The Birthday party
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· Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?
· Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text?
· Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text
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.
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?
"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?
· 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)?
· 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”[3]. (Ebert)
· If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make it the making of movie?
· Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
Respected Sir, here is my interpretations...
• It’s not easy and fair to justify writer’s intentions. About lulu’s scene, in the last scene she is complaining about Nat’s behaviour in the birthday party. Lulu’s scenes are omitted because it does not clarify anything, what she is complaining; she is actively participated in this. And in the play all things happen behind the scenes so, one cannot rely on Lulu and her complain. As Stanley is protagonist, writer, while making movie (after having experience of play performances) does not seems necessary to make these scenes.
• I do not read original play yet. But movie is successful in creating menacing effects. When McCann and Goldberg came and Stanley ran away with fear from kitchen. The scene of Blind man’s Bluff is the most frightening scene of the movie/play. These scenes show upcoming danger on protagonist.
• According to me, Newspaper is connection to reality as Petey is reading it and Meg is completely unaware about reality, she has her own imaginative world without concerning with reality. When McCann is tearing newspaper it shows his destroying mentality especially about Stanley. At the end of the play, Petey hides these pieces means he is hiding reality of Stanley as he is also torn by two fellows.
• In this movie camera is well positioned and successful in creating appropriate effects. In those scenes it shows particular person’s mental condition (as fear or ambiguity) and what others are doing or thinking about him. (Like trap for Stanley or situating Drum…)
• Yes, it’s very well shown in the movie as well as in play. ("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.")
• Movie really helps much in better understanding. Even it is directed by original author so, there is not any question or doubt about another interpretation or point of view, and it shows all the things which writer wants to show. All the elements are well captured with background sound, expression and visualisation of scene and character’s emotions. Because of these effects, we can understand far better than reading play.
• I have not seen other movie versions and haven’t read original play so; I can’t say anything about this movie that it is the best. But it cannot be said that other performances cannot be more effective, it is upon creativity of an artist, director!
• For making changes still I should study original play many times then I will be able to give this answer.
• It seems very interesting to think about characters of our choice. I am agree with Riddhi’s selection but if it is in my hand than I think, following artists can perform well the role of these characters.
Stanley- Nawazuddin Siddiki
Goldburg- Anupam Kher
McCann- Irfan Khan
Meg- Kiran Kher
Petey- Nasiruddin Shah
Lulu- Priyanka Chopara
Thank you for interesting questions which make us thinking and we enjoy a lot in answering these questions.
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