Online thinking activity "The Birthday party" by Harold Pinter

This blog is part of my classroom activity on Harold Pinter's play "The Birthday Party".

Here is Link of given task.

Here is the full movie of this play

1. Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?

Ans: Stanley Webber is the main protagonist of the play, for whom entire story of the play is around. So, the reason of omitting two scenes of Lulu can be focusing upon the confusing situation of Stanley rather than Lulu. The omission of these scene is doesn’t mack any different for the movie. If those scenes were in the movie, the audience was more focus on the character of Lulu, who abused by man and she would be judged as victim, rather than protagonist. 

2. Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text?

Ans. Yes, movie is successful in giving us the effect of menace. For example:- the sound effect, shouting, knocking of the door, toy drum, tearing the newspaper, laughing, screaming etc. But while we reading the text, it was not much affected as while we viewing the movie. There are many dialogue in the play which create the effect of comedy of menace. For example,

MEG. Is that you Petey?
Pause.
Petey, is that you?
Pause.
Petey?
PETEY. What?
MEG. Is that you?
PETEY. Yes, it's me.

 

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. Yes, I have felt the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie. For example, while knocking sound of the door, and while all character played game name ‘blind man buff’ at that time we feel the effect of lurking through the character of Stanley. It also suggests the upcoming danger in the protagonist Stanley’s life. We also felt same while we reading the text but it is not give more charm like movie.

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. According to me, Newspaper is connection with reality; it was connected with the world. Petey read the newspaper infruent of his wife Mag it show, the relationship between husband and wife. Petey is reading it and Meg is completely unaware about reality. So, it can be read as husband has knowledge about world and wife has away from the reality. When McCann is tearing newspaper it shows his destroying mentality especially about Stanley. It can be also read as revealing the reality of Stanley. This pieces of newspaper are hide by the Petey, because may be he known the reality of two stranger and Stanley. He also hide truth infruent of his wife about, Stanley is taken by the two stranger McCann and Goldbug.

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. Camera is positioned over the head of McCain when he is playing the game Blind Man’s Buff, which shows he is overpowered by his desire of catching Stanley. When the turn of Stanley come at that time camera is positioned at the top with a view of room like cage it shows that Stanley is become prey of two strangers very soon. It also can be interpreted that 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?

Ans. Yes, with some exceptions it happens in the movie. Everyone shows care and loves for each other for example Lulu, Meg and Petey shows care towards Stanley but at the end when Stanley is in problem.

7. How does viewing movie help in better understanding of the play ‘The Birthday Party’ with its typical characteristic (like painteresque, pause, silence, menace, lurking danger)?

Ans. Movie helps us in better understanding because it gives more effect to menace like painteresque, pause, silence, menace, lurking danger and also silent. All the elements of menace are well captured with background sound, expression and visualization of scene and character’s emotions in movie. Each movement is most important in the movie like knocking sound of the door, tearing of the newspaper etc… 

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)

Ans. I agree with the second observation that “It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive”. The movie 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 makes it the making of movie?

Ans.  Movie is very much faithful to the original play. As par my understanding everything is okay no need to change or add in the movie. 

10. Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?

Ans. I choose characters like

Stanley Webber – Irfan khan
Nat Golberg  - Nana Patekar
McCain – Anil Kapoor
Meg – Shree Devi
Lulu – Kalki Koechlin
Petey-  Naseeruddin shah

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