''The Corsican Brothers'' (french: Les Frères corses) is a
novella
A novella is a narrative prose fiction whose length is shorter than most novels, but longer than most short stories. The English word ''novella'' derives from the Italian ''novella'' meaning a short story related to true (or apparently so) facts ...
by
Alexandre Dumas, père
Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where ''Suffix (name)#Generational titles, '' is French language, French for 'father', to distinguish him from ...
, first published in 1844. It is the story of two conjoined brothers who, though separated at birth, can still feel each other's physical distress. It has been adapted many times on the stage and in film.
Plot
The story starts in March 1841, when the narrator travels to
Corsica
Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...
and stays at the home of the widow Savilia de Franchi who lives near
Olmeto
Olmeto is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.
Population
Archaeological sites
There are two archaeological sites in the commune: Cuntorba and Figa la Sarra.
See also
* Tour de la Calanca
* Tour de ...
and
Sollacaro
Sollacaro (; it, Sollacarò, ; co, Suddacarò) is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.
Geography
The village is located at 450 m of altitude in the Taravo valley, on the departmental road 302, linking ...
. She is the mother of formerly conjoined twins Louis and Lucien. Louis is a lawyer in Paris, while Lucien clings to his Corsican roots and stays at his mother's home.
The brothers were separated at birth by a doctor with his scalpel, but Louis and Lucien can feel each other's emotions, even at a distance. Lucien explains he has a mission to undertake, with reluctance. He has to mediate in a
vendetta
Vendetta may refer to:
* Feud or vendetta, a long-running argument or fight
Film
* ''Vendetta'' (1919 film), a film featuring Harry Liedtke
* ''Vendetta'' (1950 film), an American drama produced by Howard Hughes
* ''Vendetta'' (1986 film), a ...
between the Orlandi and Colona families and invites the narrator to accompany him and meet the head of the Orlandi family.
Adaptations
Theatre
The play '' The Corsican Brothers'', by Dion Boucicault, based on the story, premiered in 1852.
George Albert Smith
George Albert Smith Sr. (April 4, 1870 – April 4, 1951) was an American religious leader who served as the eighth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Early life
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah Territor ...
King Baggot
William King Baggot (November 7, 1879 – July 11, 1948) was an American actor, film director and screenwriter. He was an internationally famous movie star of the silent film era. The first individually publicized leading man in America, B ...
Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.
Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr., (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best known for starring in such films as ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), '' Gunga Din'' (1939) ...
* ''Apoorva Sagodharargal'' (1949), a Tamil film starring M. K. Radha and P. Bhanumathi, directed by Acharya
*''
The Bandits of Corsica
''The Bandits of Corsica'', alternative title ''The Return of the Corsican Brothers'', is a 1953 American adventure film directed by Ray Nazarro and starring Richard Greene, Paula Raymond and Raymond Burr. It is loosely based on the 1844 novell ...
'' (1953), starring Richard Greene in the dual title roles, directed by
Ray Nazarro
Ray Nazarro ''(aka'' "Ray" and "Nat;" ''né'' Raymond Alfred Nazarro; September 25, 1902 – September 8, 1986) was an American film and television director, producer, and screenwriter. Budd Boetticher called him a "ten-day picture guy."Budd Boe ...
Leo Fleider
Leo Fleider (October 12, 1913 in Hermanowa, Poland - August 5, 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina) was a Polish born Argentine film director and screenwriter, and one of the influential directors in the Cinema of Argentina of the classic era.
...
Geoffrey Horne
Geoffrey Horne (born August 22, 1933) is an American actor, director, and acting coach at the Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute. His screen credits include ''The Bridge on the River Kwai'', '' Bonjour Tristesse'', ''The Strange One'', '' ...
*''
Aggi Pidugu
''Aggi Pidugu'' () is a 1964 Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler film, produced and directed by B. Vittalacharya under the Sri Vital Combines banner. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Krishna Kumari and Rajasree, with music composed by Rajan–Nage ...
'' (1964), a Telugu film directed by
B. Vittalacharya
B. Vittalacharya (28 January 1920 – 28 May 1999) was an Indian film director and producer known for his works in Telugu and Kannada cinema. He was known as ''Janapada Brahma'' in the Telugu film industry. Vittalacharya formed his film prod ...
, starring
N. T. Rama Rao
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years over three terms. He starred ...
Rajasri
Rajasree (Rajasree Thota Panchajanyam, Kusuma Kumari, born 31 August 1945), also known as Rajasri or Rajashri, is an Indian actress active from 1956 to 1979. She is particularly famous for her portrayal as a princess in several folklore Telug ...
*''
Aathma Pooja
Aathma is the fifth studio album by Andorran metal band Persefone. It was released on 24 February 2017 by label ViciSolum Productions.
Track listing
Personnel
Source:
;Persefone
* Marc Martins: vocals
* Carlos Lozano: guitars
* Miguel Es ...
'' (1970), a Sinhala (Sri Lankan) film directed by
M. Masthaan
( ; ; pl. ; ; 1512, from Middle French , literally "my lord") is an honorific title that was used to refer to or address the eldest living brother of the king in the French royal court. It has now become the customary French title of resp ...
Start the Revolution Without Me
''Start the Revolution Without Me'' is a 1970 British-French-American period drama, period comedy film directed by Bud Yorkin and starring Gene Wilder, Donald Sutherland, Hugh Griffith, Jack MacGowran, Billie Whitelaw, Orson Welles (playing himse ...
Jayalalithaa
Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...
Rajendra Kumar
Rajendra Kumar Tuli (20 July 1927 – 12 July 1999) was an Indian actor who starred in Bollywood films. Starting his career in 1949, he appeared in more than 80 films in a career spanning over four decades. He was popularly known as the 'Jubil ...
,
Hema Malini
Hema Malini (born 16 October 1948) is an Indian actress, director, producer, and politician. She is primarily known for her work in Hindi films. Known for starring in both comic and dramatic roles, she is one of the most popular and successful ...
Hallmark Hall of Fame
''Hallmark Hall of Fame'', originally called ''Hallmark Television Playhouse'', is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City-based greeting card company. The longest-running prime-time series in t ...
Big Business
Big business involves large-scale corporate-controlled financial or business activities. As a term, it describes activities that run from "huge transactions" to the more general "doing big things". In corporate jargon, the concept is commonly kn ...
'' (1988), starring Bette Midler and Lily Tomlin, based on the concept
*''
Twin Dragons
''Twin Dragons'' (also known as ''Shuang long hui'' and ''Brother vs. Brother'') is a 1992 Hong Kong action comedy film directed by Ringo Lam and Tsui Hark, and starring Jackie Chan in a double role as identical twin brothers separated at birt ...
'' (1992), a
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
movie starring
Jackie Chan
Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...
Tomax and Xamot
Tomax and Xamot Paoli (also called the Crimson Twins or Crimson Guard Commanders) are fictional characters from the '' G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' toyline, comic books and animated series. They are the co-leaders of Cobra's elite troops, the ...
are twin brothers described as having "Corsican Syndrome" in that they share a psychic link and can feel each other's pain.
* In the U.S. television science fiction series ''
Warehouse 13
''Warehouse 13'' is an American science fiction television series that originally ran from July 7, 2009, to May 19, 2014, on the Syfy network, and was executive produced by Jack Kenny and David Simkins for Universal Cable Productions. Described ...
'', "The Corsican Brothers' Vest" is an artifact which causes who ever hurts the wearer to feel the pain (and get wounded) instead of him. In episode 12 of season 2
Dear Bill, the parody of British political life during the
Thatcher era
Margaret Thatcher's term as the prime minister of the United Kingdom began on 4 May 1979 when she accepted an invitation of Queen Elizabeth II to form a government, and ended on 28 November 1990 upon her resignation. She was elected to the pos ...
, Denis Thatcher routinely refers to the government's PR consultants Saatchi and Saatchi as "The Corsican Brothers".
* In 1970 US television, a comedic parody aired on the television sitcom ''Bewitched''. In the episode titled "The Corsican Cousins", Samantha's mother, Endora, places a spell on Samantha so she will feel and act out everything her cousin, Serena does.
* In the 1981 novel '' The Xanadu Talisman'' by
Peter O'Donnell
Peter O'Donnell (11 April 1920 – 3 May 2010) was an English writer of mysteries and of comic strips, best known as the creator of ''Modesty Blaise'', an action heroine/undercover trouble-shooter. He was also an award-winning gothic hi ...
, Georges and Bernard Martel are compared to the Corsican Brothers because "one was good and one was bad".
* Volume 14 Chapter 01 of the manga series ''
Black Jack
Blackjack is a popular casino-gambling card game.
Black Jack or Blackjack may also refer to:
Places
Australia
* Black Jack, Queensland, a locality in Queensland
* Black Jack, a civil parish of Pottinger County, New South Wales
* Black Jack H ...
'' involves the title character treating twin brothers who are able to feel each other's pain, which their guardian compares to the Corsican Brothers.
* In the '' Men in Black: The Series'' episode "The Psychic Link Syndrome," Agent J compares Agent K to the Corsican Brothers when an alien named Forbus forms a psychic bond with K, causing the two to experience one another's sensations and emotions.
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...