French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Fleischer, Sade scénario
Theatre and Performance

Review published in the critical dossier of Acta Fabula "The Library of Phantom Texts" (November 2014, Vol. 15, No. 9): "Towards a History of Cinema in the Negative" by Jean-Louis Jeannelle.

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Alain Fleischer, Sade scénario

Paris: Le Cherche-Midi, "Styles" coll., 2013.

EAN 9782749132211.

441 pp.

Price: 19 EUR

Publisher's description:

In this brilliant essay, Alain Fleischer offers his reading of one of the most controversial French writers. As a filmmaker, Fleischer imagines a possible screenplay of the libertine's life. Years ago, he had actually offered the role of Sade to Marlon Brando, who had accepted it. The film never saw the light of day due to reluctant American producers. It is this very screenplay that Fleischer has reworked, presenting it to us today in the original form of an essay in the form of a dialogue.

Alain Fleischer approaches the infamous Marquis de Sade from the unique perspective of a filmmaker and visual artist. By framing his critical analysis as an unrealized cinematic screenplay, the author revitalizes biographical and literary inquiry into the libertine tradition. This unorthodox methodology bridges the gap between academic criticism and creative imagination, offering readers a fresh lens through which to examine how transgressive art is conceived, censored, and ultimately remembered within modern French culture.

This text will particularly engage scholars of literature and film studies, as well as readers interested in the intersections between cinematic adaptation and the philosophy of the Enlightenment. By detailing the fascinating backstory of his aborted collaboration with Marlon Brando, Fleischer reflects on the commercial and moral obstacles that face provocative art. It serves as an illuminating meditation on the phantom projects that haunt cultural history, making it a valuable addition to studies on censorship and biographical myth-making.