Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told documentary (1996)

The life of Irish novelist, poet, and playwright Samuel Beckett is profiled in this two-part documentary: from his Dublin childhood, to his days in Paris, associating with Picasso and Chagall, to old age. Excerpts from a performance of the semiautobiographical Krapp’s Last Tape and previously unpublished letters tell the story, along with the remembrances of Beckett’s lifelong friend and publisher, Jerome Lindon, relatives, and others who knew him. This is a rare glimpse into the reclusive world of this literary giant, whose most famous work, Waiting for Godot, evokes with unnerving precision the cosmic despair and isolation of modern humankind.
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Special thanks to our Patreon supporter for curating Samuel Beckett! Follow her on Twitter: @yosoyene .

[@ManufacturingIntellect]

Join us on Patreon! www.patreon.com/ManufacturingIntellect Donate Crypto! commerce.coinbase.com/checkout/868d67d2-1628-44a8-b8dc-8f9616d62259 Share this video!

[@rayj7273]

Don't know why people are complaining about this documentary. This was made in the 1990s interviewing many of Beckett's contemporaries. For a man born in 1906, it's bound to be slow as most of the interviewees are over the age of 70. Most of these people are probably dead now, so this documentary is an important archive about people who knew him when he was a young man and the early part of his career.

[@supergrahamg]

don't bother taking issue with idiots

[@virtue_signal_]

Listen at 1.25

[@janlundberg5924]

You're right. It's priceless really

[@jamieholmes5443]

Great upload. I love looking at these programs on old poets, painters. Slice of time and history. So full of melancholy. Deeply intrigued.

[@alexodonnell6191]

Words fail me...Simply Wonderful... What a jewel, What a treasure of a discovery.....Thank you so so much...

Fail again. Fail better.

[@TheCAPTAINDESTROYER]

A profound, melancholy, beautiful, poetic documentary to cover the life of a profound, melancholy, beautiful, poetic man

[@wendywatson639]

I found this deeply moving and indeed informative and thought-provoking. Thank you.

[@blackbird5634]

the most celebrated writer of absurdity. Godot is about waiting and that's all. It's nothingness is somehow offered as something of value. I've never enjoyed it, don't support the theories around it, and think the author pulled some crap out of his ass and called it a play. why anyone would put such frustration and inane meandering on a page is beyond me. call it a day in line at the DMV and at least then it would seem to be relatable to others. Possibly the worst part of this very well done biography is the sweaty actor they have when they've dubbed over the Beckett tape recordings. This guy looks like he's getting an enema the whole time.

[@matasha8038]

A treat of a documentary.

[@ahuddleston6512]

I just stumbled across your site and have fallen in love with the inundation of education! Thanks. You have a new faithful follower

[@marymcmullen5150]

A wonderful and touching documentary, thank you.

[@personofinterest8731]

Thank you for these jewels in the sunse of my life. Dorothy Gloria.

[@windowman929]

1hr 16mins in: I couldn't agree more.....🇮🇪🇫🇷🇮🇪

[@joehiggs100]

Many thanks, the best documentary about Samuel Beckett I've seen.

[@jon780249]

Great site. Thank you for these great uploads.

[@trevorburns3634]

An amazing life to watch.thank you.

[@terrygibson8021]

The French actor requested is Jean Martin and can also be seen in Fred Zinnemans movie The Day of the Jackal. Delphine Seyrig who funded original production of Godot also appears in that movie.

[@jennyhirschowitz1999]

The rude interruptions of American commercialism flogging rubbish spoils a good documentary…… the depravity of capitalism infects almost everything. Miss Jenny (music teacher, Manhattan).

[@frankmorgandorfer893]

Well said Miss Jenny Hirschowitz, Music Teacher, Manhatten.

[@kimhadley4446]

Sam was a genius & gift to humanity #peacemake

[@supergrahamg]

bravo, brilliant documentary, thanks for the upload

[@changaduranga3259]

becketts first novel actually was dream of fair to middling women

[@martinarthur2597]

Wonderful documentary, Thank you so much for your fascinating channel

[@Shm00ly]

"No I regret nothing, only being born. Dying is such a long, tiresome business I always found." Wowzas ...

[@PetroicaRodinogaster264]

long and tiresome for some but annoyingly short for so many. What a selfish thing for him to say.

[@SkyTortoiseFerryman]

@@PetroicaRodinogaster264 It's a quote from one of his works, not a personal statement

[@illuminate5]

Idiot

[@julianandres6211]

An exceptional man and a very, very great artist.

1:08:52

[@pamberry6354]

Is Stephen Rea reading intermittently?

[@nozecone]

Billie Whitelaw is a wonderful singer!

[@abooswalehmosafeer173]

Waiting for Godot....longing yearning nothing happens yet .....

[@DarkAngelEU]

As it should, only man creates war and all the other f(r)ictions that make us wait for delivery.

[@voulafisentzidis8830]

My nephew performed the monologue from Waiting For Godot in a college production. I cried as he was wonderful despite, as far as I am aware, having no interest in acting as a career.

[@yurigoncalves7214]

What's the musical piece in the background?

[@brandonwarweg3622]

Impromptu in B-flat major by Franz Schubert

[@jenniferfrykman390]

❤

[@ubuhubbub]

A shame the sound keeps dropping out. One can't help but wonder what is being missed. Could it be that they're just musical interludes that are cut for copyright reasons?????

[@patfraser3869]

Could it be that you complain too much, it sounds good to me

[@julianalinat9594]

​@@patfraser3869 you are complaining about him complaining

[@jiminma692]

True arts were accidental, agonized out and privy only to the suffering crowd.

[@origisalah]

No mention of Barbara Bray? Seems an odd ommission maybe even deliberate.

[@judithhannigan296]

@20:01 Same tune we learned in school, but it was called, "If You Should Go to Venice."

[@stefangeorge2844]

Both this and the similar Joyce documentaries are masterpieces.

[@aaroninky]

superb docu

[@marcoscastillojaen1888]

Un hombre que supo convertirse en un icono.

[@rogerpenfold117]

Another interesting documentary spoiled by KZbin adverts every 3-4 minutes for shite we don’t want to buy!

[@attheranch873]

That’s why I got a KZbin subscription, that stops the ads

[@Johnconno]

Pinter is your only man for Beckett. If you can't be arsed reading Beckett. Joyce spent most of his life claiming to be skint.

[@TheWhitehiker]

Yes, a good version.

[@murrayeldred3563]

VERY GOOD'

[@hagarshurfletcher6380]

Beautiful

[@johnstockwellmajorsmedleyb1214]

Thank you.

[@anwaya]

The greatest irony of Krapp's Last Tape, perhaps Beckett's most autobiographical play, is in the title. "Not with the fire in me now", he says, a statement looking to the future, on the last of all his birthday tapes.

[@darylcumming7119]

🙂 thank you.

[@shangrila73eldorado]

what a bore

[@girogiro-vh5pz]

Guys who was in charge of the background music? Execrably repetitive ad nauuuseum. Please.

[@al_s_]

Bit of an ungenerous comment this, but I don't think a Beckett documentary is for you if that is your response to Schubert...

[@michelehamelin5550]

Kmb

[@TREUMER0304703199]

Thanks - surely that he was autistic!

[@michealkelly9441]

He also knew a young Andre the Giant in France and would give him rides to school!

[@ceaser500]

That French actor who was acting out some of the Lucky soliloquy, thinking...... Oh my god He is amazing!!!! Who is he?? I was enthralled!! He explained it and then he disappeared into the character. It was amazing to watch. What an amazing way to play the part. This guy is amazing. I wonder who he is

[@robgoodd]

Jean Martin

[@ceaser500]

@@robgoodd Thank you so much. Sincerely. Thank you. I really appreciate that you took the time to do that for me. What a kind person you are.

Jean Martin was the first actor to do Lucky.

[@helenmurphy3143]

history we need more of this

[@peterplotts1238]

Don't worry, a new and very "improved" version of it is being created before our very eyes. The new and improved history clears out all that irrelevant clutter about individual human beings making choices, creating, or destroying. These obsolete notions have been discarded and replaced with more useful and relevant ideas: "race", "class", "forces" and above all, "power".

[@nictegki]

@21:11 just as Nietzsche, he felt in love with his cousin 😅

[@desit70]

Could anyone help me to understand what is said in 34.51 - 34.55? It's absolutely inaudible!

[@andrewfrench6850]

She says "But he was real(ly) casual, he wasn't a bit of bother, you know, he was very friendly"

[@patricklucey8850]

Ah Dublin....

[@nictegki]

@1:38:45 he always managed to write a little more

[@thecritic81]

The greatest writer of the twentieth century

[@sydneysandlin3226]

can't hear for the loud noise

[@nathanmaaka1631]

Finally finished

[@tedgebregzi3832]

Very sad

[@helenmurphy3143]

do more on the ira

[@hankmobley]

Whale Oil Beef Oct !

[@MissPerriwinkle]

such a pardox, that a smart man can chain smoke.....murdering his lungs/heart.

[@MissPerriwinkle]

the copious amt of nicotine made him lethargic

[@supergrahamg]

it is not as though the alternative was immortality...

The campaing against tabagism is dated the end of the last century.

[@TheBistoKid100]

He was 83 when he died FFS

[@Eyyoh755]

Samuel Beckett liked our german art, language and culture. Proud to hear that.

He fought against nazism.

[@Eyyoh755]

@ ...but he liked german culture.

[@alannolan3514]

Why is Joyce written out of this?

[@supergrahamg]

he wasn't, was he ? did you watch the same film that I did and the first section ? The documentary was about Beckett.

[@michelehamelin5550]

K

[@alannolan3514]

Lucia?

[@michaelcollins7738]

Lucia, James Joyce's daughter.

[@babyirene3188]

Jesus. Painful. This is so badly done. There's just no way Beckett was this dull. This bloodless. Not possible. This doc. DID NOT talk to the right people.

[@electricrussellette]

Please, save us the tortured artist BS. Such an outdated cliché.

[@johnshort5003]

The way America mangles every foreign word and spits it out in its own image (It's Godot, not G,dow.) and then carries on as if this is acceptable. It isn't.

👏

[@jimmymalone9139]

HES NOT IRISH. TOSSER

[@conorsullivan8108]

Ah Jimmy did your ex boyfriend prefer listening to Krapp's Last Tape over your crap fast ****

[@nozecone]

?

[@shiftlessinseattle]

My goodness. Very boring. This video is boring. They should let the writing speak for itself, because this is cheap and unfortunate.

[@incubooker]

Boring is not the clue of Beckett?

[@damiendaviswatchmanofephra2660]

@@incubooker that's Irish documentary for you. I sometimes think they are all just telling tall stories.

[@conorsullivan8108]

Without cheap and unfortunate, Beckett's works would be increate

[@rayj7273]

Oh come on, most of the people being interviewed are now dead. It's an important archive of people who knew him and the times he lived in. It's slow because most of the people who knew him in this video were over 75. But for me, it's important to hear their stories.

[@shiftlessinseattle]

@@rayj7273 Doesn't mean the retelling of their stories has to be boring and lacking any sort of artistry.

[@apexxxx10]

... Manufacturing Intellect. Merci Infiniment.

[@dibble2005]

a true legend is Billie Whitelwaw

[@apexxxx10]

Sam Beckett liked cricket - But I don’t. This is why: CRICKET is an anachronistic, goofy colonial burden of a game that should be phased out ASAP. This is how we will do it: ADIDAS, AUDI, BMW, Hugo Boss, Porsche and Volkswagen will donate 999 Million footballs to Bangladesh, India and Pakistan. Later Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and the West Indies. In five to ten years one of these great countries will qualify for FIFA World Cup. Trust me. Enough Cricket! Think about your children. Do you really want them to play Le CRICKET? Bangkok-Johnny CarSanook Media Thailand

[@pipster1891]

Go and have a lie down.

[@doellt4753]

​​@@pipster1891No, you have a lie down. "Goofy colonial burden", have you no ears, no eyes? Not that I care at all for football, I don't. Cricket, however, takes the upper crust biscuit.