Skip to main content

'The Birthday Party' film screening task

1. Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?
The reason for cutting first scene might be that Pinter wanted spectators to feel more sympathy for Stanley. Second omitted scene when Lulu argues with Goldberg, he might have felt that there is no important of that scene. It may distract mind and decrease effect. These are two possible reasons why two scenes are omitted in the film.

2. Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text?
Throughout the film effect of enigma, fear and some kind of conspiracy remains. Although there are comic scenes also, like talk between Petey and Meg about newspaper news, Stanley playing drum which in beginning seems funny but suddenly it becomes frustrating and noisy. So effect of menace can be felt.

3. Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text?
From first scene effect of danger is there. Who is driving the car?, where does it go? Whole thing happens inside house and there is no music, only loud and sometime strange sounds. Two men come and behaves badly with Stanley, and in the end they takes Stanley with them. We don't know who were they and where did they take Stanley? These all things creates effect of danger.

4. What do you read in 'newspaper' in the movie? Petey is reading newspaper to Meg, it torn into pieces by McCain, pieces are hidden by Petey in last scene.
For Petey newspaper is symbol for hiding his self. He knows something but does not tell anyone. He just remains spectator. Meccain tears newspaper into peaces. It shows his mentality. He wants Stanley torn like the pieces of newspaper. And he succeed also.

5. Camera is positioned over the head of McCain when he is playing Blind Man's Buff and is positioned at the top with a view of room like a cage (trap) when Stanley is playing it. What interpretations can you give to these positioning of camera?
When camera is over the head of Meccain, he represents government and master's policy of keeping watch on everyone. For that reason person feels like prison. Even one's own home have become like prison.

6. "Pinter restored theater to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretense crumbles. "Does this happen in the movie?
Yes, there are real care for each other in the movie. Expect Goldberg and Meccain, other character have affection for each other. Meg takes care and make food happily for Stanley and Petey, Petey feels mercy for Stanley, Meg and Lulu wanted to celebrate Stanley's birthday. So indeed pretense crumble in the play.

7. How does viewing movie help in better understanding of the play ‘The Birthday Party’ with its typical characteristics?
Specifically the movie really helps to feel the effect of danger. Loud noise of tearing newspaper, strange voices on birthday night, camera angles and focuses all gives real feeling of the play. We can't imagine those noises while reading.

8. With which of the following observations you agree:
“It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party." 
“It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version
Of course this was very good film version of the play, but we can't really say it is impossible to make better movie than this. Nothing can be considered as best. Everything can be better than earlier.

9. If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of movie? Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
After watching the film I didn't feel anything unfitted in the film. Actors also fit in their characters and there is no need of any changes.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Old Woman - Joseph Campbell

'The Old Woman' is simple and short poem by Joseph Campbell where he compares old woman with different things and describes her. The poem has three stanzas. .In  the first stanza , the poet compares the old lady with the white candle. White colour is symbol of peace and candle is symbol of light. The old woman is like white candle. She is in peace and she gives other people light by his experiences. She is able to show right path who need that. In the second  stanza, the poet compares the old lady with the spent radiance of the winter's sun. It refers old woman's long life. But now she is old like winter's sun, but she has gathered a wide experience of life. Poet writes, "A woman with her travail done" In last stanza, the poet compares the old woman with the water under the ruined mill. The water is still under the ruined mill and by comparing this poet writes about the old lady that her all sons has gone, they do not live with her. But she has all the
20 comments
Read more

To the Indians who died in South Africa - T.S. Eliot

A man's destination is his own village,  His own fire, and his wife's cooking;  To sit in front of his own door at sunset  And see his grandson, and his neighbour's grandson  Playing in the dust together.  Scarred but secure, he has many memories  Which return at the hour of conversation,  (The warm or the cool hour, according to the climate)  Of foreign men, who fought in foreign places,  Foreign to each other.  A man's destination is not his destiny,  Every country is home to one man  And exile to another. Where a man dies bravely  At one with his destiny, that soil is his.  Let his village remember.  This was not your land, or ours: but a village in the Midlands,  And one in the Five Rivers, may have the same graveyard.  Let those who go home tell the same story of you:  Of action with a common purpose, action  None the less fruitful if neither you nor we  Know, until the judgement after death,  What is the fruit of action.  This poem is by T.S
6 comments
Read more

Joy and woe woven are fine - William Blake

In this short poem William Blake wants to give message that joy and grief, both are part of life and both are good. He says joy and woe are woven fine. Woven means things which are attached to each other. Both happiness and grief are fine. They are cloths of our soul. In every grief, there are also joy we need to find it. We are not here for only happiness or for only pain. But we are made for both. And when we know that joy and woe both are part of our life, we can live happily in grief also. So, in this poem poet wants to tell that accept both joy and pain. Do not become unhappy when sad moments come, there are always happy moments also. Know that both are part of everyone's life and live happily. That is all poet wants to say in the poem.
2 comments
Read more