This version of Waiting for Godot stands out as an excellent piece of film making, having just seen a amateur production of Beckett's Endgame I see why it is that during Beckett lifetime he endeavoured to oversee everyone of his plays in its production process.
Beckett's work may be universal in its themes and its setting and its language, however, when put into the hands of a director who even for a split second fails to recognise the premise of the work it can easily fall short of its intended mark. This is why this film version of Waiting for Godot works so well. What the cast and director convincingly convey throughout this movie is the emphasis on whether Godot will ever arrive, having seen this movie twice I am still left with the feeling that Godot, whoever he may be, will come riding past on his horse all may even fall down from the heavens. The director has done an excellent job of keeping the dialogue and the direction of this play fluid, as though the characters are saying these words for the first time and in every scene Godot seems to be prevelent. This is a testament to the strong acting of the cast and most importantly the director who doesn't for a second relieve the tension of this play or lose track of its theme of waiting, or time passing, or moments lost, or endless days. As an introduction to Beckett this movie is perfect though I'm sure Beckett would be dissapointed with this movies insistent focus upon on spoonfeeding its audience with the Beckett like ideas, but I feel this is the only way in which to get across the message of the play. I'm of the opnion that his plays have to be stripped down its essentials and any attempt at a production of Beckett that leaves the audience with a feeling of understanding is a success, this movie does exactly that.
Waiting for Godot is not a play souly dependent upon dialogue and setting, it is also dependent upon movement and conviction in the central idea of time. This is what this movie emphasises and once you have completed the movie for its duration you can only be left with a feeling of total awe for Beckett.
Beckett's work may be universal in its themes and its setting and its language, however, when put into the hands of a director who even for a split second fails to recognise the premise of the work it can easily fall short of its intended mark. This is why this film version of Waiting for Godot works so well. What the cast and director convincingly convey throughout this movie is the emphasis on whether Godot will ever arrive, having seen this movie twice I am still left with the feeling that Godot, whoever he may be, will come riding past on his horse all may even fall down from the heavens. The director has done an excellent job of keeping the dialogue and the direction of this play fluid, as though the characters are saying these words for the first time and in every scene Godot seems to be prevelent. This is a testament to the strong acting of the cast and most importantly the director who doesn't for a second relieve the tension of this play or lose track of its theme of waiting, or time passing, or moments lost, or endless days. As an introduction to Beckett this movie is perfect though I'm sure Beckett would be dissapointed with this movies insistent focus upon on spoonfeeding its audience with the Beckett like ideas, but I feel this is the only way in which to get across the message of the play. I'm of the opnion that his plays have to be stripped down its essentials and any attempt at a production of Beckett that leaves the audience with a feeling of understanding is a success, this movie does exactly that.
Waiting for Godot is not a play souly dependent upon dialogue and setting, it is also dependent upon movement and conviction in the central idea of time. This is what this movie emphasises and once you have completed the movie for its duration you can only be left with a feeling of total awe for Beckett.