Hello Readers,
Welcome to my blog on the movie Screening of The Birthday Party by Horald Pinter.
Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?
There is a lot of confusion created by the director to interpret the movie based on LuLu's character. It is very difficult to know the director's intention behind omitting Lulu’s scene. Because it does not make any difference, maybe the scenes are omitted. Lulu is a girl who can be impressed very easily and we can see in the movie that she is actively participating with Goldberg. Goldberg is not doing it forcefully or Lulu is not in a position where she has to be submissive.
She is doing it willingly and after that complaining. 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 the kitchen and Lulu show ready for sexual relationships. Maybe her complaint is right but no one will believe her. The centre of the play is Stanley and symbolically Lulu is his inspiration. When Lulu goes near Goldberg, it is enough to see that how Stanley is left alone now and after this may be there is no need to show the scene of Lulu blaming Goldberg. Maybe because of this reason the director omitted the scene of Lulu.
Is the movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Were you able to feel it while reading the text?
Yes, while watching movie we do feel the effect of menace. The pause between dialogues we can feel while watching, but while reading we don’t take pause and we can’t feel also. The effect of menace come when we watch the expression of actors and by that we also can feel. The pause and silence of Pinter is hard to understand while reading. When we have audio visual effect the menacing effect becomes stronger. But while reading some time it happens that we don’t understand effect and so we can not feel
Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Where you are able to feel the same while reading the text.
Yes, I do feel lurking danger while watching a movie. In the movie I feel it when Stanley hides in the kitchen and then they all are playing blind man’s buff and this danger remains as it is when Goldberg and MacCann take Stanley away. When Stanley constantly biting the drum and during light off after Lulu's screaming voice there scenes are the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie. Petey read the newspaper and Meg asked questions there. I felt the same as watching a movie and reading text. While reading for the first time we feel this when Meg asks Petey if it is him or not and for some time Petey doesn't answer we feel the danger there. Then again when the interrogation scene came and at last when they took Stanley away.
What do you read in the 'newspaper' in the movie? Petey is reading a newspaper to Meg, it is torn into pieces by McCain, pieces are hidden by Petey in the last scene.
Newspapers are one of the symbols in movies. Newspapers are something which shows us the reality of the world. Petey is reading a newspaper to Meg at that time he is exercising his power over his wife. Meg is the person who mostly lives in her goody goody world. She also asks Petey to tell her some good news only. Petey is a different person than Meg so while reading the newspaper he is trying to have his own separate world from Meg. MacCann is tearing the newspaper, it shows that he is trying to destroy reality, maybe his real self. He is very disturbed by the job which is given to him and by tearing the newspaper he is trying to tear his fear and frustration. At last Petey hides the pieces of newspaper from Meg. To keep Meg in her imaginative and happy world and to hide the reality of Goldberg and MacCann and Stanley. Petey knew about her wife's ambiguity relation with Stanley but he avoided and read the newspaper. McCain cutting newspaper and that pieces are hidden by Petey in the last scene may suggest that news reality is missing and unfolding by someone.
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 the room like a cage (trap) when Stanley is playing it. What interpretations can you give to these positioning of cameras?
The director of the movie has taken very effective work from the camera. During the blind man’s buff scene also it works effectively. MacCann was there in that house because he wanted to grab Stanley. When it came to blindfold MacCann the camera was over the head of MacCann 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 this is a sign of Standly position like he is in a cage or trap by system. Stanley is trying to escape. So it is symbolically said that now Stanley is in a trap and he can not escape because Goldberg and MacCann will not allow him to escape.
"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?
Yes, this does happen in movies. Most of the scenes are in the drawing room, the space is so narrow and the dialogues are also unpredictable. We can not imagine what is going on in the mind of characters. Every character is at the mercy of each other, whether it is Stanley, or Petey, Meg, Goldberg, MacCann, or Lulu. Every character is living on another. At some point of time every one’s false face falls down. They became what they really are. So yes these lines do happen in movies. where like when Goldberg asking questions to Stanley their dialogue like to hide something it doesn’t show in the movie and text.
GOLDBERG -Where was your wife?
STANLEY - In-
GOLDBERG - Answer.
STANLEY- [turning, crouched.] What wife?
GOLDBERG- What have you done with your wife?
Other dialogue-
GOLDBERG- Do you recognise an external force, responsible for
you, suffering for you?
STANLEY- It's late.
How does viewing movies help in better understanding of the play ‘The Birthday Party’ with its typical characteristics (like painteresque, pause, silence, menace, lurking danger)?
The movie is really great help to understand its typical characteristics which most of them while reading are hard to get. In the movie I can well understand tones like silence, pause , menace. But in the movie I can’t see Painteresque characteristics while reading a play. At that time I was seeing Painteresque characteristics. Like there is too Silence in Pinter’s play which gave better understanding rather than reading. The pause we can feel while watching but while reading it is just like a word. So yes it is better to watch a movie of this play then the reading and it also gives a deeper understanding of Pinter’s characteristics.
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”[3]. (Ebert)
Though I haven’t seen any other version of the play , I will go with the second observation. Because by this movie we feel all the effects which Pinter wants to create. Director has taken good work from the camera and all the actors also do a very good job. So I can’t imagine a better film than this one. Waiting for Godot is also absurd play and less even it is attractive when in this movie more characters even like boring for me. So the director could make it more interesting.
If you were a director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of a movie
This film is great in itself, I don’t feel anything to change. But maybe I will add the scene of Lulu because I don’t think Pinter has written it purposelessly. Other than that I don’t think the movie needs any further change.
Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
If I have to choose the actors for this movie I will choose…
Stanley – Ranbir Kapoor
Goldberg – Anupam Kher
McCann – Vicky Kaushal
Petey – Paresh Rawal
Meg – Kiran Kher
Lulu – Karina Kapoor
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')?
Yes, I can see similarities among Kafka’s Joseph K. (The Trial) in this text also saw a detective story as like a Birthday party play, I can say it is a deductive story of one person who may be against a political leader. And Orwell's Winston Smith in the ‘Nineteen Eighty- Four' according to the film version is a very strong and heart touching movie. Pinter’s play similarities to Kafka’s work because he read works of Kafka.
Thank you...
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