Short description:

Beckett on Film is a twenty-first century collection of original and extended interviews with internationally renowned actors and directors who created the Beckett on Film (2001) project.

Long description:

Beckett on Film is a twenty-first century collection of original and extended interviews with internationally renowned actors and directors who created the Beckett on Film (2001) project.

Speaking directly to the reader each artist explores the processes involved in recreating Samuel Beckett’s nineteen stage plays for film and TV. The artist lays bare the creative genesis and artistic processes of creation to the reader, and the reader of the Actors and Directors’ Cut discovers the secrets of creation. This volume allows the reader to experience the moment of creative genesis of the twenty-first century artist, as the artist first confronts and then negotiates the complex aesthetic and ethical intricacies involved in reproducing Samuel Beckett’s work. It is the artistic analysis of the Beckett text from the moment of creative genesis through to the final film that is brought to light in the Actors and Directors’ Cut. This book places the twenty-first century artist at the forefront of critically analysing Beckett’s work through their practices and the experience of directing and acting Beckett.

This essential volume will appeal to scholars and students of Beckett studies, film and theatre studies, performance studies, adaptation theory, and contemporary artistic practice, as well as to practitioners and enthusiasts of Beckett's work.

'This excellent collection of interviews foregrounds the significance of the Beckett on Film project within Beckett Studies and its lasting influence on 21st-century approaches to Beckett’s work. Dr Balaam’s interviews and supplementary material are particularly effective in eliciting the conceptual and aesthetic principles that underpin the project, while also opening up productive avenues for reconsidering Beckett on screen.'

José Francisco Fernández, Professor of English. University of Almería, Spain

'Annette Balaam is a master interviewer! Her conversations with the creatives who took part in Beckett on Film offer rare insights into artistic motivations and decisions when approaching Beckett. Drawing on her conversations with the actors and directors, Balaam addresses the complexities of adaptations and permissions in Beckett.'

Katherine Weiss, Ph.D, Associate Dean. College of Arts & Letters, California State University, Los Angels, USA

'Beckett on Film brings invaluable insight into artistic processes and bridges the gap between practitioner and audience. It gives invaluable insight into the different responses to Beckett’s texts, from both the actors' and directors' perspectives. It is a wonderful addition to the on-going discovery and knowledge about Beckett’s work.'

Gavin Quinn, Artistic Director Pan Pan

Table of Contents:

Acknowledgments

List of Illustrations

Chapter 1: Introducing the Beckett on Film (2001) Project and Beyond

PART I: Acting Beckett on Film

Chapter 2: Introduction to PART I

Chapter 3: Niall Buggy acts That Time

Chapter 4: Stephen Brennan acts A Piece of Monologue and Waiting for Godot

Chapter 5: Rebecca Pidgeon acts Catastrophe

Chapter 6: Gary Lewis acts What Where

Conclusion to PART I: Acting Beckett on Film.

PART II: The Directors’ Cut: The Making of Beckett on Film (2001)

Chapter 7: Introduction to PART II

Chapter 8: Neil Jordan directs Not I

Chapter 9: Charles Garrad directs That Time.

Chapter 10: Robin Lefévre directs A Piece of Monologue.

Chapter 11: Charles Sturridge directs Ohio Impromptu.

Chapter 12: Concluding thoughts with Walter Asmus the Director of Footfalls and Assistant Director to Samuel Beckett.

Conclusion to PART II

Chapter 13: Last Reflections on the Beckett on Film (2001) project by the Producer Alan Moloney

Chapter 14: Final Thoughts and conclusion to the Beckett on Film (2001) project.

Further Suggested Reading

Index