This blog is a part of thinking activity given by our Professor Dilip Barad. Here is the link of the blog from where the task was given click here.
Film screening of "The Birthday Party"
Post-viewing activity
Q1- Why are two scenes of Lulu Omitted from the movie?
-There are two sexual assaulting scene of Lulu in the text, first by Stanley then other by Nat Goldberg. But both these scenes are omitted in the movie. As per my thinking Director don't wanted to show vulgarity in his movie. Or it can be read from feminist perspective that the director don't wanted to put woman character in focus or in sympathy. May be he is justifying the act and don't think of it as an important thing.
Q2. Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text?
No, the movie is not successful in giving us the effect of menace. As comedy of menace is something in which we feel threat with the mingling of comic element, but whole movie only gives us fear and threat. The movie keeps on holding the serious tone throughout, till the end. But while reading the text we have felt the effect of comedy of menace in various scenes like when Goldberg and McCain asked torrent of questions to Stanley. such as "Why Chicken has not crossed the road?" etc which gives comic as well as threatening effect, comic in the sense of unnecessary questions and threat in the mind of Stanley.
Q3. Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? where you able to feel the same while reading the text?
Yes. In movie sometimes we feels the effect of lurking danger, specially when drum is beaten by Stanley so ghastly that he is ready to break it with his furious mood. That time Meg feels so uneasy. That situations alarm us of upcoming danger. While reading the text when the blind man's buff game was going on that time I feel the effect of lurking danger, as suddenly there is blackout and the scream of Lulu rises fear or warns us of something danger to be happen.
Q4. 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.
"Newspaper" stands as an important symbol in the movie as well as in text also. Newspaper is something which makes a person indifference to somethings which was going on around us. As while reading a newspaper a person hide his face and do not want to interrupt or talk to someone. In the Movie also Petey is reading newspaper and remains totally indifferent to his wife who is continuously working in the kitchen. When Meg ask about the news then Petey replies in very serious tone. She has asked about the birth of a child and in this way she has did satire on her husband who was not able to give her a child.
Afterwards there is long scene of tormenting newspaper by McCain into pieces. As its harsh sound creates very dull effect in the play. It seems very uneasy and creates nauseatic feelings for the characters. Petey hides the pieces in the last scene, may be because he don't wants to reveal his weakness.
Q5. 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 when Stanley is playing it. What interpretations can you give to these positioning of camera.
The technique of camera is very significant throughout the film. It is more material centric than humans. While playing the game of Blind man's buff it shows its main function. The camera first moves in same direction when MacCain was playing the game. It moves over the head of him and wherever it goes it shows the sight of MacCain only, not showing other things. But When Stanley was playing Blind Man's buff then it positioned at the top with a view of room like a cage, as it signifies the centrality of the main character. How Stanley looks at the situation. He feels the room as just like a cage from which he won't be able to run out. He has to caught at least one in this game. He is helpless.
Q6. Pinter restored theatre to its basic elements: an enclosed place and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretence crumbles. Does this happen in the movie?
Yes, Harold was successful to makes his reader confuse throughout the film. It rises the situation of Reverse Dramatic Irony. In this situation the reader don't know about the context that what was going on but character knows, hence we didn't feel mercy for characters but feel mercy at one another. In the movie when Stanley and MacCain was talking with each then we don't know that what was happening in reality. Every dialogue between them seems unpredictable, we can;t predict the next dialogue. Only the characters knows the situation. We won't get the hidden reason of their conversation.
Q7. How does movie helps in better understanding of the play, with its typical characteristics like painteresque, pause, lurking danger, silence, menace?
Yes, movie helps a little bit in understanding some basic characteristics but it didn't give complete justice. As while reading the text we feels all these elements with complete satisfaction but movie was not able to create the same atmosphere throughout., till the end. As movie was not able to develop the diverse effect suddenly. As when it creates the atmosphere of danger then suddenly it won't be able to change the tone to comic one. Hence there remains the singularity of effect.
Q8. With which of the following observation you agree.
- It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party"
- It is impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Fridkin.
I am agree with the first statement that "It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party". It was not possible to make a satisfactory film of an absurd play. A film will not create the same absurdity as it created in the text because film has to carry various elements and it won't be able to make effective play because it cannot change the tone suddenly and everything we watch was just remains in suspense, the reader feels mercy at each other for not getting the points properly.
Q9. If you were a director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of the movie?
If I am a screenplay writer or Director, then I must change the tone of film from seriousness to some comic elements, as movie was not successful in bringing the comic elements which breaks the theme of Comedy of menace.
Q10. Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
As I am big fan of Bollywood movie, so I will give names of Bollywood actors who will better play the roles of characters.
Stanley: Akshay Kumar
Goldberg: Naseeruddin Shah
McCain: Anupam Kher
Lulu: Vidhya Balan
Meg: Kirron Kher
Petey: Boman Irani
Film screening of "The Birthday Party"
Post-viewing activity
Q1- Why are two scenes of Lulu Omitted from the movie?
-There are two sexual assaulting scene of Lulu in the text, first by Stanley then other by Nat Goldberg. But both these scenes are omitted in the movie. As per my thinking Director don't wanted to show vulgarity in his movie. Or it can be read from feminist perspective that the director don't wanted to put woman character in focus or in sympathy. May be he is justifying the act and don't think of it as an important thing.
Q2. Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text?
No, the movie is not successful in giving us the effect of menace. As comedy of menace is something in which we feel threat with the mingling of comic element, but whole movie only gives us fear and threat. The movie keeps on holding the serious tone throughout, till the end. But while reading the text we have felt the effect of comedy of menace in various scenes like when Goldberg and McCain asked torrent of questions to Stanley. such as "Why Chicken has not crossed the road?" etc which gives comic as well as threatening effect, comic in the sense of unnecessary questions and threat in the mind of Stanley.
Q3. Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? where you able to feel the same while reading the text?
Yes. In movie sometimes we feels the effect of lurking danger, specially when drum is beaten by Stanley so ghastly that he is ready to break it with his furious mood. That time Meg feels so uneasy. That situations alarm us of upcoming danger. While reading the text when the blind man's buff game was going on that time I feel the effect of lurking danger, as suddenly there is blackout and the scream of Lulu rises fear or warns us of something danger to be happen.
Q4. 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.
"Newspaper" stands as an important symbol in the movie as well as in text also. Newspaper is something which makes a person indifference to somethings which was going on around us. As while reading a newspaper a person hide his face and do not want to interrupt or talk to someone. In the Movie also Petey is reading newspaper and remains totally indifferent to his wife who is continuously working in the kitchen. When Meg ask about the news then Petey replies in very serious tone. She has asked about the birth of a child and in this way she has did satire on her husband who was not able to give her a child.
Afterwards there is long scene of tormenting newspaper by McCain into pieces. As its harsh sound creates very dull effect in the play. It seems very uneasy and creates nauseatic feelings for the characters. Petey hides the pieces in the last scene, may be because he don't wants to reveal his weakness.
Q5. 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 when Stanley is playing it. What interpretations can you give to these positioning of camera.
The technique of camera is very significant throughout the film. It is more material centric than humans. While playing the game of Blind man's buff it shows its main function. The camera first moves in same direction when MacCain was playing the game. It moves over the head of him and wherever it goes it shows the sight of MacCain only, not showing other things. But When Stanley was playing Blind Man's buff then it positioned at the top with a view of room like a cage, as it signifies the centrality of the main character. How Stanley looks at the situation. He feels the room as just like a cage from which he won't be able to run out. He has to caught at least one in this game. He is helpless.
Q6. Pinter restored theatre to its basic elements: an enclosed place and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretence crumbles. Does this happen in the movie?
Yes, Harold was successful to makes his reader confuse throughout the film. It rises the situation of Reverse Dramatic Irony. In this situation the reader don't know about the context that what was going on but character knows, hence we didn't feel mercy for characters but feel mercy at one another. In the movie when Stanley and MacCain was talking with each then we don't know that what was happening in reality. Every dialogue between them seems unpredictable, we can;t predict the next dialogue. Only the characters knows the situation. We won't get the hidden reason of their conversation.
Q7. How does movie helps in better understanding of the play, with its typical characteristics like painteresque, pause, lurking danger, silence, menace?
Yes, movie helps a little bit in understanding some basic characteristics but it didn't give complete justice. As while reading the text we feels all these elements with complete satisfaction but movie was not able to create the same atmosphere throughout., till the end. As movie was not able to develop the diverse effect suddenly. As when it creates the atmosphere of danger then suddenly it won't be able to change the tone to comic one. Hence there remains the singularity of effect.
Q8. With which of the following observation you agree.
- It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party"
- It is impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Fridkin.
I am agree with the first statement that "It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party". It was not possible to make a satisfactory film of an absurd play. A film will not create the same absurdity as it created in the text because film has to carry various elements and it won't be able to make effective play because it cannot change the tone suddenly and everything we watch was just remains in suspense, the reader feels mercy at each other for not getting the points properly.
Q9. If you were a director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of the movie?
If I am a screenplay writer or Director, then I must change the tone of film from seriousness to some comic elements, as movie was not successful in bringing the comic elements which breaks the theme of Comedy of menace.
Q10. Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
As I am big fan of Bollywood movie, so I will give names of Bollywood actors who will better play the roles of characters.
Stanley: Akshay Kumar
 |
| Stanley |
Goldberg: Naseeruddin Shah
 |
| Goldberg |
McCain: Anupam Kher
 |
| McCain |
Lulu: Vidhya Balan
 |
| Lulu |
Meg: Kirron Kher
 |
| Meg |
Petey: Boman Irani
 |
| Petey |
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