I have studied “The Birthday Party” by Harold Pinter in my 3rd
semester of Post Graduation. Dr. Dilip Barad has given us a task after movie
screening of “The Birthday Party”.
For activity - click here
My response to the blog
task:
Respected Sir,
Here is my response to the given task...
Post-Viewing Tasks:
1. Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?
- The reason of omitting two scenes of Lulu can be focusing upon the confusing situation of Stanley rather than Lulu. If those scenes were there in last act, the audience would focus on the character of a woman who was abused by men and she would have been judged as victim rather than the protagonist.
2. Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text?
- Yes, the film is successful in giving the effect of menace, but while reading the play we cannot feel it properly.
3. Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text.
- I have felt the effect of lurking danger when Goldberg is talking calmly with Stanley, that scene is dangerous because it shows the hidden evil in Goldberg. The same thing we can also feel in the play.
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.
- Petey reads newspaper to Meg because Meg has insisted him, Meg has a short memory and if she is aware with such realities it will not affect much; It has torn into pieces by McCane but in a proper order and carefully without any irritation like he is doing some very significant work and those pieces have been hidden by Petey which seems like he has hide an efforts done by McCane and also the whole incident. He has hide those pieces of newspaper with another pieces of paper (money)
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?
- In McCain’s turn camera is over the head which shows he is overpowered by his desire of catching Stanley (completing his task of job) the way he moves here and there in room it seems he is frustrated with game and also excited to win the game. In Stanley’s case, he knows with the fact that he will not win the game but he wants to escape from the situation and the angle camera shows that he is helpless.
6. "Pinter restored theatre to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretence crumbles." (Pinter, Art, Truth & Politics: Excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture). Does this happen in the movie?
- Yes, with some exceptions it happens in the movie. Everyone shows care and love for each other for example Lulu, Meg and Petey shows care towards Stanley but at the end when Stanley is in problem no one helps or even cares.
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)?
- Movie helps us in better understanding because it gives more effect to menace, lurking danger and silence. Because we cannot imagine these things as we can feel by watching.
8. With which of the following observations you agree:
o “It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party."
o “It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Friedkin”[1][3]. (Ebert)
- I agree with the second observation that this film is better and it includes all characteristics of Painteresque and also the use of sound and lighting with camera angles is effective.
9. If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make it the making of movie?
- There is nothing to change in movie, because the use of chaotic sound to show the second type of Pinter’s silence is good. The camera angles and lighting and close up of things to show trivial life.
10. Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
- In the movie we can observe that every man has bald patch, which may be the reason of their depressive life or may be the touch of realistic element in movie. But I would like to take young characters. If there is an Indian version of “The Birthday Party”, from Bollywood I would take…
Stanley: Randeep Hooda
Meg: Juhi Chawla
Petey: Naseeruddin Shah
Lulu: Isha Gupta
Goldberg: Akshay Kumar
McCane: John Abraham
Here is my response to the given task...
Post-Viewing Tasks:
1. Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?
- The reason of omitting two scenes of Lulu can be focusing upon the confusing situation of Stanley rather than Lulu. If those scenes were there in last act, the audience would focus on the character of a woman who was abused by men and she would have been judged as victim rather than the protagonist.
2. Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text?
- Yes, the film is successful in giving the effect of menace, but while reading the play we cannot feel it properly.
3. Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text.
- I have felt the effect of lurking danger when Goldberg is talking calmly with Stanley, that scene is dangerous because it shows the hidden evil in Goldberg. The same thing we can also feel in the play.
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.
- Petey reads newspaper to Meg because Meg has insisted him, Meg has a short memory and if she is aware with such realities it will not affect much; It has torn into pieces by McCane but in a proper order and carefully without any irritation like he is doing some very significant work and those pieces have been hidden by Petey which seems like he has hide an efforts done by McCane and also the whole incident. He has hide those pieces of newspaper with another pieces of paper (money)
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?
- In McCain’s turn camera is over the head which shows he is overpowered by his desire of catching Stanley (completing his task of job) the way he moves here and there in room it seems he is frustrated with game and also excited to win the game. In Stanley’s case, he knows with the fact that he will not win the game but he wants to escape from the situation and the angle camera shows that he is helpless.
6. "Pinter restored theatre to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretence crumbles." (Pinter, Art, Truth & Politics: Excerpts from the 2005 Nobel Lecture). Does this happen in the movie?
- Yes, with some exceptions it happens in the movie. Everyone shows care and love for each other for example Lulu, Meg and Petey shows care towards Stanley but at the end when Stanley is in problem no one helps or even cares.
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)?
- Movie helps us in better understanding because it gives more effect to menace, lurking danger and silence. Because we cannot imagine these things as we can feel by watching.
8. With which of the following observations you agree:
o “It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party."
o “It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Friedkin”[1][3]. (Ebert)
- I agree with the second observation that this film is better and it includes all characteristics of Painteresque and also the use of sound and lighting with camera angles is effective.
9. If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make it the making of movie?
- There is nothing to change in movie, because the use of chaotic sound to show the second type of Pinter’s silence is good. The camera angles and lighting and close up of things to show trivial life.
10. Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
- In the movie we can observe that every man has bald patch, which may be the reason of their depressive life or may be the touch of realistic element in movie. But I would like to take young characters. If there is an Indian version of “The Birthday Party”, from Bollywood I would take…
Stanley: Randeep Hooda
Meg: Juhi Chawla
Petey: Naseeruddin Shah
Lulu: Isha Gupta
Goldberg: Akshay Kumar
McCane: John Abraham
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