Thinking Activity: The Birthday Party

This thinking Activity is the part of our Classroom Activity given by teacher (Dept. of Eng. MKBU)  Click here to know more.

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

Ans:- It is very difficult to know director’s intention behind omitting Lulu’s scene. Because it does not make any difference may be the scenes are omitted. Lulu is a girl who can be impressed very easily and we can see in the movie that she is actively participating with Goldberg. Goldberg is not doing it forcefully or Lulu is not in position where she has to be submissive, she is doing it willingly and after that complaining. May be her complain is right but no one will believe her. The centre of the play is Stanley and symbolically Lulu is his inspiration. When Lulu goes near to Goldberg, it is enough to see that how Stanley is left alone now and after this may be there is no need to show the scene of Lulu blaming Goldberg. May be because of this reason director omitted the scene of Lulu.

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

Ans:- When Goldberg continuously refers to the "job" which he has to execute, makes an audience conscious about their unknown job, so as to say by enhancing menace. Again the conversations between Goldberg and McCann are often comical but the possibility of danger and violence always pervade above the comedy:

"Goldberg: But why is it that before you do a job you'r all over the place, and when you're doing the job you're as cool as a whistle?"

                                                         OR

"Goldberg: you know what I said when this job came up. I mean naturally they approached me to take care of it. And you know who I asked for?
McCann: Who?
Goldberg: You."

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:- While viewing the movie I feel danger in the scene of Interrogation. Interrogation between Goldberg, McCann and Stenly, is feel danger in his mind. it's provide cause and effects in that scene after that cause scene what kind of effect comes in Stenly is important, character. this effect of danger while reading book feel on that night of birthday party, if we read book we feel danger slowly line by line, but after lights gone that feel of danger was high in our mind.

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:- one thing come that Petey feels alone because Meg attraction have more on Stenly rather than Petey, so that reason McCann turn paper in to pieces. that newspaper symbolize as a Stenly. In that home Stenly was important rather than Petey like full newspaper, and after McCann torn into pieces, Goldberg and McCann break Stenly in the mind. So I think that newspaper symbolize as Stenly.

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 positioned over the head of McCain it's feel danger for Stenly. Because of his expression feels like danger to the Stenly. 

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:- Pinter was successful to provide restored theater to its basic elements, while seen the scene of interrogation, like people feels mercy on Stenly. this happen in the movie.

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:- Sometimes we are tired with nonstop dialogues at that time we have to give the rest to our mind, so silence is necessary in the movie. Threaten of unknown presented in movie also and effects of light, some danger, fear also puts by Harold Pinter.

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)

I agree that the movie shows very well: “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.”

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

Ans:- If I am director I also direct this movie that as The Birthday Party, no any changes. And as a Screenplay Writer, I wanted to say that "jo cheej jeisi hein usse vese hii kyu naa pesh kiya jaye" like The Birthday Party. In other country some people like present in character are same. there is nothing to change in movie.

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

     

     Ans:- Now after we know that Netflix Amazon prime. their characters are better to play this are the characters roles. so like there are many example that their characters are fit in The Birthday Party.

    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')?  

Ans:-   Yes, In the play Stanley represent administrative condition, political conflict,thought crime, big brother, torturing by use of power..etc which also I found similarity among Kafka's Joseph K. and Orwell's Winston Smith and Pinter's victor.