one of Hermocrates servants, she goes to see Agis for herself and finds him bathing in a lake in the forest. She falls in love with him at first sight, but he is kept in seclusion by Hermocrates (Ben Kingsley
) and his sister Leontine (Fiona Shaw
) to protect him from her. She wishes to gain Agis' love in return and marry him so that they may share the throne, but to get close enough to Agis, she must embark on a series of bribes, deceptions, and seductions.
Hermocrates : A great philosopher who hates the usurper princess and has been teaching Agis to despise her, the entire female sex and scorn the notion of 'love'. Discovering that 'Phocion' is really a woman, the princess (now calling herself 'Aspasie') tells him that she has fallen in love with him, and seduces him so that he will allow her to stay at his house (and therefore give her more time with Agis).
Leontine : Hermocrates' sister who is attempting several experiments to create electricity. Throughout the majority of the movie she believes that the princess is a man named Phocion. She is the first person that Phocion/the princess seduces, and is devastated upon discovering that she has been tricked. Occasionally, Leontine imagines that she can see an audience watching her, a reference to the fact that the movie is based on a play.
Agis : A handsome young man who is the rightful heir to the throne. He has been taught to hate women (the princess especially) and to reject all love. He becomes friends with Phocion, and is delighted to finally have someone to talk too. 'Phocion' soon reveals herself as a woman (but not as the princess) and Agis already treasures their friendship too much to hate her now based on her sex. He becomes more and more confused about his feelings and soon realises that he's falling in love with her.
Corine : The princess's lady-in-waiting who assists the princess anyway she can. She also disguises herself as a man named Hermidas, and infiltrates Hermocrates' home along with the princess. Corine is invaluable to the princess, as both a loyal friend and as an accomplice. It is implied that Corine and Harlequin are slightly attracted to each other.
Harlequin : One of Hermocrates' servants who catches the princess and Corine climbing over the wall and overhears them talking about their plan. The princess bribes him into aiding them and keeping their identity secret. It is implied that he likes Corine, for when 'Phocion's good looks are complimented, he adds that 'they are both attractive', and is later seen playfully giving Corine a foot rub.
Dimas : Hermocrates' gardener. Harlequin reveals the women's identity to him so that they will both be paid (to which Corine reacts angrily). Hermocrates had asked Dimas to spy on Phocion/Aspasie to discover her true intentions. Now also bribed by the princess, Dimas gives Hermocrates false information, leading Hermocrates to believe that Aspasie really does love him.
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy film
Romantic comedy films are films with light-hearted, humorous plotlines, centered on romantic ideals such as that true love is able to surmount most obstacles. One dictionary definition is "a funny movie, play, or television program about a love story that ends happily"...
, based on Marivaux's play Le Triomphe de l'amour (1732), directed by Clare Peploe, produced by her husband Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci
Bernardo Bertolucci is an Italian film director and screenwriter, whose films include The Conformist, Last Tango in Paris, 1900, The Last Emperor and The Dreamers...
, and starring Mira Sorvino
Mira Sorvino
Mira Katherine Sorvino is an American actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Mighty Aphrodite and is also known for her role as Romy White in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.- Early life :Sorvino was born in Tenafly, New Jersey...
and Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
. The play has also been made into a musical
Musical theatre
Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining songs, spoken dialogue, acting, and dance. The emotional content of the piece – humor, pathos, love, anger – as well as the story itself, is communicated through the words, music, movement and technical aspects of the entertainment as an...
, Triumph of Love
Triumph of Love
Triumph of Love is a musical with a book by James Magruder, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead, and music by Jeffrey Stock.Resembling a chamber musical more than a traditional book musical, it is based on the 1732 Pierre de Marivaux commedia dell'arte play Le Triomphe de l'Amour and centers on Spartan...
.
In an unidentified country in 18th century Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, an usurper's daughter (Mira Sorvino
Mira Sorvino
Mira Katherine Sorvino is an American actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Mighty Aphrodite and is also known for her role as Romy White in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion.- Early life :Sorvino was born in Tenafly, New Jersey...
) has inherited the throne and feels guilty about her family's crimes. She learns that the Queen gave birth to a prince and the rightful heir, Agis (Jay Rodan
Jay Rodan
Jay Rodan is a British actor, writer and director.Rodan was born in Durban, South Africa to a Scottish father and South African mother of Scots, Dutch and French descent...
), who was secretly sent to live with the great philosopher, Hermocrates. Agis has been taught to hate her and the entire female sex, and to reject all love. After gaining information from one of Hermocrates servants, she goes to see Agis for herself and finds him bathing in a lake in the forest. She falls in love with him at first sight, but he is kept in seclusion by Hermocrates (Ben Kingsley
Ben Kingsley
Sir Ben Kingsley, CBE is a British actor. He has won an Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards in his career. He is known for starring as Mohandas Gandhi in the film Gandhi in 1982, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Actor...
) and his sister Leontine (Fiona Shaw
Fiona Shaw
Fiona Shaw, CBE is an Irish actress and theatre director. Although to international audiences she is probably most familiar for her minor role as Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films, she is an accomplished classical actress...
) to protect him from her. She wishes to gain Agis' love in return and marry him so that they may share the throne, but to get close enough to Agis, she must embark on a series of bribes, deceptions, and seductions.
Characters
The Princess : The daughter of a usurper who falls in love with Agis, the rightful heir to the throne. Agis has been taught to hate her above all else, so she disguises herself as a young male scholar named Phocion and attempts to deceive both Hermocrates and his sister Leontine, all the while trying to get closer to Agis and make him fall in love with her.Hermocrates : A great philosopher who hates the usurper princess and has been teaching Agis to despise her, the entire female sex and scorn the notion of 'love'. Discovering that 'Phocion' is really a woman, the princess (now calling herself 'Aspasie') tells him that she has fallen in love with him, and seduces him so that he will allow her to stay at his house (and therefore give her more time with Agis).
Leontine : Hermocrates' sister who is attempting several experiments to create electricity. Throughout the majority of the movie she believes that the princess is a man named Phocion. She is the first person that Phocion/the princess seduces, and is devastated upon discovering that she has been tricked. Occasionally, Leontine imagines that she can see an audience watching her, a reference to the fact that the movie is based on a play.
Agis : A handsome young man who is the rightful heir to the throne. He has been taught to hate women (the princess especially) and to reject all love. He becomes friends with Phocion, and is delighted to finally have someone to talk too. 'Phocion' soon reveals herself as a woman (but not as the princess) and Agis already treasures their friendship too much to hate her now based on her sex. He becomes more and more confused about his feelings and soon realises that he's falling in love with her.
Corine : The princess's lady-in-waiting who assists the princess anyway she can. She also disguises herself as a man named Hermidas, and infiltrates Hermocrates' home along with the princess. Corine is invaluable to the princess, as both a loyal friend and as an accomplice. It is implied that Corine and Harlequin are slightly attracted to each other.
Harlequin : One of Hermocrates' servants who catches the princess and Corine climbing over the wall and overhears them talking about their plan. The princess bribes him into aiding them and keeping their identity secret. It is implied that he likes Corine, for when 'Phocion's good looks are complimented, he adds that 'they are both attractive', and is later seen playfully giving Corine a foot rub.
Dimas : Hermocrates' gardener. Harlequin reveals the women's identity to him so that they will both be paid (to which Corine reacts angrily). Hermocrates had asked Dimas to spy on Phocion/Aspasie to discover her true intentions. Now also bribed by the princess, Dimas gives Hermocrates false information, leading Hermocrates to believe that Aspasie really does love him.