When architect stephen booker loses his partnership, he finds jobs hard to come by, and with money in short supply, he unwittingly becomes involved in a daring scheme to. Harold pinter s work is represented by judy daish associates limited and applications for all performances and uses of harold pinter s work including amateur and professional stage performances, radio broadcasts, television transmissions and readings and use of extracts need to be addressed to them in the first instance and in advance of finalizing your plans. The remarkable performances are by donald pleasence, robert shaw and alan bates. During rehearsals for the caretaker, ive sometimes felt that harold pinter was trying his hardest to disprove john donnes line that no man is an island. And i can honestly say that the movie, should you manage to get through it to the end, does not support more than just a single viewing. His bestknown plays include the birthday party 1957, the homecoming 1964, and betrayal 1978, each of which. The caretaker is a classic tragicomedy play by harold pinter.
Although it was the sixth of his major works for stage and television, this psychological study of the confluence of power, allegiance, innocence, and corruption among two brothers and a tramp, became pinter s first significant commercial success. As michael billington remarked in his book the life and work of harold pinter, power is the theme. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. The caretaker is a play in three acts by harold pinter. Astons brother, mick alan bates a taunting, quasisadist harasses the. Sep 06, 2017 during rehearsals for the caretaker, ive sometimes felt that harold pinter was trying his hardest to disprove john donnes line that no man is an island. The caretaker by harold pinter starring alan bates, donald pleasence and robert shaw. Mr pinter writes, as he says, about charactersthough they are characters obsessed by their own qualities. I think the caretaker is about some pretty serious matters. The action of the play occurs in the flat of aston and mick, two brothers. It was entered into the th berlin international film festival where it won the silver bear extraordinary jury prize. The guest is a filmed adaptation of the harold pinter play of the same name.
The movies cover does look quite interesting, although it oversells the movie. The story is a simple one of a tramp given lodgings supposedly in exchange for acting as caretaker for the house in a storage room where a camp bed serves as the only comfort. Harold pinters the caretaker the job offer youtube. In 1974, harold pinter ventured into film directing with butley, an overthetop comedy by peter gray thats as far removed from the usual pinter style as a marx. Excerpt from the clive donner 1963 film of pinters play. Numerous critics have said that much of the action of the caretaker by harold pinter is dominated by the characters struggle for power over one another. The electrifying chamber piece that made harold pinters name, audiences and critics alike still to this day occupy themselves with what the caretaker is. The screenplay is by nobel prizewinning playwright, harold pinter. This film is an adaptation of the harold pinter play and focuses mainly on dialouge as the whole film basically takes place in one room. Two years later, clive donners film version began shooting, after producer michael birkett had raised the finance from figures such as noel. The essential 1963 adaptation of harold pinters the caretaker, starring donald. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the caretaker by harold pinter.
Nov, 2017 the caretaker by harold pinter starring alan bates, donald pleasence and robert shaw. His davies is full of echoes of remembered gentility as he neatly folds his trousers over a chair. The caretaker is a 1963 british drama film directed by clive donner and based on the harold pinter play of the same name. With alan bates, donald pleasence, robert shaw, harold pinter.
Although it was the sixth of his major works for stage and television, this psychological study of the confluence of power, allegiance, innocence, and corruption among two brothers and a tramp, became pinters first significant commercial success. The caretaker also known as the guest is a 1963 british drama film directed by clive donner and based on the harold pinter play of the same name. He was one of the most influential and imitated of modern british dramatists. His plays are noted for their use of understatement, small talk, reticenceand even silenceto convey the substance of a characters thought, which often. Jonathan pryce on harold pinters the caretaker live. Harold pinter specializes in the tragicomedy of the breakdown of communication, broadly in the tradition of the theatre of the absurds and this is demonstrated in both the caretaker and the birthday party. It was critically well received, praised notably by new york times film critic vincent canby and by chicago suntimes film critic roger ebert. Dennis, mark and andrew rodbert recorded this audio only version of harold pinters classic play in 2004. Harold pinter, ch, cbe 10 october 1930 24 december 2008, was an english playwright, screenwriter, actor, theatre director, poet, leftwing political activist, cricket enthusiast, and nobel laureate. When the aging, sickly birdie sondra blake scares off her last caretaker, her granddaughter mallorie meegan warner must move into birdies large victorian home to take care of her. The original broadway production of the caretaker by harold pinter opened at the lyceum theater in new york city on october 4, 1961, ran for one hundred sixtyfive performances, and was nominated for the 1962 tony award for the best play. Davies donald pleasance as a caretaker after his invalid brother aston robert shaw invites. Harold pinter, both in his original play and in the screenplay which with the. Dennis, mark and andrew rodbert recorded this audio only version of harold pinter s classic play in 2004.
Director david jones adapted harold pinters play of the same name with the help of pinter himself to better fit this chronologically reversed drama of love and betrayal to the medium of film. For a man who wasnt overly fond of excess verbiage, pinter had considerable success on bbc radio, but here again its what is not said in pinters plays thats most important. This production, anchored by pryces multifaceted performance, potently communicates the simple menace of pinters writing. After the nearuniversal bewilderment that greeted harold pinter s first play, the birthday party, in 1958. The caretaker managed to score a mere three out of ten stars from me. Harold pinter the caretaker 3 5 stars 3 out of 5 stars. Sep 30, 2016 the movie s cover does look quite interesting, although it oversells the movie. Harold pinter s the caretaker astons monologue duration. The caretaker study guide contains a biography of harold pinter, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. The work is pinters second full length play and it concerns the delicate balance between trust and betrayal in familial relationships. May 31, 2018 life, death, and a good pair of shoes. The caretaker, threeact play by harold pinter, published and first produced in 1960. Mar 20, 2016 dennis, mark and andrew rodbert recorded this audio only version of harold pinter s classic play in 2004. He befriends and takes in mac davies donald pleasence, an old derelict who has been fired from a menial job in a cafe.
Harold pinter biography, movie highlights and photos. Betrayal is a 1983 british drama film adaptation of harold pinters 1978 play of the same name. Embodied solitude and ingratitude, and cruelty of course. How mental illness and colonialism haunt harold pinters the.
Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Characteristically concentrating on two or three people maneuvering for sexual or social superiority in a claustrophobic room, works such as the birthday party 1958, the caretaker 1960, the homecoming 1965, no mans land 1975, and moonlight 1993 are potent dramas of menace in. In time aston offers him a job as caretaker of the house. Harold pinter, english playwright, who achieved international renown as one of the most complex and challenging postworld war ii dramatists. I was clueless about what was going on with the old lady but the further into the movie things slowly open up. When aging, sickly birdie scares off her last caretaker, granddaughter mallorie must move into her large victorian home to take care of her. Excerpt from the clive donner 1963 film of pinter s play. The play opens as aston saves davies from a fight and brings him home to give him a place to stay. The play the caretaker is a psychological chamber drama studying the dynamics of. Harold pinters work is represented by judy daish associates limited and applications for all performances and uses of harold pinters work including amateur and professional stage performances, radio broadcasts, television transmissions and readings and use of extracts need to be addressed to them in the first instance and in advance of finalizing your plans. There have been many stage versions of this bestknown classic drama from harold pinter. In the play the caretaker by harold pinter, violence is very closely tied in with power.
Pinter s screenplay is an almost direct transfer of his stage play carrying the same name. Pleasence was nominated for the 1962 tony award new york city for actor in a drama for the caretaker and recreated his role in this movie. The homecoming harold pinter full text the homecoming harold pinter full text pdf the homecoming harold pinter full text pdf download if you looking for where to the homecoming analysis harold pinter. Aston robert shaw, a quiet, reserved man, lives alone in a topfloor cluttered room of a small abandoned house in a poor london district. Pinters screenplay is an almost direct transfer of his stage play carrying the same name. The caretaker was the play that made harold pinters name when it was first performed at the arts theatre, london in 1960, and it remains probably his most famous. He was one of the most influential and imitated of. Harold pinters the caretaker astons monologue duration. This starts right from the beginning of the playdavies is rescued from the potentially dangerous. The caretaker takes place in a house in west london during the 1950s and examines the strange relationship between a tramp, davies, and two damaged and disconnected brothers, mick and aston.
Mar 29, 2017 the caretaker full movie thomas aubin. The caretaker project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Jonathan pryce on harold pinter s the caretaker live. With a semiautobiographical screenplay by pinter, the film was produced by sam spiegel and directed by david jones. Lee evans to step out of retirement for homage to harold pinter.
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