The Birthday Party: Thinking Activity

 The Birthday party........

• Introduction:-

This task given as for new way looking movie and play with certain things which may be normally never notify by audience and reader's inner side of mind. Last time I saw very short movie only 30 seconds with some questions and confusion but here I am going to discuss on one interesting play of Harold Pinter.

 'The Birthday Party' play written by Harold Pinter in 1957. He was modern British dramatist during 1930 to 2008. He was good on radio anchor, drama, director, actor and film screening of the play. He got Nobel Prize. This play's behind setting of boarding house and working whole scene around living room and kitchen. This play also known comedy of menace through elements of Pinteresque. This play written in the summer of 1957. He later said that, " I remember writing the big interrogation scene in a dressing room in Leicester.

Post-Viewing Tasks

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

Ans. I think director do not want to change the tone of the genre of the play in the movie. "The Birthday Party" is a comedy of menace and it means a dangerous or threatening quality. So, if director show Lulu's scene then it seems somewhat romantic but here, in the movie director shows us a very threatening scene of rape in blackout so this genre keep its quality so two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie.

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

Ans.:-

                                                In the film some scene reflected effect of menace which create something fear through silence, pause and terrible sound into the mind of audience. When 'The Birthday party' movie opening at that time angle of camera leads to sign of something terrible happen because there are scene open narrow point to broad picture with black car's front and half side and same we felt at the end of the movie.

•   Que:- 3.)    Do you feel the effect of lurking der while viewing the movie? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text?

Ans. Yes, throughout the movie we can find the effect of lurking danger when door knocking and in the interrogation scenes. Furthermore, we can find the lurking danger when Mccain tears news paper in pieces. In the play we can find when we think who drive the car where s/he going and interrogation scene of text.

Que.:-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.:-

                                                    There are scene of newspaper reading is reflected power position between husband and wife. Another interpretation is that power-struggle, submissive woman under the man because Meg can't order to Petey but she follows his order and working into kitchen for him rather than reading newspaper. There are lack of cohesion. Moreover here newspaper used for excuse.

• Que:-5 )Camera is positioned over the head of McCain wen 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 blind man's buff and view of the camera from the roof of the room like a cage or trap. When Stanley is playing the game, it shows that Stanley can't escape from the trap created by two strangers.

Que.:-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.:-

                                                 Harold Pinter restored to theater its basic elements when Petey and Meg neglected to help of Stanley who behaved violently. Harold Printer say in his article that, The real truth is that there never is any such thing as one truth to be found in dramatic art and these truth challenge each-other. Same happen with Stanley. At the end I want to say that everybody felt mercy with bad condition of person but when we become violence so people leave us.

Que.:-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 has many techniques to present various scene rather than text book because through effects and audio- visual system it help a lot for better understanding of concept. This movie help me to understand some scene like verbal violence and torturing of Stanley, sound of broken newspaper..etc. Another thing is that I feel heartily through movie like pause, silence and lurking more clear rather than reading text. So without audio visual tools it's  all things not get may be properly.

Que.:-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".

Ans.:-

                                                I want to agree with the second observation because first of  I can't think about make  movie upon this type of play because It's difficult task to make this type of movie and here Pinter empathetic way used all movie making technique and powerful script. This film also used many things symbolic way. Here I can find that good combination of audio visual things. I have to say that Pinter is not only dramatist but admirable director.

Que.:-9) If you were director or screenplay writer, what sort of difference would you make in the making of movie?

Ans.:-

                                               It's difficult work for me when I am director or screenplay writer but If I get chance so I want to make very tight love story between Stanley and Lulu. Another things I want to change that Stanley has more strength, six paces body and intellectual power rather than Goldberg and McCann. I want to change also end of the play like happy ending film.

Que.:-10) Who would be your choice of actors to play the role of characters?

Ans.:-

If I have to choice of actor to play role of character so I prefer following type of actor like roll of...

1) Stanley- Nawazuddin Siddiqui

2) Goldberg- Pankaj Tripathi

3) McCann- Irfan khan

4)Lulu- Harshita Gaur

5) Petey- Anupam Kher

6) Meg- Jaya Bachchan