Quirky, inventive and handsome american actor michael keaton first achieved major fame with his door. Film is at once the product of a stunningly allstar assembly of talent, and a cinematic conundrum that asks more questions than it answers. One peculiar response to it came in 1979 when the british film institute produced a remake, film. This time around, though, keaton signed on, even if he couldnt make heads or tales of the script. Yet beckett s ontological concerns have less to do with the plastic medium than the nature of. If playback doesnt begin shortly, try restarting your device. Beckettkeaton film collaboration documentary notfilm samuel beckett examines a piece of filmin 1964, acclaimed author samuel beckett set out on one of the strangest ventures in cinematic history. A behindthescenes production shot of samuel beckett and buster keaton making film. Buster keaton in the goat 1921 colorized silent movie color colour.
The playwright greatly admired keaton s work and had reputedly watched. Fury road, chase films have kept the cameras turning. Fifty years ago, in july of 1964, on the occasion of the filming of samuel beckett s one and only film in brooklyn, the odd iconic film, the irish literary lion would meet with silent film star buster keaton in an italian restaurant in greenwich village where in the midst of the cultural shifts and changes of that year they would talk of vaudeville and hollywood, silent films. Mar 01, 2016 becketts use of keaton is knowingly perverse. Samuel beckett film con buster keaton 1965 youtube.
The hugely ambitious beckett on film project gathered together 19 different directors to turn the 19 stage works written by samuel beckett into films. A twohour documentary film about a halfhour film sounds ridiculous, but not if the film is samuel becketts film. Samuel beckett and buster keatons landmark experimental. Videos you watch may be added to the tvs watch history and influence tv recommendations. Buster keaton did his own stunts, which included working with.
Nobel prizewinning playwright samuel beckett s lone work for projected cinema was entitled archetypally, film, and grew from berkeleys pronouncement, essi et percipi. Harold lloyd made us laugh as much, charlie chaplin moved us more deeply, but no one had more courage than buster. Jun 02, 2015 samuel beckett play 2001 beckett on film direction. Given this film s significance in the cinematic canon its the only collaboration between samuel beckett and buster keaton, both recognized as masters in their respective media its surprising that it hasnt been reissued on disk, along with ross lipmans documentary notfilm. Tibetan music, healing music, relaxation music, chakra, relaxing music for stress relief, 2853c duration. The range is vastfrom the 45second breath to the two hours of his most famous play, waiting for godot but all the works reflect beckett s penetrating obsessions with memory, regret, and the. The former was a heady, experimental philosopher, the latter more interested in technical details and visceral pleasures. Producer barney rosset, founder of grove press and becketts publisher, envisioned producing a trilogy of short films written by his most famous clients, but only becketts script made it to the big screen. In keaton s time, a man being sensitive and in touch with his feelings was not an attractive trait, his films gave his emotions and outlet. Beckett wrote the screenplay for only one film, a 1965 silent short starring keaton. The devil to pay, buster keaton 1960 milky way, buster keaton tv commercial 1961. The rundown on samuel beckett and buster keatons tribute. A short clip from ross lipmans notfilm featuring and interview with leonard maltin on his visit to the set of film by samuel beckett.
A second draft was produced by 22 may and a 40leaf shooting script followed thereafter. Buster keaton, marceline day, harold goodwin a struggling photographer takes the job of a newsreel cameraman and unexpectedly becomes a hero in one of his films. Buster keaton in becketts first film the new york times. Becket is a 1964 britishamerican film about the historic, tumultuous relationship between henry ii of england and his friendturnedbishop thomas becket. Some lacklustre clowning in the early stages soon makes way for moments of comic mastery in this, one of cinemas earliest media satires.
When future nobel laureate samuel beckett made his one and only film in. Watch film, samuel becketts only movie, starring buster keaton. These are the films of american actor, comedian, and filmmaker buster keaton. In films that combined comedy with extraordinary physical risks, buster keaton played a brave spirit who. Film has recently been rereleased, along with a documentary called notfilm. Yet becketts ontological concerns have less to do with the plastic medium than the nature of recorded and projected images. Film and notfilm showcase the collaboration of buster keaton and samuel beckett.
The ambitious beckett on film project brought together 19 different directors, including anthony minghella, david mamet and damien hirst, for the filming of all 19 plays by irish playwright samuel beckett. In samuel becketts what where four disembodied faces engage in a cycle of interrogation and torture. Buster keaton stars in film, samuel beckett s only foray onto the big screen. Apr 06, 2018 buster keaton in the railroader gerald potterton, buster keaton, 1965 he played the central role in samuel beckett s film 1965, directed by alan schneider. Beckett, who made his biggest splash with the play, waiting for godot, always had an interest in motion pictures, having first tried to break into the business in the 1930s when he asked director sergei eisenstein if he could be eisensteins assistant the director never got back to him. The idea of samuel beckett and buster keaton collaborating on a movie sounds like a joke. The confluence of beckett, buster keaton and alan schneider is joined by ross lipman, who functions here as a cultural archaeologist of the highest order. It was directed by peter glenville and produced by hal b. Sarris discusses film in the context of his section on the film career of buster keaton, writing that. Jul 18, 2017 beckett wrote the screenplay for only one film, a 1965 silent short starring keaton. Nov 19, 2000 i n 1964, in new york, samuel beckett, the great poet of silence, met buster keaton, the great comic actor of the silent era. Samuel beckett and buster keaton surely possess two of the most photogenic faces of the 20th century, contrasting images of haplessness and stoicism.
A twohour documentary film about a halfhour film sounds ridiculous, but not if the film is samuel beckett s film. Samuel beckett and buster keaton producer barney rosset, founder of grove press and beckett s publisher, envisioned producing a trilogy of short films written by his most famous clients, but only beckett s. It is a dramatic film adaptation of the 1959 play becket or the honour of god by jean anouilh made by hal wallis productions and released by paramount pictures. The time samuel beckett and buster keaton made a movie. The playwright was a longtime fan of the silent film legend. A case in point is film 1965, an avantgarde short that united two great 20thcentury artists. Sometimes preservation can give a film a second life, or even inspire a movie about it. I stretch, but beckett media is a sporty publication, although this film is much older than david beckham himself, so the pun still falls ferociously flat. Unorthodox in format and content, the film will include three half. With jay greenberg, lou matthews, jacob salas, cynthia shaw. Jun 15, 2016 beckett and keaton couldnt have been more different. A screenplay by samuel beckett, directed by david rayner clark and with max wall, a film and beckett stage actor, in the role keaton had played. This commemorative, immersive black and white film based on don nigros play takes us back into the shooting of irish literary lion samuel beckett s one and only film made in july of 1964, fifty years ago this year. Film was samuel beckett s first screenplay, a story of an old, obsessed man who shuts himself up in a room to thwart fate.
Stills gallery special souvenir book interviews with john crowley, john hurt, richard eyre, charles garrad, michael lindsayhogg, enda huges, neil jordan, anthony minghella, patricia rozema, charles sturridge, and kieron j. Even samuel beckett contributed to the desecration of the keaton mask by involving the actor of absurdity before its time in a dreary exercise called film, the most pretentious title in all cinema. Sep 03, 2015 one peculiar response to it came in 1979 when the british film institute produced a remake, film. Sep 18, 2015 in 1965, an elderly buster keaton starred in film, a little experiment in cinema by one samuel beckettan unlikely collaboration, but an inspired one. Notfilm director ross lipman interview samuel beckett. Sep 18, 2016 keaton of film is a crossword puzzle clue. Instead, its only available on youtube as a grainy transfer. With buster keaton, nell harrison, james karen, susan reed. But, as the film is based around bishop berkeleys principle esse est percipi to be is to be perceived, keaton s very existence. The rundown on samuel beckett and buster keatons tribute to. Yellow brick cinema relaxing music recommended for you. Samuel beckett, the celebrated author of waiting for godot, made a single work for projected cinema. Writer samuel beckett s only screenplay was for the 1965 avantgarde silent short, film. One of them was buster keaton, a silent film master of physical comedy, and the other was samuel beckett, a master of cerebral literature.
Obviously beckett is not trying to make anything commercial or even popular but something artistic, avantgarde in a retrospective if not retrograde way. To be, or not to be perceived the critic as artist medium. Notfilm joins the very short list of great movies about the movies. Celebrity guests, hilarious stories and all the best bits from the graham norton show. Beckett was nearing the peak of his fame, which would culminate in his receiving a nobel prize five years later. Route 66, in journey to nineveh 1962 as jonah butler, the town jinx. The movie was almost entirely silent, and shot largely in the first person. The greatest of the silent clowns is buster keaton, not only because of what he did, but because of how he did it. This film was made in 1964 in black and white and silent. Film is certainly one of the oddest film projects ever. Frank serjack that samuel beckett and buster keaton once collaborated on a short avantgarde film. But it actually happened in 1965, with the experimental short film film. Special 25% off if you buy notfilm and film together. In 1964 author samuel beckett set out on one of the strangest ventures in cinematic history.
What where film by samuel beckett film and documentary. Keaton s renaissance reached an artistic peak in 1966 when film, a 22 minute silent movie he made in 1964, received a five minute standing ovation at the venice film festival. Film is a 1965 short film written by samuel beckett, his only screenplay. Yet when film premiered at the venice film festival in september 1965, keaton was given a rapturous welcome not as its. Apr 10, 2016 buster keaton stars in film, samuel beckett s only foray onto the big screen. I n 1964, in new york, samuel beckett, the great poet of silence, met buster keaton, the great comic actor of the silent era.
The scene stealers, buster keaton and ed wynn 1962. Film and notfilm showcase the collaboration of buster. Notfilm necessarily focuses on beckett, with keaton as a supporting player. But if the 1965 film was strange, the single meeting beckett and keaton had before production began was even stranger. Writing began on 5 april 1963 with a first draft completed within four days. Courtesy of milestone film in 1964, two guys walked into a movie studio. The paranoia in becketts film seems to be a little different than 21st century paranoia due to technological surveillance, since while keaton avoids the gaze in his home or outside, a lot of people avidly seek the publics attention, but only not in the privacy of their own homes. Keaton was even offered the role of lucky on the original american production of godot, though the actor declined. Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on youtube. In samuel beckett s what where four disembodied faces engage in a cycle of interrogation and torture. Buster keaton and samuel beckett walk into a movie studio. Nobel prizewinning playwright samuel becketts lone work for projected cinema was entitled archetypally, film, and grew from berkeleys pronouncement, essi et percipi. Film is a film written by samuel beckett, his only screenplay.
Apr 01, 2016 samuel beckett and buster keaton surely possess two of the most photogenic faces of the 20th century, contrasting images of haplessness and stoicism. Go see a double feature of samuel beckett s long lost 1965 experimental short film starring buster keaton, and ross lipmans documentary notfilm, about their. To avoid this, cancel and sign in to youtube on your computer. Apr 27, 2016 a case in point is film 1965, an avantgarde short that united two great 20thcentury artists. Its treatment of this subject matter makes it one of beckett s most overtly political works. Keaton of film is a crossword puzzle clue that we have spotted 1 time. A twentyminute, almost totally silent film no dialogue or music, save one shhh. For buster keaton there was never the terrible eclipse, the descent from fame, that came to so many of his silent film colleagues.
A documentary inquiry into the strange but true collaboration of samuel beckett and buster keaton. When future nobel laureate samuel beckett made his one and only film. The twilight zone, episode once upon a time 1961 as woodrow mulligan the janitor. Each director chose the play they wished to direct, and the cast they wished to work with.
706 396 256 348 730 132 1011 1205 947 433 118 1426 1250 173 512 1199 978 1 900 1040 132 843 568 966 1412 1114 387 69 1175 54 998 1337 973 909