Introduction
My interpretation of “The Candidate” by Voltaire is a modern version that emphasizes living in a big city. The selected scene in the Conclusion, where the main characters discuss the hardships of their life as they have nothing to do in contrast with the struggles they have experienced in the past. This scene is meant to reflect the idea that people experience hardships when they have nothing to do and nothing to engage with. The Conclusion is the thirties scene of “The Candidate,” where the main character makes a decision regarding his marriage to Cunegonde. Life in the modern city will be emphasized in the Conclusion of “The Candidate.”
Main body
Another creative choice a film director has to make is the actors cast for the roles in the movie. In the case of “The Candidate,” the following actors would be used: Dax Shepard would play the main role, or Candidate Kristen Bell would be Cunegonde, and Pangloss would be portrayed by Christopher Lloyd. The first two casting choices are linked to the need to emphasize this version’s modern approach to “The Candidate’s” interpretations.
Both Bell and Shepard are well-renounced actors, mainly known for their roles in comedies. *Other casting choices include Meryl Streep as the old woman, Steve Carell as Martin, and Oscar Isaac as Cacambo. Streep is known for her talents, and she is a suitable choice for complex roles with a lot of meaning. In this scene, in particular, the old woman begins the dialogue and prompts the others to reflect on their lives, which requires an actor who is capable of engaging in meaningful scenes.
The main change that will be done to “The Candidate’s” XXX scene is the alterations to the language that the characters use to express their thoughts. Voltaire’s language is in line with the time during which this play was written; however, it is not suitable for a modern-day viewer. The following line, for example, is the first dialogue in this scene, and it reflects the outdated references and language use: “I want to know which is worse, to be ravished a hundred times by negro pirates, to have a buttock cut off, to run the gauntlet among the Bulgarians, to be whipped and hanged at an auto-da-fé, to be dissected, to row in the galleys—in short, to go through all the miseries we have undergone, or to stay here and have nothing to do?” (Voltaire).
This would be changed to the following: “I want to know what is worse; to be robbed in the streets a hundred times, to have your arm being cut off, to run away as a refugee, to be cut off into small pieces. Simply put, I want to know what is worse, to go through all the hardships we have been through or to stay here and have nothing to do.” The changes made to this line reflect some of the outdated references that this play has, for example, a modern viewer is not familiar with the notions, such as “auto-da-fe” or “gauntlet.” Still, even with these changes, this line reflects the main idea that the old woman wanted to reflect; she was bored with the current position that she and her companions were in, and she wanted to know whether having hardships is better or worse than having nothing to do.
The sequence of the lines would not be rearranged, and no lines would be cut from the scene. However, the outdated language would be replaced with modern references familiar to the viewer, as shown in the example above. The setting of this scene is the house where the main characters reside; however, in this interpretation, they would be staying in an apartment that they would share in one of the big cities.
The costumes of the characters would be simplistic; they would be dressed in jeans and t-shirts to ensure that their attire does not take away too much attention from the viewer but still looks modern. In this scene, the characters do not have much dialogue; however, it is the concluding part of the piece where the main idea of “The Candidate” is revealed to the viewer. This is why the actors should be directed to use their gestures and facial expressions to reflect the deep thought and the emotion of boredom as they sit around and have nothing to do. At the end of the scene, the Candidate and his friends choose to work in the garden, which can be changed to a farm, as this is a reference that a modern viewer is more likely to understand.
Summary
In summary, this paper is the author’s interpretation of “The Candidate” by Voltaire. The main idea of the concluding scene of this work is that the main characters choose to escape their hardships and do not work to change the world for the better, even though they can. The scene’s interpretation is staged in a modern big city, and at the end, the characters move to a farm instead of a garden.
Work Cited
Voltaire. The Candidate. Web.