The Birthday Party" by Harold Pinter is able to create tension in readers mind. The play is under the category of 'Absurd Theatre'. Though various interpretations are possible of the play like..Allegorical play, Existentialism, Artist in Exile and political aspects of the play. I like most political aspect of the play. No doubt Existential anxiety remains throughout the play because we don't know Who are the two men ? Where did Stanley come from? The same way we also don't know who we are ? From where we come? After reading the historical context of the play " The Birthday Party " really it is very interesting to study as political play. Stanley as developing small country. Net Goldberg as USA and Dermont McCann as England. Through these we come across the real condition of the nation and How One character becomes the nation in the play. Its all about power structure and ordinary people like...Meg Boles and Petey Boles ignores the things that reflect the society in which we live. we all are living in illusion that we are doing something for the nation but actually we do nothing . It is done only when power politics wants. Sometime people want to change things which is happened around them but they are unable to do and have no choice without accepting as it is. As Petey Boles does in the play. He is impotent and through this character writer describes the society. Throughout the play we may feel the absurdity and the meaninglessness. Artists are not free to live life as they want to live. They have no freedom of expression they are restricted and that reflects though the character of Stanley Webber. How he has to surrender himself under the power.Writing such play, We may say that Pinter has Vision to awaken people who are living in illusion and pretend that they are happy. But they don't know that they have no choice whether they want or not. They all becomes mere puppet of power politics.
My review of the movie : " The Birthday Party."
Lulu's character has ambiguity. We can't define her character with particular angle. According to me , it is difficult to justify her character and her behaviour which she did in The Birthday party. We can't say clearly whether she wanted or she was seduced by two strangers because she is consciously enjoy the party and also aware from the atmosphere of the party. The scenes are performed behind the curtain and audiences has been informed what happened with her in the play. If Lulu is complaining , it means something is happened with her and she is not able to raise voice against the power. It looks like the dumbness of the society . It describe that So many things are happened around us and we are not able to stand against it and accept it as it is .Means we see towards things that There is nothing going wrong .It is also the part of society. Lulu is important character in the play to describe artistic inspiration of Stanley and therefore she gets much space in the play rather than The film. And may be describe the real sense of society / Real mirror of the society two scenes of Lulu omitted from the movie.
Yes, Movie is successful in giving us the effect of menace. The Birthday Party is a tragedy with a number of comic elements . it is a comedy, which also produces an overwhelming tragic effect in audience mind. Some indefinable and vague fear keeps our nerves on an edge. We feel uneasy all the time even when we are laughing or smiling with amusement. If we talk about setting and atmosphere which is used in the play -it is somehow terrible and fearful but surprisingly we don't know fear for what? by whom? and what is the reason behind the fear? and all such kind of questions always remains as unanswered. In the play it seems like that all characters constantly try to ignore their past with laughter which is frightened and terrible for them. The play is already mention in category of "Comedy of Menace" and I felt the effect of the menace, first in background setting which is described with grey shadow. The game - " Blind Man's Buff' which is end darkness. The torrent of language/questions of McCain and Goldberg , and dialogues like,...Force to sit Stanley and try to over power among themselves. Thus, though somehow it is comedy audience feel the effect of menace throughout the play.
Newspaper is the most important symbol of the play. Through the Newspaper what actually writer wants to indicate? Why we read Newspaper daily? To aware about reality. But in the play - writer uses the newspaper to hide the self because Petey can't able to face the reality of life. McCain who tore the newspaper that indicate that he destroys the spirit of Stanley as artist. Newspaper is torn into pieces by McCain and hide by Petey that ascribe that Petey himself broken down through heart by McCain and Goldberg and he is unable to do anything. So, he hides that reality from everyone by hiding the piece of newspaper.
Camera Speaks with the different set up of scenes. And in the game of " Blind Man's Buff "- it is used very well. Camera speaks with different angles and that we see clearly in that particular scene. When McCain plays camera is over the head that describes the mental condition and search for something. While Stanley plays the game camera is over the top that indicates that he is bind up with confusion , the narrowness of the space is clearly visible to audiences that describes that as artist is not free and he is unable to escape from the society. His life is in full of danger and his inner aspiration also can't help him in his loneliness.
Yes, "Pinter restored theatre to its basic elements: an enclosed space and unpredictable dialogue, where people are at the mercy of one another and pretense crumbles" happen in both in movie as well as play also. While watching movie we become thoughtless and have no any link to connect but then even it somehow shows that ' pretense crumbles' is not always for audience.
The director takes freedom to direct the film and shows that angle only he wants to show. But when the writer and script writer is one there is only one point of view to describe so it is much faithful to play also. The visualization gives much impression to our mind and sometime seeing is more important rather than reading. While watching the movie , we see and feel the expression and the background of sound ,and emotions and feelings of characters. We also feel each characteristic like.. Pause, silence and effect of menace during watching the movie which is not possible while reading the play.I agree with the second statement that “It's impossible to imagine a better film of Pinter's play than this sensitive, disturbing version directed by William Friedkin”.
Thank you.
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