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As part of online thinking activity after the film screening of The Birthday Party (1968) directed by William Friedkin. Main subject of the movie is ‘Trivia’ ( opposite to great events) for the texture of the film, all trivial things or objects glorified here with such a deep meaning like talk between Petey and meg during reading of newspaper, cooking ,looking I the mirror etc. Cinematic language is very powerful here with Picturesque technique.
Respected Sir, Here is my views on post viewing task.
1) Why are two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie?
Ans. It’s not easy to give the reason that why Lulu’s scene omitted in movie but simply from the main concern of the play which revolve around the Stanley, so it doesn’t want to create any unnecessary scenes which divert the audience’s attention and what Lulu complaining about Nat Goldberg that is happen behind the scene. So we can’t believe what really happens.
2) Is movie successful in giving us the effect of menace? Where you able to feel it while reading the text?
Ans. While we are reading the play at some level it create that effect but not that much like film does because the audio and visual effects are more effective that reading the text. In movie , we find the effect of menace clearly in the Interrogation scene where the number of the questions asked and through the loud sound effect and Stanley was sweating in fear and frustration and when Stanley hears about the two strangers , he runs in fear.
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 found the lurking danger where camera focus on street light in beginning sequence that light is going and coming, knocking of the door that some dangerous thing will going to happen, blackout effect to the texture of the 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 connects to power when anyone reads it like Petey , he is superior because it’s the source of information and knowledge, somehow it tells reality from which the Petey is connected but Meg is unaware about it. When you read it you hide yourself from others like wearing masks. McCann tearing newspaper which hidden by Petey at the end means he wants to hide the reality of Stanley from Meg that he torn internally by that two men.
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. In McCann’s turn during the game of blind man’s buff , camera focus on the his head that he is powerful one as ‘head’ is also used for highly powerful and intellectual (rationality) as in ‘Waiting for Godot’, Estragon is playing with hat by wearing it on his head while in case of the Stanley, camera focus from the top where the room looks like the cage for him that he is suffocating in that and want to come out of it.
6)"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?
Ans. Yes, these all are very well represented in the movie hat all characters are at the mercy of each other, it showing that Meg, Petey and Lulu worried for Stanley but it’s only pretended no one of them can help Stanley from stay away that two strange men at the end. So, it’s like pretence crumble of all characters after the entry of that two strange men.
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)?
Ans. Movie helps us in better understanding of the play because pauses, silence, effect of menace, lurking dangers which can’t properly understood in reading the play. When we watch the movie , we feel every emotions of menace with help of Camera language , it’s focus on particular trivial things like the hatch of the door which is not present in the play, street light, car mirror, long sort of the roads, blackout effect , sort from top to show room as a cage which can’t be felt while reading the play then sounds and sights of tearing paper, knocking of the door, sound of cup , sound of drum which have deep symbolical meaning that it’s sound of the of the Stanley’s heartbeats which we hear, it creates more sense than trivial dialogues.
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”[3]. (Ebert)
Ans. I agree with the second point that it is satisfactory film which presents the trivial things in a better way with the help of the camera language and sound effect as I have mentioned in point no -7.
9) If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of movie? Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
Ans. Movie is quite good and effective to creates effect of menace though the texture of the play that is given in the film. So, I think that there is no need to change anything in it.
10)Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?
In Casting I will choose
Stanley: Irfan Khan
Petey: Anupan Kher
Lulu: Shraddha Kapoor
McCann: Sidharth Malhotra
Goldberg: Riteish Deshmukh
For Meg’s character I can’t find any proper actor.
Thank You,
