Les Mains Sales
Encyclopedia
Dirty Hands is a play by Jean-Paul Sartre
. It was first performed on 2 April 1948 at the Theatre Antoine
in Paris
, starring François Périer
, Marie Olivier and André Luguet
. The director was Simone Berriau.
A political drama set in the fictional country of Illyria between 1943 and 1945, the story is about the assassination of a leading politician.
The play is told mainly in flashback with the killer telling of how he carried out his mission. The killer's identity is established from the beginning, but the question is whether his motivations were political or personal. Thus the play's main theme is not on who did it but on why it was done.
. The country, an ally of Nazi Germany
, is on the verge of being annexed to the Eastern Bloc
.
A young Communist, Hugo Barine, is told that Hoederer, a party leader, has proposed talks with the other non-Socialist groups, including the Fascist government and the Liberal
and Nationalist-led resistance. The idea is to set up a joint resistance group opposing the Germans
, and a post-war coalition government. Hugo feels that Hoederer's policy smacks of treachery. Louis, another party leader, has decided that Hoederer must die. He grudgingly agrees to let Hugo, who has more commitment than experience, do the job.
Hugo and his wife Jessica move in with Hoederer, a man with a charming and trusting nature. Hugo is his secretary. Although he tries to convince Jessica that he is in earnest about the murder, she treats the whole thing as a game. Indeed, at first she sees the gun not as a murder weapon but as a metaphor for a phallus as Hugo perhaps suffers from erectile dysfunction and is unable to please her. Ten days pass and then the negotiations begin with the other parties. With Hoederer coming close to a deal with the members of the class that he loathes, Hugo is on the point of reaching for his gun when a bomb explodes.
Nobody is killed but Hugo is furious. This attack shows that those who sent him do not trust him to do the job. He gets drunk and almost gives the game up to Hoederer's bodyguards. Jessica covers up for him by claiming to be pregnant.
Olga Lorame, one of those who sent Hugo to commit the murder, discreetly visits him and Jessica. It was she who threw the bomb and warns Hugo to get on with killing Hoederer since the others are getting impatient.
So far Jessica has taken the whole killing thing as a game, but the bomb convinces her that things are in earnest and that Hugo will kill Hoederer. She persuades the two of them to argue their points out in order to prevent any killing.
Hoederer's plan is to enter government with the other parties but to leave them with the key ministerial posts. Once the war is over a number of unpopular but necessary policies will have to be implemented in order to rebalance the economy. This will cause problems for the right-wing government, allowing the left-wing, including the Communists, to take over more easily.
At the moment the Communists do not have the necessary support to gain power and the expected arrival of the Soviet
forces may only make things worse. Hoederer points out that people do not like occupying foreign armies, even liberating ones, and the feeling will be passed on to the government introduced by the invaders!
Hugo insists that the party must remain pure. Power is the goal but Hoederer's expedient methods are not acceptable, especially as they involve collaborating with "class" enemies and lying and deceiving to their own forces. Once they are alone Jessica tries to convince Hugo that he was taken in by Hoederer's point of view, but he twists this around saying that it is all the more the reason to kill Hoederer since he could convince others.
Over time, however, both Hugo and Jessica have succumbed to Hoederer's charm and manner. Although he may disagree with his policies, Hugo seems to think that Hoederer could help him cross from boy to manhood and sort out the internal conflicts within himself. Hoederer, who is now aware that Hugo is there to kill him on Louis' orders, is willing to help the young man sort out his problems. He is not, however, so keen on Jessica whose attraction to him seems more physical. When he kisses her as a way of getting it out of her system, Hugo catches them in the act and kills him.
While in prison Hugo receives gifts from the outside which he guesses are from those who sent him to kill Hoederer. This keeps him going, but some of the gifts turn out to be poisoned chocolates. What's more, when he is released on parole, he finds himself stalked by the party's killers and takes refuge with Olga.
Olga listens to Hugo's version of events. Hugo did not kill Hoederer out of jealousy for Jessica but because he thought that Hoederer was not sincere when he said that he wanted Hugo to stay with him in order to mentor him: "I killed him because I opened the door. That's all I know", "Jealous? Perhaps. But not for Jessica."
Olga concludes that Hugo will be more useful alive than dead. However she also reveals that the policy that Hoederer proposed has been adopted after all! On Moscow
's orders, the party has formed an alliance with the other groups. In fact Hugo realizes that the very setup that Hoederer was negotiating in his presence, and which he was supposed to prevent, has been carried out. The whole thing was over a matter of timing: Hoederer's initiative was too premature, so the party had to kill him. Later, after Hoederer's plan was adopted, the party rehabilitated his image and after the war he will be remembered as a great leader and hero.
Hugo is incensed, especially since the party has lied and deceived its own members. The fact that they are at war and have probably saved a hundred thousand lives makes no difference. What matters now, he decides, is that Hoederer should die not for a woman like Jessica but for his policies: because he lied to the rank and file and jeopardized the soul of the party. Hugo decides all the party leaders — Hoederer, Louis, and Olga — are alike. This is why he has been targeted by hitmen sent by Louis.
Hugo realizes that, despite Olga's statements to the contrary, if he remains alive and continues with the party his earlier assassination of Hoederer will mean nothing and bring dishonor. Thus, while Olga tries desperately to save him, it is Hugo himself who lets the killers in to finish the job.
Hugo Barine, a young 21-year-old bourgeois intellectual who joined the party's Communist faction under the name of Raskolnikov
(from Dostoevsky
's Crime and Punishment
). His father is a leading businessman and, since he comes from a wealthy background, most members of the party dismiss him as an intellectual who does not even know what poverty is really like. Hugo is anxious to prove his worth to them, especially Louis and Olga, and killing Hoederer will be a way to achieve this.
Jessica, Hugo's 19-year-old wife. She keeps out of politics, referring to herself as someone brought up to simply "put flowers in vases". At first, she treats the approaching murder as a game, which does not help Hugo's confidence, but then she tries desperately to prevent it. When Hugo is jailed she at first keeps in touch but then breaks off communication and stops using her married name.
Louis, another leading figure in the Proletarian Party, but opposed to Hoederer's plan.
Olga, a member of Louis' faction and one of the few friends Hugo has.
Karsky, the leader of the Pentagon, a group that includes Liberals and Nationalists, fighting the Regent of Illyria and his pro-Fascist government.
The Prince, the son of the Regent and his representative in the negotiations.
Slick, Georges and Leon, Hoederer's bodyguards.
Charles and Frantz, Communist assassins sent to kill Hugo after his release from prison.
Ivan, a saboteur for the Communists.
has a lot to do with this play and how it was written. Illyria (also the location of Shakespeare
's Twelfth Night) was presumably based upon Hungary
. The 'Parti Proletarian' is the communist party to which most of the main characters in the story belong. They are fighting for "une société sans classes" ("a classless society"). The other two parties mentioned in this play are the Regent's Fascist government which supports Germany and the 'Pentagone' which is made up of the middle classes.
Hungary at that time was ruled by a Regent, Miklós Horthy
who appointed Prime Minister Gyula Gömbös
in 1932. Gömbös wanted to co-operate with Nazi Germany
, and, although this ended Hungary's depression, it made it economically dependent on Germany. The Hungarian government supported the policies and goals of Nazi Germany.
In 1938, the new Prime Minister, Kálmán Darányi
, decided to make his new policies very pro-Germany and pro-Italy, a bit like how Hoederer wanted to join with the other parties to try to evolve as a country and stay on everyone's good side to get his own party's point across.
which Sartre espoused, but many have taken it as a straightforward political drama. Right-wingers welcomed it as anti-communist, and left-wingers attacked it for the same reason. When the film version was released in France in 1951 Communists threatened the cinemas showing it. In fact the play itself was not re-staged in France until 1976.
It was not even staged in a socialist state until November 1968 when it was shown in Prague
after the invasion of Czechoslovakia
by fellow Warsaw Pact
forces; appropriate given that differences in Communist doctrine is one of its themes.
Underlying the critics' response to Les Mains sales is the extent to which it is a play too rooted in themes of politics and existentialism, and whether, in consequence, it becomes inaccessible for the average spectator.
Non-French versions of the play have had titles including Dirty Hands, Red Gloves and Crime Passionnel.
In 2000, the play was performed in Britain under the title of The Novice starring Jamie Glover
as Hugo and Kenneth Cranham
as Hoederer. The director was Richard Eyre
who used it to raise conflicting differences in contemporary British political life, such as the Northern Ireland peace process
or the Old and New factions of Britain's Labour Party
government.
Jean-Paul Sartre
Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre was a French existentialist philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic. He was one of the leading figures in 20th century French philosophy, particularly Marxism, and was one of the key figures in literary...
. It was first performed on 2 April 1948 at the Theatre Antoine
Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau
Théâtre Antoine-Simone Berriau is a theater located at 14 boulevard de Strasbourg in the 10th arrondissement of Paris.The 800-seat theater was built, in Italian style, in 1866...
in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, starring François Périer
François Périer
François Périer, , born François Pillu in Paris, was one of France's most distinguished actors.He made over 110 film and TV appearances between 1938 and 1996. He was also prominent in the theatre. Among his most notable parts was that of Hugo in the first production of Jean-Paul Sartre's Les Mains...
, Marie Olivier and André Luguet
André Luguet
André Luguet was a French film actor. He appeared in over 120 films between 1910 and 1970.He was born in Fontenay-sous-Bois, France and died in Cannes, France.-Selected filmography:* The Mad Genius...
. The director was Simone Berriau.
A political drama set in the fictional country of Illyria between 1943 and 1945, the story is about the assassination of a leading politician.
The play is told mainly in flashback with the killer telling of how he carried out his mission. The killer's identity is established from the beginning, but the question is whether his motivations were political or personal. Thus the play's main theme is not on who did it but on why it was done.
Plot
The action takes place in Illyria, a fictional East European country in the latter stages of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The country, an ally of Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, is on the verge of being annexed to the Eastern Bloc
Eastern bloc
The term Eastern Bloc or Communist Bloc refers to the former communist states of Eastern and Central Europe, generally the Soviet Union and the countries of the Warsaw Pact...
.
A young Communist, Hugo Barine, is told that Hoederer, a party leader, has proposed talks with the other non-Socialist groups, including the Fascist government and the Liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
and Nationalist-led resistance. The idea is to set up a joint resistance group opposing the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, and a post-war coalition government. Hugo feels that Hoederer's policy smacks of treachery. Louis, another party leader, has decided that Hoederer must die. He grudgingly agrees to let Hugo, who has more commitment than experience, do the job.
Hugo and his wife Jessica move in with Hoederer, a man with a charming and trusting nature. Hugo is his secretary. Although he tries to convince Jessica that he is in earnest about the murder, she treats the whole thing as a game. Indeed, at first she sees the gun not as a murder weapon but as a metaphor for a phallus as Hugo perhaps suffers from erectile dysfunction and is unable to please her. Ten days pass and then the negotiations begin with the other parties. With Hoederer coming close to a deal with the members of the class that he loathes, Hugo is on the point of reaching for his gun when a bomb explodes.
Nobody is killed but Hugo is furious. This attack shows that those who sent him do not trust him to do the job. He gets drunk and almost gives the game up to Hoederer's bodyguards. Jessica covers up for him by claiming to be pregnant.
Olga Lorame, one of those who sent Hugo to commit the murder, discreetly visits him and Jessica. It was she who threw the bomb and warns Hugo to get on with killing Hoederer since the others are getting impatient.
So far Jessica has taken the whole killing thing as a game, but the bomb convinces her that things are in earnest and that Hugo will kill Hoederer. She persuades the two of them to argue their points out in order to prevent any killing.
Hoederer's plan is to enter government with the other parties but to leave them with the key ministerial posts. Once the war is over a number of unpopular but necessary policies will have to be implemented in order to rebalance the economy. This will cause problems for the right-wing government, allowing the left-wing, including the Communists, to take over more easily.
At the moment the Communists do not have the necessary support to gain power and the expected arrival of the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
forces may only make things worse. Hoederer points out that people do not like occupying foreign armies, even liberating ones, and the feeling will be passed on to the government introduced by the invaders!
Hugo insists that the party must remain pure. Power is the goal but Hoederer's expedient methods are not acceptable, especially as they involve collaborating with "class" enemies and lying and deceiving to their own forces. Once they are alone Jessica tries to convince Hugo that he was taken in by Hoederer's point of view, but he twists this around saying that it is all the more the reason to kill Hoederer since he could convince others.
Over time, however, both Hugo and Jessica have succumbed to Hoederer's charm and manner. Although he may disagree with his policies, Hugo seems to think that Hoederer could help him cross from boy to manhood and sort out the internal conflicts within himself. Hoederer, who is now aware that Hugo is there to kill him on Louis' orders, is willing to help the young man sort out his problems. He is not, however, so keen on Jessica whose attraction to him seems more physical. When he kisses her as a way of getting it out of her system, Hugo catches them in the act and kills him.
While in prison Hugo receives gifts from the outside which he guesses are from those who sent him to kill Hoederer. This keeps him going, but some of the gifts turn out to be poisoned chocolates. What's more, when he is released on parole, he finds himself stalked by the party's killers and takes refuge with Olga.
Olga listens to Hugo's version of events. Hugo did not kill Hoederer out of jealousy for Jessica but because he thought that Hoederer was not sincere when he said that he wanted Hugo to stay with him in order to mentor him: "I killed him because I opened the door. That's all I know", "Jealous? Perhaps. But not for Jessica."
Olga concludes that Hugo will be more useful alive than dead. However she also reveals that the policy that Hoederer proposed has been adopted after all! On Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
's orders, the party has formed an alliance with the other groups. In fact Hugo realizes that the very setup that Hoederer was negotiating in his presence, and which he was supposed to prevent, has been carried out. The whole thing was over a matter of timing: Hoederer's initiative was too premature, so the party had to kill him. Later, after Hoederer's plan was adopted, the party rehabilitated his image and after the war he will be remembered as a great leader and hero.
Hugo is incensed, especially since the party has lied and deceived its own members. The fact that they are at war and have probably saved a hundred thousand lives makes no difference. What matters now, he decides, is that Hoederer should die not for a woman like Jessica but for his policies: because he lied to the rank and file and jeopardized the soul of the party. Hugo decides all the party leaders — Hoederer, Louis, and Olga — are alike. This is why he has been targeted by hitmen sent by Louis.
Hugo realizes that, despite Olga's statements to the contrary, if he remains alive and continues with the party his earlier assassination of Hoederer will mean nothing and bring dishonor. Thus, while Olga tries desperately to save him, it is Hugo himself who lets the killers in to finish the job.
Characters
Hoederer, a former member of the Illyrian parliament and a leading figure in the Socialist Proletarian Party. He has a very trusting nature and even remains friendly with Hugo after he realises the young man is there to kill him. He offers to help Hugo sort out his internal conflicts. His plans are based on the political reality of the situation.Hugo Barine, a young 21-year-old bourgeois intellectual who joined the party's Communist faction under the name of Raskolnikov
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov
Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov is the fictional protagonist of Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoyevsky. The name Raskolnikov derives from the Russian raskolnik meaning "schismatic"...
(from Dostoevsky
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky was a Russian writer of novels, short stories and essays. He is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov....
's Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment
Crime and Punishment is a novel by the Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky. It was first published in the literary journal The Russian Messenger in twelve monthly installments during 1866. It was later published in a single volume. This is the second of Dostoyevsky's full-length novels following his...
). His father is a leading businessman and, since he comes from a wealthy background, most members of the party dismiss him as an intellectual who does not even know what poverty is really like. Hugo is anxious to prove his worth to them, especially Louis and Olga, and killing Hoederer will be a way to achieve this.
Jessica, Hugo's 19-year-old wife. She keeps out of politics, referring to herself as someone brought up to simply "put flowers in vases". At first, she treats the approaching murder as a game, which does not help Hugo's confidence, but then she tries desperately to prevent it. When Hugo is jailed she at first keeps in touch but then breaks off communication and stops using her married name.
Louis, another leading figure in the Proletarian Party, but opposed to Hoederer's plan.
Olga, a member of Louis' faction and one of the few friends Hugo has.
Karsky, the leader of the Pentagon, a group that includes Liberals and Nationalists, fighting the Regent of Illyria and his pro-Fascist government.
The Prince, the son of the Regent and his representative in the negotiations.
Slick, Georges and Leon, Hoederer's bodyguards.
Charles and Frantz, Communist assassins sent to kill Hugo after his release from prison.
Ivan, a saboteur for the Communists.
Historical context
World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
has a lot to do with this play and how it was written. Illyria (also the location of Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
's Twelfth Night) was presumably based upon Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. The 'Parti Proletarian' is the communist party to which most of the main characters in the story belong. They are fighting for "une société sans classes" ("a classless society"). The other two parties mentioned in this play are the Regent's Fascist government which supports Germany and the 'Pentagone' which is made up of the middle classes.
Hungary at that time was ruled by a Regent, Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy
Miklós Horthy de Nagybánya was the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary during the interwar years and throughout most of World War II, serving from 1 March 1920 to 15 October 1944. Horthy was styled "His Serene Highness the Regent of the Kingdom of Hungary" .Admiral Horthy was an officer of the...
who appointed Prime Minister Gyula Gömbös
Gyula Gömbös
Gyula Gömbös de Jákfa was the conservative prime minister of Hungary from 1932 to 1936.-Background:Gömbös was born in the Tolna County village of Murga, Hungary, which had a mixed Hungarian and ethnic German population. His father was the village schoolmaster. The family belonged to the ...
in 1932. Gömbös wanted to co-operate with Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
, and, although this ended Hungary's depression, it made it economically dependent on Germany. The Hungarian government supported the policies and goals of Nazi Germany.
In 1938, the new Prime Minister, Kálmán Darányi
Kálmán Darányi
Kálmán Darányi de Pusztaszentgyörgy et Tetétlen was a Hungarian politician who served as Prime Minister of Hungary from 1936 to 1938. He also served as Speaker of the House of Representatives of Hungary from 5 December 1938 to 12 June 1939 and from 15 June 1939 to 1 November 1939...
, decided to make his new policies very pro-Germany and pro-Italy, a bit like how Hoederer wanted to join with the other parties to try to evolve as a country and stay on everyone's good side to get his own party's point across.
Legacy
Les Mains sales is based mainly on the theme of existentialismExistentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
which Sartre espoused, but many have taken it as a straightforward political drama. Right-wingers welcomed it as anti-communist, and left-wingers attacked it for the same reason. When the film version was released in France in 1951 Communists threatened the cinemas showing it. In fact the play itself was not re-staged in France until 1976.
It was not even staged in a socialist state until November 1968 when it was shown in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
after the invasion of Czechoslovakia
Prague Spring
The Prague Spring was a period of political liberalization in Czechoslovakia during the era of its domination by the Soviet Union after World War II...
by fellow Warsaw Pact
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Treaty Organization of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance , or more commonly referred to as the Warsaw Pact, was a mutual defense treaty subscribed to by eight communist states in Eastern Europe...
forces; appropriate given that differences in Communist doctrine is one of its themes.
Underlying the critics' response to Les Mains sales is the extent to which it is a play too rooted in themes of politics and existentialism, and whether, in consequence, it becomes inaccessible for the average spectator.
Non-French versions of the play have had titles including Dirty Hands, Red Gloves and Crime Passionnel.
In 2000, the play was performed in Britain under the title of The Novice starring Jamie Glover
Jamie Glover
Jamie Glover is an English actor, known for portraying Andrew Treneman in Waterloo Road.-Background:Born and raised in Barnes, London, Glover is the son of actors Julian Glover and Isla Blair...
as Hugo and Kenneth Cranham
Kenneth Cranham
Kenneth Cranham is a film, television and stage actor. He starred in the title role in the popular 1980s comedy drama Shine on Harvey Moon. He also appeared in Layer Cake, Gangster No. 1, Rome, Oliver! and many other films. He is probably best known to horror genre fans as the deranged Dr...
as Hoederer. The director was Richard Eyre
Richard Eyre
Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre CBE is an English director of film, theatre, television, and opera.-Biography:Eyre was educated at Sherborne School, an independent school for boys in the market town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset in south-west England, followed by Peterhouse at the University...
who used it to raise conflicting differences in contemporary British political life, such as the Northern Ireland peace process
Northern Ireland peace process
The peace process, when discussing the history of Northern Ireland, is often considered to cover the events leading up to the 1994 Provisional Irish Republican Army ceasefire, the end of most of the violence of the Troubles, the Belfast Agreement, and subsequent political developments.-Towards a...
or the Old and New factions of Britain's Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
government.
External links
- http://lesmainssalessps.wikispaces.com/ Poignant quotes from original script.