The Birthday Party

Thinking Activity

The Birthday Party

                         

                                 Harold Pinter born 10 October 1930 and death 24 December 2008 was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. a Nobel prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanned more than 50 years. his best-known plays included The Birthday Party (1957), The Homecoming (1964), and Betrayal (1978), each of which he adapted for the screen. his screenplay adaptations of others works include The Servant (1963), The Go-Between (1971), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), The Trial (1993), and Sleuth (2007). he also directed or acted in radio, stage, television, and film productions of his own and others works.

                               "The Birthday Party" play is written by Harold Pinter. Harold Pinter was English playwright, known for his so-called comedies of menace. in the 2005 he was awarded the Nobel prize in literature. The Birthday party is a 1968 film directed by William Friedkin, and starring Robert shaw, based on the 1957 play The Birthday Party by Harold Pinter.  

Q-1) Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie ?

Ans :- Lulu's two scenes can't omitted from the movie may be director shown only good thing, and in the movie lulu's character portrait as differ from novel. and may be he didn't want to focus on female characters in the movie otherwise he was less focus on female characters justification like meg and lulu because this character show only few minutes and meg and lulu haven't individuals identity. in the film we can see meg most of in the kitchen and lulu show ready for sexual relationship.

Q-2) Is movie successful in giving us the effect of Menace ? where you able to feel it while reading the text ?

Ans :- we can see the effect of menace in the movie, because while reading the play we can sense that Stanley has a mysterious past which we are not informed about. i felt this while reading the long conversation between McCann, Stanley and Goldberg.

Q-3) Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? where you able to feel the same while reading the text.

Ans :- In movie feel it when Stanley hide in kitchen and then they all are playing blind man's buff and this danger remain as it is when Goldberg and McCann take Stanley away. while reading for the first time we feel this when meg ask to Petey that is it him or not and for some time petey don't answer we feel the danger there. 

Q-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.

Ans :- In the movie newspaper is most important thing because constantly shown newspaper scene it direct to people know everything but avoid to accept fact. here in the play petey reading newspaper and her wife ask about news and she is not interested to knowing thing but her purpose to satire on her husband. petey know about her wife ambiguity relation with Stendly but he avoided and reading reading newspaper. McCain cutting newspaper and that pieces are hidden by petey in last scene it may be suggest that how news reality missing and unfold by someone.

Q-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?

Ans :- The director of the movie he taken very effective work from camera. During the blind man's buff scene also it works effectively. McCann was there in that house because he want to grab Stanley. when it come to blindfold McCann the camera was over the head of McCann and his expression was also savage. it is like he is trying to get his prey. but when it comes to Stanley the camera is on top of the room and room is looking like cage and Stanley is trying to escape. so it is symbolically said that now stanley is in trap and he can not escape because Goldberg and McCann will not allow him to escape.

Q-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". (Pinter, Art, Truth & politics: excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture). Does this happen in the movie?

Ans :- Yes, it does happened in the movie, we can see blurred dialogues, and with this space, etc. we can't understand it without a doubt.

Q-7) How does viewing movie help in better understanding of the play "The Birthday Party" with its typical characteristics (like Painteresque, pause, silence, menace, lurking danger)?

Ans :- Really movie help for better understanding of the play 'The Birthday Party'. in the movie i can well understand tone like silence, pause, menace. but in the movie i can't seen painteresque characteristics while reading a play at that time i was seeing painteresque characteristics.

Q-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 directed by William Friedkin". (Ebert)

 
Ans :- According to me both has right is at its own place, becaue everything has its own limitation and it can't go beyond the limitation. same thing if we apply here in the movie or in the text of the play then we realize that both has its own charm to satisfy the minds of the readers or the viewers.

Q-9) If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of movie ?

Ans :- If i was director for this movie i would try to make more interesting for audience that why audience don't feel boring.

Q-10) Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters ?

Ans :- This film is great in it self, I don't feel anything to change. but may be I will add the scene of Lulu because I don't think Pinter has written it purposelessly.other than that i don't think movie needs any further change.

I would be choice this actor to play the role of characters :- 

* Ranveer Singh choose for Stanley role :-

 * Alia Bhatt choose for Lulu role :-

Helan choose for Meg role :-

 * Anupam Kher choose for Petey role :- 

* Paresh Rawal choose for Goldberg :-

* Ajay Devgn choose for McCann :-

Q-11) Do you see any similarities among Kafka's Joseph k. (in 'The Trial'), Orwell's Winston smith ( In 'Nineteen Eighty-Four') and Pinter's victor (in 'one for the road') ?

Ans :- Yes, I can see similarities among Kafka's Joseph k. (The Trial) in this text also seen detective story as like Birthday Party play, I can say it detective story of one person may be who against politics leader. and Orwell's Winston Smith in the 'Nineteenth Eighty-Four' according to film version it is very strong and heart touchable movie. 

THANK YOU 

         

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett

Thinking Activity

Waiting for Godot by Samuel Beckett


* About Author by Samuel Beckett :-

                    

                                               Samuel Barclay Beckett born 13 April 1906 death 22 December 1989 was an Irish novelist, Playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. A resident of Paris for most of his adult life, he wrote in both English and French. Beckett was awarded the 1969 for Noble Prize in literature for his writing in new forms for the novel and drama. his work generally focused on the idea of Existentialism and expressed what happens when human existence has no meaning or purpose and therefore all communication breaks down.

  Q-1) What connection do you see in the setting ('A country road, a tree and evening') of the play and these paintings.

 Ans :-  David Friedrich is a famous German romantic landscape painter. The visualization and portrayal of landscape in entirely new manner was Friedrich's key innovation. "Longing" is painting by Caspar David Fredrich. he has drawn two paintings and both painting have same background of nature. from these paintings Samuel Beckett has got inspiration for his setting of the play "waiting for Godot". other than this there is no more connection between these image and setting of the play because fredrich belongs to romanticism, his depiction of nature has different meaning. so,these painting are inspiration for setting of the play.

Q-2) The tree is the only important 'thing' in the setting. what is the important of tree in both acts? why does Beckett grow few leaves in act 2 on the barren tree the tree has four or five leaves?

 

 Ans :- This tree present very symbolically. first we can say it shows that in first act it is barren, so its effect of world war and then it's had a leaves so suggest hope. second it's represent that how change in nature. third is that "Indifference of nature or universe".

Q-3) In both acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. how would you like to interpret this 'coming of night and moon' when actually they are waiting for Godot?

 Ans :- We can interpret this moon as brightness in the night so, i think Beckett want to convey through this moon's brightness in the night means though the darkness of night there is somewhat hope like the brightness of the moon. so, we should not lost our hope, every day is new day.

Q-4) The director feels the setting with some debris. can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?

Ans:- Debris means destroyed or broken in to the pieces. debris in the play showing like absurdity.

Q-5) The play begins with the dialogue "nothing to be done". how does the theme of 'nothingness' recurs in the play?

Ans :- Nothingness is the central idea of the play "nothing to be done". Vladimir and Estragon was waiting for Godot at same place and in end also they are still waiting.

Q-6) Do you agree: "The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play,not negative, not pessimistic. as i saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'no matter what - atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything- life goes on. you can kill yourself, but you can't kill life". (E.G. marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950 s)?

Ans :- The play is completely optimistic. The dialogues between Vladimir and Estragon, Lucky and Pozzo, messenger the boy reflect the deep philosophy of life. as Pozzo exclaims "one day is not enough for, one day like any other day he went dumb, one day i went blind, one day we will go deaf, one day we were born, one day we'll die, the same day, the same second ..." Hindu philosophy says that nothing can be meaningless. you will gain the fruits of your deeds. and if life is meaningless yet we are going on living. so many people are connected with us but if we kill ourselves then also life will go on as it is for other people.

Q-7) How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? what is the symbolical significance of these props?

Ans:- Hat is a symbol of intelligence while boots is symbol of hardship or importance of body. but the main point is that yet they both are waiting for Godot. As same in our life also we are intelligent or hard worker doesn't matter. because after all we all are waiting for death.

Q-8) Do you think that the obedience of lucky is extremely irritating? even when the master pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?

Ans :- This play present human nature very well, through the characters. in the case of lucky, he gave the rope to hismaster even his master was blind. so, its shows the blindness of human mind, that how he became slave, he not gave the rope to his master but he surrender himself.

Q-9) Who according to you is Godot? God? an object of desire? Death? Goal? success? or ...

Ans:- According to me, Godot is death. after doing all the things, we waiting for death. after all success and happiness, all desires in life nothing left. what to do ? what purpose of life? nothing. then we waits for end, that is Godot that is death.

Q-10) "The subject of the play is not Godot but 'Waiting' (Esslin, a search for the self). do you agree? howcan you justify your answer?

Ans :- the subject of the play is waiting because both the characters waiting from starting to end. as same in our life also from birth we are waiting until death come. this, we can justify the theme of the play is waiting.

Q-11) Do you think that plays like this can better be 'read' than 'viewed' as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to think? or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?

Ans:- Audio- visual more helpful for better imagination off scene and understanding but i think here sometime audio- visual remains useless. when i watched movie at that time i clarify about background, setting and frame of film but sometime dialogues moving very fast between Vladimir and Estragon and monologue of lucky. 

Q-12) Which of the following sequence you liked the most :

• Vladimir - Estragon killing time in questions and conversations while waiting
• Pozzo - lucky episode in both acts conversation of Vladimir with the boy 

Ans :- the conversation of Vladimir and the boy because it is so relatable. many time it happens in our life that we are eagerly waiting for something and at the end we didn't get it and the irritation we feel same we can feel in conversation of Vladimir and boy.          

THANK YOU