His bestknown plays include the birthday party 1957, the homecoming 1964, and betrayal. A nobel prize winner, pinter was one of the most influential modern british dramatists with a writing career that spanned more than 50 years. The caretaker was the first of pinters plays to bring him artistic and commercial success as well as national recognition. It is brilliant and i really am confused to see such low rating of pinters plays here on goodreads. The caretaker, threeact play by harold pinter, published and first produced in 1960. South stream productions is raising funds for the caretaker by harold pinter on kickstarter. In the caretaker, all these terms are defined by the relationship among davies, aston and mick. During rehearsals for the caretaker, ive sometimes felt that harold pinter was trying his hardest to disprove john donnes line that no man is. So this collection is like the best and worst of pinter the first part being rich with strange tensions, weird power plays, and unexpected poignancies. Lenny is sitting on the sofa with a newspaper, a pencil in his hand. Harold pinter, ch, cbe 10 october 1930 24 december 2008 was a nobel prizewinning english playwright and screenwriter. The caretaker was first produced in london in 1960 and was harold pinters first major success as a dramatist.
Davies donald pleasance as a caretaker after his invalid brother aston robert shaw invites. An original theatre programme for the first ever production of the caretaker by harold pinter starring alan bates. Open library is an initiative of the internet archive, a 501c3 nonprofit, building a digital library of internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form. Dec 24, 2008 harold pinter is credited as director and writer. The caretaker summary the play takes place in one roomof a housein westlondon during the 1950s. The caretaker teaching resources 4 creative team matthew warchus director theatre. The master builder, future conditional, speed theplow the old vic, the norman conquests the old vicbroadway, life x 3 national theatrethe old vicbroadway, matilda the musical rscwest end broadwayinternational tour, ghost the musical west endinternational tour. He then performed under the name david baron, touring ireland with anew mcmasters shakespearean repertory company and others.
One of the most influential modern british dramatists, his writing career spanned more than 50 years. His bestknown plays include the birthday party 1957, the homecoming 1964, and betrayal 1978, each of which he adapted to film. The caretaker was harold pinter s first play to become a major success, first performed in 1960, this classic comedy established the authors individuality with an international audience. The action of the play occurs in the flat of aston and mick, two brothers.
Mick mick, a man in his late twenties, astons brother. Aston, who it is revealed has suffered from mental illness and undergone electric shock treatment, invites davies into his house after rescuing him when hes about to be beaten up. The caretaker, an album by harold pinter, alan batesdonald pleasencepeter woodthorpe on spotify we and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Davies tries to play aston and mick against each other as he struggles to. The caretaker was the first of pinter s plays to bring him artistic and commercial success as well as national recognition. Quigley, michael krasny, and david strathairn in the cast. Harold pinter s work is represented by judy daish associates limited and applications for all performances and uses of harold pinter s work including amateur and professional stage performances, radio broadcasts, television transmissions and readings and use of extracts need to be addressed to them in the first instance and in advance of finalizing your plans. I think the caretaker is about some pretty serious matters. His plays are noted for their use of understatement, small talk, reticenceand even silenceto convey the substance of a characters thought, which often lies several layers. Pinters screenplay is an almost direct transfer of his stage play carrying the same name. Hyman known as jack was a tailor specializing in womens clothing and frances was a homemaker. Filmed during the freezing winter of 1963, clive donners the caretaker is a faithful translation of pinter s groundbreaking stage play. Returning to the stage after an absence of almost two decades, timothy spall simultaneously makes and breaks this weirdly flamboyant take on harold pinters 1960 masterpiece the caretaker.
The caretaker, an album by harold pinter, alan batesdonald pleasencepeter woodthorpe on spotify. Pinter s screenplay is an almost direct transfer of his stage play carrying the same name. It has three characters, the brothers aston and mick and the tramp davies. The screenplay is by nobel prizewinning playwright, harold pinter. The caretaker is the last play i read from the pinters collection i now investigate. Comparing which pinter and larkin show the pressures of modern life on the individual 1499 words 6 pages.
In cinematic terms, it perhaps lacks interest, but it preserves for ever the wonderful performance of donald pleasance as davies, the tramp entering astons and micks lives. We and our partners use cookies to personalize your experience, to show you ads based on your interests, and for measurement and analytics purposes. Aston, his brother, and davies, an old tramp, enter. In addition, the caretaker received the evening standard. Mr pinter writes, as he says, about charactersthough they are characters obsessed by their own qualities. Harold pinters work is represented by judy daish associates limited and applications for all performances and uses of harold pinters work including amateur and professional stage performances, radio broadcasts, television transmissions and readings and use of extracts need to be addressed to them in the first instance and in advance of finalizing your plans. Before reading pinter i was already acquinted and familiar with the works of stoppard, beckett and ionesco all of whom seem quite alike to pinter. Excerpt from the clive donner 1963 film of pinters play. In addition, the caretaker received the evening standard award for best play of 1960. The caretaker project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. Character analysis of harold pinters the caretaker bartleby. Frequently hilarious, suddenly moving, insidiously menacing, this great play is now given a new production to herald this festival of pinter s works. Although it was the sixth of his major works for stage and television, this psychological study of the confluence of power, allegiance, innocence, and corruption among two brothers and a tramp, became pinter s first significant commercial success. Beyond that point, it ceases to be funny, and it is because of that point that i wrote it.
The play begins with mick sitting on a bed in the room, but when he hears a door open and shut somewhere offstage, he leaves. The caretaker teaching resources 2 company creative team character breakdown act breakdown themes timeline harold pinter life and works context britain. Harold pinter was born in hackney, london on october 10, 1930 to jack and frances pinter. Frequently hilarious, suddenly moving, insidiously menacing, this great play is now given a new production to herald this festival of pinters works. Pinter was a nobel prizewinning english playwright and screenwriter. Reactions to pinter 12 pinters sexual politics 195 drew milne pinter and the critics 212 yael zarhylevo 14 pinter as celebrity 230 harry derbyshire. Harold pinters the caretaker the job offer youtube. Dec 01, 2010 its from harold pinter s a celebration, performed on 7 june 2009, broadcasted on 24 jan 2010. Then you can start reading kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer no kindle device required. The caretaker also known as the guest is a 1963 british drama film directed by clive donner and based on the harold pinter play of the same name.
Includes moonlight 2000, a slight ache 2000, last to go 1964, the birthd harold pinter. Pinters work particularly his earlier work is very funny and theres plenty of humour in the caretaker. His plays are noted for their use of understatement, small talk, reticenceand even silenceto convey the substance of a characters thought, which often. Traces of guilt, identity, security, and existence in. The work is pinters second fulllength play and it concerns the delicate balance between trust and betrayal in familial relationships. Harold pinter, english playwright, who achieved international renown as one of the most complex and challenging postworld war ii dramatists. When it premiered in 1960, the caretaker changed the face of modern theatre. He goes to sideboard, opens tip drawer, rummages in it, closes it. Programme is in very good condition with light foxing to the pages.
London, for over a year and ensuing productions brought acclaim and awards from nearly every country in the world. Its from harold pinters a celebration, performed on 7 june 2009, broadcasted on 24 jan 2010. The caretaker was harold pinters first play to become a major success, first performed in 1960, this classic comedy established the authors individuality with an international audience. Although it was the sixth of his major works for stage and television, this psychological study of the confluence of power, allegiance, innocence, and corruption among two brothers and a tramp, became pinters first significant commercial success. Filmed during the freezing winter of 1963, clive donners the caretaker is a faithful translation of pinters groundbreaking stage play.
The covers have minor wear on the faces and around the edges and a light flex line across the upper outer corner of the front cover. The remarkable performances are by donald pleasence, robert shaw and alan bates. It was entered into the th berlin international film festival where it won the silver bear extraordinary jury prize. Harold pinter had already been credited with changing the face of british theatre before the caretaker appeared in 1960, but it was this. Harold pinter, the 2005 nobel laureate for literature, was born october 10, 1930, in londons workingclass hackney district to hyman and frances pinter, eastern european jews who had immigrated to the united kingdom from portugal. Aug 22, 2006 excerpt from the clive donner 1963 film of pinter s play. Indeed, in the caretaker, this often seems to be the case. Sep 06, 2017 during rehearsals for the caretaker, ive sometimes felt that harold pinter was trying his hardest to disprove john donnes line that no man is an island. Jan 17, 2006 8 hours worth of plays by harold pinter aired between 19642000. At first it seems that the manipulative guest will take advantage. He studied at the royal academy of dramatic art and the central school of speech and drama. Bristol old vic christopher haydon updates the 1960 play about the machinations of a. Bbc radio plays for download the harold pinter community. The action of the play takes place in a junkfilled room of a tumbledown house and the other rooms need a lot of doing hern, 1982.
Inner guilt is a cry for, identity, security and existence. Davies tries to play aston and mick against each other as he struggles to establish a foothold in the room. September 24, 1981 to november 8, 1981 his play, betrayal, was performed at the public theater in pittsburgh, pennsylvania. Traces of guilt, identity, security, and existence in harold. Now harold pinters groundbreaking classic comes to the old vic in a new production directed by matthew warchus disturbed handyman aston has invited an irascible tramp to stay with him at his brothers jumbled london flat. The caretaker is a play in three acts by harold pinter. The caretaker and the dumb waiter harold pinter on. Enter your mobile number or email address below and well send you a link to download the free kindle app. Larkin show the pressures of modern life on the individual in both the caretaker and larkins collected poems, pinter and larkin frequently paint their characters to live in a relentless state of fear and anguish caused often by the pressures of the external world. Pinter shows, billington continued, that life is a series of negotiations for advantage in which everything comes into play. But in pinters plays, there always comes a point when the humour ends as we begin to realise just what lies within the characters. He wears an old cardigan and a cap, and carries a stick. He is the first character seen onstage in the play, although he does not speak or interact with the other characters until the end of act 1. Personally though, i prefer the birthday party and the homecoming which i think have more humour.
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