Movie screening : The birthday Party

 

“The Birthday Party” is a play written in three acts by Harold Pinter and known as second full lengths play written in 1957 by him. Harold Pinter’s first full-length play established his trademark “Comedy of menace” in which character is suddenly threatened by the vague horrors at large in the outside world.

Post-Viewing Tasks:

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

    

     In movie and play sometime we find different scene or dialogue as per retirement of the film. So we have to know about the  decision taken by director. The scene which happened with lulu is not movie and in play it happened twice.  In Rather in the movie we can see that Lulu is willingly flirting with Goldberg. Here if we try to read it through feminist lens it can be interpreted as director did not want to portray female character-Lulu as being victim of this act.  It also seems that director tries to justify the act by doing this as well.

        

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

    While watching the movie we can  certainly feel the effect of menace according to me there are different interpretations as well. It can be felt in use of pauses and dialogues of characters as well. There is a scene in which Goldberg and MacCann asked a torrent of questions to Stanley, at that time use of pauses and expressions of Stanley give effects of menace. The use of unnecessary or rather seems stupid questions gives comic and threating effects at the same time. This effect is conveyed stronger in the movie which may not possible in reading of the play.  A visualization always gives strong effects than only reading. In reference to this the use of pause and silence may not give that effect in reading which we can get while watching the movie.

(3) Do you feel the effect of lurking danger while viewing the movie? Where you able to feel the same while reading the text ?

Yes, while watching the movie I feel the effect of lurking at certain scenes. At the very first place when Stanley was beating a drum very harshly and we almost feel that its going to be broken because of heavy beaten. This sound of beating drum gives a sign that something dangerous may happen.  Along with it a game of blind man’s buff gives a terror feeling and it is followed by the screaming of Lulu which pinpoints that something terror would have to be happen. The scene when Stanley hide in kitchen also gives a teroor feeling while watching 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.

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.

(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? 

   

       In movie Camera is very important. In this movie also film maker used camera angle very well. In the movie very well used of Camera language, vivid techniques, new camera angle, close up, long short, light,curious sound...etc which make movie more interesting. I have to say that here camera play roll as a hidden narrative way which try to search hidden of character's thoughts. So without camera and effects it's not possible to understand this play very well way.

 In the movie Opening leads us narrow scene to broad scene. There are use some close up like light off which presented there were happen morning from to night. Moreover Camera walking behind the characters and give new way of looking theirs mind. The scene of play game of blind man buff there are camera's position the top of room which presented that Stanley trapped into prison like as animal. He didn't come out from that.

(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?

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.

(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)?

As the audio visual format gives a great impact rather than to only reading.  In the same way the movie, “The Birthday Party” helps in better understanding of the play with its typical characteristics such as painteresque, pause, silence, menace, lurking danger and so on. These all are the characteristics not able to create such effects in reading which we can feel in watching the movie. As a general characteristic of Pinter’s play here we find a use of two pauses; one when no word is spoken and the other when perhaps a torrent of language is being employed. This could only be felt in viewing movie, its not possible to feel while reading the play. So we can say that complete satisfaction of all characteristics are possible while viewing the movie only not only by reading it.

(8) With which of the following observations you agree:

★“It probably wasn't possible to make a satisfactory film of "The Birthday Party."

  ★“It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Friedkin”

        I agree with first statement because Birthday party is an absurd play.  It will not be easy task to make film on that. Friedkin make a good film on that but he also changed some scene and omitted also like scene of LuLu. It was a helpful movie to understand the play. 

    

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

           If I am director of the screenplay then I will change some scene. I will add some more comic elements. which are missing or rather we can find a less use of comic elements. Being a comedy of menace there is not that much comic elements, overall tone of movie remains as serious one. The other one is a scene of Lulu I would like to add this one which is omitted in movie version. If sexual assaulting scene of Lulu will be there in the movie, certainly it should be succeeded in creating a great effect of comedy of menace.

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

The following mentioned bollywood actors should be my choice if I have to choose actors for “The Birthday Party” play…

Stanley :  Ranvir sinh

Goldberg: Akshay kumar 

MacCann: Monoj bajpay 

Lulu: Mrunal thakur 

Meg: Tabbu 

Petey: Amitabh bhachchan 

(11) Do you see any similarities among Kafka's Joseph K. (in 'The Trial'), Orwell's Winston Smith (in 'Nineteen Eighty-Four') and Pinter's Victor (in 'One for the Road')?  

Kafka’s Joseph k, Orwell’s Winston Smith and Pinter’s Victor, these all have one thing in common which is about their suffering. All of them are suffering from a crime or guilt which they might not been committed also. They all suffer in common from dominance of society. Because of this social hegemonic culture, they trapped into it and was living a life as they were in the cage.

Othello Tragedy by William Shakespeare

                   

Hello readers, 

       Here I'm with a interesting story.We all know that there are many genre in literature and Tragedy is one of them. I know that it is interesting but also some way it give a felling that it is not done.we all love Hero and Heroin of play and most when it is a love story. Right? So here I'm going to tell you one love story. It's name 'OTHELLO ' which is written by Tragedy king William Shakespeare. 

  When we are going to talk about tragedy let's see what is tragedy? 

Definition :-

     

             A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances.

Aristotle talk about Catharsis. He also said about feeling and pity. When spectator feel satisfaction.They also see and feel with the actors are act on stage.

Spencer also talk about tragedy's important in his work  The Canterbury Tales. 

Now let see some information about our tragedy author William Shakespeare. 

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE (26 April 1564-23April 1616)

     He was an English poet, playwright, and actor, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's greatest dramatist.

His work :

  Tragedy :

Antony and Cleopatra

Hamlet

Julius Caesar

King Lear

Macbeth

Othello

Romeo and Juliet

Timon of Athens

Comedies :

All's Well That Ends We

As You Like It

The Comedy of Errors

Love's Labor's Lost

Measure for Measure

The Merchant of Venice

A Midsummer Night's Dream

            Here our concern with the very famous tragedy Othello. Here  I put one character chart of the tragedy. There some major and minor characters. Othello is our brave  hero and Desdemona is our beautiful heroin. Iago is the villine of the story.  

             William Shakespeare’s Othello takes place in 16th-century Venice and also Cyprus. Othello who is a noble black warrior in the Venetian army that secretly married a beautiful white woman called Desdemona who is the daughter of a prominent senator named Brabantio. When he eventually finds out and is completely furious he decides to disown Desdemona.

Iago has a secret jealousy and resentment towards Othello because a soldier named Lieutenant Cassio has been put in front of him and also suspects that Othello has been cheating with his wife.

     We also know that in work of Shakespeare there are soliloquy by Iago. 

Act One, Scene Three, after Roderigo has left him, Iago presents, in a 24-line speech, his emotion 

        

              “I hate the Moor” [I.iii.378]

 Waiting on revenge, Iago plans a devious comeback to plant suspicions in Othello’s mind that Desdemona has been having an affair with Cassio. He decided to start a street fight which Cassio is blamed for, and is then dismissed from his post by Othello. Desdemona takes up Cassio’s case with her husband, which only increases his suspicions that the pair are lovers.

There is another soliloquy by Iago in that he said  " I'm not what I'm "

         While all of this is happening Iago manages to find a treasured handkerchief from Desdemona that was given to her by Othello. He somehow gets the handkerchief on Cassio so that Othello sees it and he finally concludes that the possession is proof of the affair. Due to the jealousy, he orders Iago to murder Cassio. Then Othello decides to strangle Desdemona. Immediately afterwards her innocence is revealed, and Iago’s treachery exposed. In a fit of grief and remorse Othello kills himself and Iago is taken into custody by the authoritie.

         We can also find one example of movie which is based on this play named  "Omakara" It is Bollywood movie. 

Movie screening :Waiting for Godot

 

    Hello readers welcome to my blog 

 

     This blog is related with amazing play by Samuel Beckett; Waiting for Godot.

   This play is written by Samuel Beckett. was an Irish novelist, playwright, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. A resident of Paris for most of his adult life, he wrote in both French and English.

Some notable works by him 

 Murphy Watt Molloy     Malone Dies

 The Unnamable 

 Waiting for Godot 

 Endgame

 Krapp's Last Tape

 How It Is Happy Days

 Here I'm going to discuss on  Waiting for Godot. A very  famous work by Samuel Beckett. 

1) What cannection do we   see in the setting (“A country road. A tree.Evening.”) of the play and these paintings?

In the above picture we can find the picture drawn by Caspar David Friedrich in 5th September ,1774.In the pic we can find the Setting. This picture is related with the play Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett. Here we can take idea in A country road and A tree Evening this concept in Waiting for Godot.

In this picture we can find some romantic notions but not in play. There are two characters who waiting for Godot without any change, except day and night with the hope .one day Godot will come.

But this picture has some fog, mist and darkness.

(2) The tree is the only important ‘thing’ in the setting. What is the importance of tree in both acts? Why does Beckett grow a few leaves in Act II on the barren tree - The tree has four or five leaves - ? 

We can say that the symbol of tree is symbol of nature. Which is surrounded us or can say  we surrounded by it. 

    Tree is a symbol of nature. In both act we can see the country road side and nothing thing any. 

   We can see that in second act  three or five  leaves on the tree. So we can interpret it as Hope and Desire. 

    Another interpretation is that  nature is not waiting for anyone. It can show the season. 

3)  In both Acts, evening falls into night and moon rises. How would you like to interpret this ‘coming of night and moon’ when actually they are waiting for Godot ?

         

       In both acts evening falls into night and moon rises that may be connected with hope or desire of Vladimir and Estragone. At night they  became sad or dissapointed with god that he didn't come but they have a wish or hope for day tomorrow. Tomorrow Godot will come. That way time is passing. 

      

4 ) The director feels the setting with some debris. Can you read any meaning in the contours of debris in the setting of the play?

                              In the background we can see the the rock pieces .It is a symbol of meaninglessness.But things has many interpretation of  try to find and Think .so the scene of backgrounds with stones or empty road it is symbolic and it means darkness or hopelessness.

(5) The play begins with the dialogue “Nothing to be done”. How does the theme of ‘nothingness’ recurs in the play?

        "Nothing to be done "

 As we know that everything is for while. Now in play  both characters  waiting for Godot but  he will never come. So there is a meaning to  still waiting for Godot? Or not? 

 

      So when you got anything it will be not for permanent or for forever. Once you  will not  value that things. Absurd thing can be necessary  and necessary thing can be absurd.  

6) Do you agree: “The play (Waiting for Godot), we agreed, was a positive play, not negative, not pessimistic. As I saw it, with my blood and skin and eyes, the philosophy is: 'No matter what— atom bombs, hydrogen bombs, anything—life goes on. You can kill yourself, but you can't kill life." (E.G. Marshal who played Vladimir in original Broadway production 1950s)?

Yes, I'm agree with the statement. This play is positive and  pessimistic as well. First take how it is positive, see when they have Hope that Godot will come. Messenger came still they have been be happy but not after that.  Hope is the powerful think to  get something. The boy said Godot will come tomorrow that gave them positive vibe and they wait again for a day. 

Pessimistic because of after knowing the thing that Godot will not come, that sentence make them sad. So they have to wait for Godot one more day. But start to end Godot never come. They  still waiting For Godot. 

 

7) How are the props like hat and boots used in the play? What is the symbolical significance of these props?

   

       The props like hat and boots are very well symbolically used in this present play. Estragone  is a character who like volatile character. Apart from that  Vladimir is a rational character. They played game like childish  with  hat and boots. 

         Symbol of hat is related with intellectuality of man, in this manner We can  see  Vladimir was putting his hat over head. 

    After that  the hat over Lucky, is  also symbolic. His master said or gave command to think he think. But hat of  Estragone it  some way not related with intellectuality. He has some attraction of world even he is near to God. Godot is God is also mere  illusion.

8)   Do you think that the obedience of Lucky is extremely irritating and nauseatic? Even when the master Pozzo is blind, he obediently hands the whip in his hand. Do you think that such a capacity of slavishness is unbelievable?

          Yes, according to me it is nauseatic. Because lucky is human not animal. He can think and if he can then after the master become blind he can do whatever he wants but still he is be slave.

        Second thing it is also possible that  if he want obey his master forever then he can do it without being slave. As a good person he can help pozzo. But he doesn't choose that but still behave like a slave and it is unbelievable. 

9)  Who according to you is Godot? God? An object of desire? Death? Goal? Success? or...

According to me Godot is just desire or Hope. Not God and success.

Now when we assume Godot is God then we have questions where he/she lives?, what is look? Can he/she listen us ?so there are many questions for god and if they are waiting for Godot then for what ? What will Godot give them?

This question answer is might be death. If they want death it is a ultimate truth of life. Without waiting of Godot they will get it one day.

Now if they want the death, it is their wish, desire of death. So this way we can see that Godot is desire not God. Desire is never die.

  10) Do you think that plays like this can better be ‘read’ than ‘viewed’ as it requires a lot of thinking on the part of readers, while viewing, the torrent of dialogues does not give ample time and space to ‘think’? Or is it that the audio-visuals help in better understanding of the play?

     

Yes, according to me the play waiting for Godot is required to read rather then viewed. Beacuse it has many dialog which has very deep meaning. So when you watch it it gives you meaning but which has deep meaning that watching will not give that meaning but it's give shallow meaning.

The play is related with psychology also ,so One's thinking is necessary to understand that words. So only watching the play it will serve everything.

      11) Which of the following sequence you liked the most:

~Vladimir -Estragone killing in question and conversation - while waiting.

~Pozzo - Lucky episode in both acts

~ conversation of Vladimir with the boy.

 

I like the Pozzo and Lucky episode in both acts.

Not because of the slave and master relationship.but they doing something at list but Vladimir and Estragone is passing the time only. We can take it also that they are still moving one to other place. But Vladimir and Estragone is still waiting at one place. Now they don't now which tomorrow Godot will come. So they have that message about the progress. If you want to do then you should do something for that.

May be the master as Pozzo is the symbol of that we have that interpretation as well. So I like that episode because they also related with phycology.

    

    

12)  Did you feel the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie? Where and when exactly that feeling was felt, if ever it was?

     Yes I fill  the effect of existential crisis or meaninglessness of human existence in the irrational and indifference Universe during screening of the movie. It could be felt at the ending of both acts.In both acts  the messenger  ,a boy came and say that  Godot will come tomorrow. There is a small conversation  between the boy and Vladimir. Estragon and Vladimir asked him 

     When Mr.  Godot will come ?

But the boy answered that 

Godot would not able to come today, but surely he will come tomorrow. 

13)  Vladimir and Estragon talks about ‘hanging’ themselves and commit suicide, but they do not do so. How do you read this idea of suicide in Existentialism?

       As a human being we always tries to find a meaning of our life. When  life become meaninglessness Do there anything leaves for living ? It is a question for existance. Vladimir and Estragon  act for waiting for Godot it is also a meaningless and after realising that or out of getting disappointment at last they decided to suicide. It is the act of waiting which leads them to ward this idea of suicide. They didn't do this because they would not have equipment, but my believe is that this act of not dying  that show, existence at least. Idea suicide is not a solution of any problem; if the life is meaningless yet it is for living because meaningless has also a meaning

 14 ) Can we do any political reading of the play if we see European nations represented by the 'names' of the characters (Vladimir - Russia; Estragon - France; Pozzo - Italy and Lucky - England)? What interpretation can be inferred from the play written just after World War II? Which country stands for 'Godot'? 

      Pozzo and Lucky  the relationship itself gives idea of post colonial. And also the superiority and inferiority. So here  Pozzo is as England because  England ruled on many countries. 

   While  Lucky is represent as Ireland. Ireland was also a colonial country. 

 15) So far as Pozzo and Lucky [master and slave] are concerned, we have to remember that Beckett was a disciple of Joyce and that Joyce hated England. Beckett meant Pozzo to be England, and Lucky to be Ireland." (Bert Lahr who played Estragon in Broadway production). Does this reading make any sense? Why? How? What?

       Lucky as slave Ireland , pozzo as England , Vladimir as Russia and Estragon as France. Godot stand as Hitlar ( Germany ) or a psychopathic God. As pozzo controlled Lucky same way England trying to control Ireland and Italy. 

16) The more the things change, the more it remains similar. There seems to have no change in Act I and Act II of the play. Even the conversation between Vladimir and the Boy sounds almost similar. But there is one major change. In Act I, in reply to Boy;s question, Vladimir says:

Boy what MI to tell Mr. Gotod sir ?

Tell him he has its tell him you so us boss you did see us didn't you? How does this conversation go in Act ii? Is there any change in swimming similar situation in conversation? If so what is it ? what does it signify?

 Though the  conversation merely  seems the same, there are   very much significant change in the conversation of act first and second and ending of very first Act when The Boy as a messenger of God/ Godot arrives and Vladimir said to him that   Tell the god that we (Vladimir  himself and Estragon) are waiting for Godot. Here he used the word we but in another part he used Me. 

Boy : what am I to tell  Mr. Godot sir?

Vladimir : Tell him....  (He hesitate)  ... tell him you saw me and....(he hesitate)... that you saw me

In the second ACT Vladimir  turns out as  selfish man , He used the  word I. From this we also can get idea of thief was saved and the other was dumped. Vladimir  want to live his life, may be because of this he says that tells the God you see me. so that he could be saved

Existentialism : Flipped learning.

 Hello readers welcome to my blog 

This is the blog is related with Existentialism. It was a task to  watch some videos and after that ask some questions.

 

You  can watch this video from this blog.

     Question  which are asked by me... 

V 3 

 

What is the philosophy of suicide? 

How far it is true that, if you believe in god, life will not be absurd? 

 Can we say that Faith is solution of absurdity? 

V- 4

What is Nihilism?

How Dadaism and Nihilism Is different? 

How dadaism is extension or Nihilism Is movement? 

 V 7

 what is rejection of all-encompassing system?

What is the meaning  of ' human -all too human' according Nietzsche? 

How we can see Divine perspective vs human perspective in context of existentialism? 

V-9 

In which rebalin way we can  think existentialism? 

V-10

 

What is essentialism? 

How we can differ essentialism and atheist? 

For more information click here.

In this link you can watch 10 videos. They all are very useful for understand existentialism.

I like the video number 7 .It is interesting one.

In this video we can see how the children are making argument and way of teacher is also good. They gave apt example .

What is Existentialism?

Existence is not a consequence of anything or cause of anything. Existence is the necessary precondition of everything.

Existentialists examine what it means to exist as a human being in the world, and they believe that understanding who we are as human beings is key to understanding the world. Existentialism is a broad term. Existentialists try to answer the question: “Who am I and why am I here?”

Flipped learning

It was interesting. To learn this way.Teacher give material and resource. Through the website and blog. So any time and anywhere they can open it and read it.