Harold Pinter's The Birthday Party - "The Interrogation"

Robert Shaw, Patrick Magee, Dandy Nichols and Moultriie Kelsall ; in William Friekin's 1968 film of Pinter's play.

[@Stereolabdream]

The power of language. What a wonderful cast too.

[@TayFlavell]

doing this scene for drama at school. Playing Goldberg. This helped me a lot with different intentions that I can put into my character. Such a weird play, but love it. Crazy Pinter.

[@friedkin]

This is one of the best film adaptations of Harold Pinter's work. It is also a clear example of just how gifted William Friedkin is as a visual storyteller. This vastly underrated film deserves a new DVD release; if you can get your hands on the now out-of-print VHS edition, it is well worth it!

[@carpjrs73]

I have a region 2 DVD of this, bought back c. 2001 (I remember correctly it was the first DVD I ever bought.) In the decade prior to that I failed to track done a VHS release, although, I believe there was one.

[@carpjrs73]

Pinter did write the screenplay, the “after the Lord Mayor’s Show” third act was severely shortened The film is often, unfairly overlooked by even arch proponents of Friedkin’s films.

[@onlyone123456789]

I just finished playing stanley webber this week and i have to say it was one of the more interesting characters i've ever done. Pinter has an interesting way of creating classics

[@conewells]

Netflix doesn't even have this movie on their list. Typical.

[@goback3spaces]

My Mom told me that the nuns treated her like this when she was in parochial school.

[@tone143]

One of the best "mindscrew" scenes ever..like cats playing with a mouse.

[@mrnobodyz]

I saw this on telly a few years back, great stuff, scary and at times wierdly funny (even though I had no real idea wtf was going on). I loved the late sixties, early seventies grunge in colour and stayed for the acting and writing.

[@odinnshred]

Brilliant, disturbing scene. I love it

[@johnhaggerty4396]

Vastly underrated as Michael Meade said (below). A must-have DVD along with The Homecoming & The Caretaker (Robert Shaw, Alan Bates, Donald Pleasance).

[@SnackToxin]

Did this scene for my A-Level exam. Was fun.

[@egapnala65]

Harold Pinter RIP

[@sahbear282]

Yeah, we are studying absurdism in drama at the moment, I think that McCann and Goldberg represent Stanley's own mind, the theme (in my opinion) of the playing being that you can never escape your past, no matter where you go, it will follow you and destroy you.

[@languageoffootball]

"Who watered the wicket in Melbourne...? ... You're a plague Webber. You're an overthrow..."

[@-shadowist-5486]

The second test at the MCG in December 1968 was between WI and AUS. The watering of the ground is usually performed by the groundsmen.

[@languageoffootball]

@@-shadowist-5486 what’s that got to do with those excerpts from Pinter’s play? Even if that was factually true, which it isn’t, they’re not literal statements but part of an interrogation meant to disorientate, confuse and ultimately destroy the subject.

[@BelatedCommiseration]

I believe the play (and particularly this scene) is about the disintegration and destruction of the individual by his own guilt and the worlds response to it (the 'external force'.) Its also interesting that the interrogators own sense of self and associated delusions also disintegrate (i.e. they alter their names and tell contradictory back stories throughout the play.) That being said, it's not a coincidence that Goldberg and McCann represent the two religions most associated with guilt.

[@butterflymoon6368]

who conveys guilt in this?

[@BelatedCommiseration]

@@butterflymoon6368 Well...Webber conveys the guilt in this scene...Goldberg and McCann represent Webber's shifting sense of self as viewed through the prism of his own guilt, which is ever present though never quite pinned down. It could be sexual guilt towards Meg, or it could be something else...it could also be taken that Goldberg and McCann represent the Catholic and Jewish interpretations and the interrogative approach to a persons guilt and sin as a path towards redemption which is built into their respective religions. You can also push this further and argue that the whole Kafkaesque scene represents the under currents in culture that spawn interrogations such as this...and Pinter being Jewish and there being a sense of this in the names of the characters and the 'attitude' stuck in the play, the spectre of the Nazi's and their interrogation rooms are never far away...and it is interesting that, in much the same way as Nazi Germany arose from the seemingly normal urban/suburban world of its times, such a thing also arises in this boarding house...and all the more interestingly the currents which underpin this descent are hardwired into Western culture and life as we live it in this culture also.

[@carpjrs73]

3rd act of the original play is over long; with this film adaptation Pinter and/or Freidken cut roughly half of it.

[@BusinessButterfly]

i love this... amazing work truly this

[@DarlinGracey]

That was a great help. We are studying status and tention in 'Drama' and I picked this scene as my study piece. :]

[@edmund184]

I suspect this is the only play that Pinter wrote that will last because of its sheer novelty and originality. Pinter has very little to say but this play holds the attention and it can be very dramatic when seen performed. It would be great if you downloaded the whole film.

[@PhoenixProdLLC]

You're an idiot. Best not to go around announcing it in public.

[@tone143]

Yep-Friedkin rules.

[@shadowhalfcast]

doctorterror69 I think you've hit the nail on the head!

[@jsbl_]

@mrmaxo yes i realise that, i studied this play and basically wrote a 4000 word essay on it so yes, i know....but i still think the way he says it is weird......

[@gregconway1125]

Comments Add a public comment... Greg Conway Goldberg: Is the number 846 possible or necessary? Stanley: Neither. Goldberg: Wrong! Is the number 846 possible or necessary? Stanley: Both. Goldberg: Wrong! It’s necessary but not possible. Stanley: Both. Goldberg: Wrong! Why do you think the number 846 is necessarily possible? Stanley: Must be. Goldberg: Wrong! It’s only necessarily necessary! We admit possibility only after we grant necessity. It is possible because necessary but by no means necessary through possibility. The possibility can only be assumed after the proof of necessity. McCann: Right! Goldberg: Of course right! We're right and you're wrong all along the line.

[@dantejones]

By far my favorite Pinter work. If anyone knows where to find it, let me know please.

[@azianchickle]

Studying this for English Lit ALevels! Love it, though I could see some improvements needed here...

[@shadowhalfcast]

WHAT NAIL?

[@butterflymoon6368]

such a confusing play when i read it. trying to understand it...

[@ColdChicago]

Friedkin? If you couldn't make this cast work, you should be doing used car commercials.. shaw, nichols and patrick mcgee--as good a cast as could be found speaking english....

[@gyufuli]

well we had a lot of pinter analysis, it can be interpreted as a birth of a child into society. I would not get into the details now :D

[@gustavklit]

well, when Mccan orders Lulu to "Confess! confess! confess!" the old malicious guy says something like "he's only been 6 mos out of a frock" - of mccann - like mccann was a monk/etc?

[@NolaspanishPage]

Rest in (Pause) peace.

[@Nirmanakaya]

is the script for this movie publically available? if so, please refer!

[@jsbl_]

i think the bit where he says "enos-andrews' is weird coz he just sorta says "en-an" its a bit odd

[@donning]

Do you know where I can get 'One For the Road' on DVD / VHS?

[@Nnirvania]

It is a play, no problem getting. Just browse through any bookshop, prob 7£ or something

[@MrTaffyMann]

Im doing this scene for my Contemporary Theatre assessment in college :D Im Goldberg.

[@carpjrs]

This is my life.

[@caitlynala8697]

which act/scene is this in

[@randomdave30]

The thing is it's supposed to be entertainment. However people feel the need to analyse it to death. It's a play - it's a bloody play. Play is supposed to be fun!

[@tomsega]

Thought I recognised that guy - it's the cripple from A Clockwork Orange

[@booshgrrl]

I'm doing this next week at an arts open night :) I'm Stanley

[@MrTaffyMann]

@TheJunglesound Wales, but I can do English, Oh and I've done my assessment now.

[@NoodleArmsFitness]

doing this scene in drama class im mcann

[@nanditakuvadiya2563]

5:03

[@josephallison4302]

They are the sum of his guilt.

[@plasticweapon]

nah.

[@sparksrule]

A minutes pause for him!

[@lastunctives2095]

This scene isn't for Drama Queens . It's about something else 😝

[@trazeebarb]

poor poor webber

[@MrTaffyMann]

@TheJunglesound No I'm terrible at accents =/

[@butterflymoon6368]

are they representative of his conscience?

[@plasticweapon]

no.

[@BusinessButterfly]

@jizzbrakkett yes I was about to say that... "fake"

[@edthoreum7625]

this is "comedy of menace", the visitors represent destiny ,a disease? Nasty humor twines w/ sadism. martin mcdonagh HANGMAN brought me here.

[@ModernHingeSociety]

Does anyone think this is quite similar to The Prisoner?

[@carpjrs73]

Written 10 years prior to The Prisoner. 52 80 10 6696 99.94 334 29 13 7 Pinter was a great cricket fan.

[@LostHatProductions]

i saw this a few days ago and i didn't get this at all

[@edmund184]

@97972844 I've seen:- Party Time The Homecoming Celebration One for the Road The Lover + a number of his very short plays. It seems to me all he says is the world is all about power struggles and people are at each others throats. His says very little about the complexity of human beings. Celebration for example is a really nasty work where a family just hates each other. Compare him to Sam Shepard who writes plays in a similar style but says far more than Pinter.

[@PhoenixProdLLC]

🙄 Pleased with yourself now?

[@mrnobodyz]

@@PhoenixProdLLCProbably not as much as you.

[@edmund184]

@edmund184 Just saw The Caretaker as well. Basically The Birthday Party re-written, and not nearly as compelling. Dennis Potter was a better playwright.

[@carpjrs73]

Dennis Potter worked almost exclusively on TV, a lesser medium.

[@tsuyamakaen]

See i thought at first when i did this for my a levels , "wow this sucks its sooo boring" and your right its boring as hell. But theres a reason its in the a levels, theres so much to do on it, it has so many angles. Its a crap play but a great one to act and write about. So sorry sir but i'm afraid you have no idea what your talking about and you failed because you didn't try hard enough

[@plasticweapon]

in the words of mccann, i don't know what you're on about.