It was entered into the th berlin international film festival where it won the silver bear extraordinary jury prize. The main characters of the play are often lonely either by an act of will, or rather due to some malign forces imposed on them. Hyman known as jack was a tailor specializing in womens clothing and frances was a homemaker. The caretaker 2016 cast and crew when the aging, sickly birdie sondra blake scares off her last caretaker, her granddaughter mallorie meegan warner. The play the caretaker is a psychological chamber drama studying the dynamics of. Harold pinter biography, movie highlights and photos allmovie. Pinters screenplay is an almost direct transfer of his stage play carrying the same name. Filmed during the freezing winter of 1963, clive donners the caretaker is a faithful translation of pinters groundbreaking stage play. In 1974, harold pinter ventured into film directing with butley, an overthetop comedy by peter gray thats as far removed from the usual pinter style as a.
The 1963 film of pinters the caretaker conradbrunstrom. Harold pinter and philip locke in armchair theatre. Filmed during the freezing winter of 1963, clive donners the caretaker is a faithful translation of pinter s groundbreaking stage play. A grubby old man, davies, is taken home by a young man, aston, and allowed to stay in the house, which seems to be crumbling around them. They are symbolic of the right path, action and destination, which all the three are utterly lacking. Culdesac 1966 had echoes of waiting for godot, but was more directly influenced by harold pinter, not only in the casting of donald pleasence, who had triumphed in pinters the caretaker a few years previously, but also in the portrayal of sexual humiliation and in the relationship of the two gangsters. As michael billington remarked in his book the life and work of harold pinter, power is the theme. The screenplay is by nobel prizewinning playwright, harold pinter. In this play, there are only three characters, the brothers, which are aston and mick. While renovating his house in london, aston, out of pity, lodges a. In 1963, a film version of the play based on pinters unpublished screenplay was directed by clive donner.
The theme of loneliness in harold pinter s the caretaker. The caretaker is a classic tragicomedy play by harold pinter. Mar 07, 2016 the cinematography is by nicolas roeg. Harold pinter was a british actor, director, playwright, and screenwriter.
Harold pinter, both in his original play and in the screenplay which with the. In 1974, harold pinter ventured into film directing with butley, an over the top comedy by peter gray thats as far removed from the usual pinter style as a marx brothers film. Pinter s screenplay is an almost direct transfer of his stage play carrying the same name. Culdesac 1966 had echoes of waiting for godot, but was more directly influenced by harold pinter, not only in the casting of donald pleasence, who had triumphed in pinter s the caretaker a few years previously, but also in the portrayal of sexual humiliation and in the relationship of the two gangsters. Character analysis of harold pinters the caretaker free.
How mental illness and colonialism haunt harold pinters the. The caretaker 2016 cast and crew when the aging, sickly birdie sondra blake scares off her last caretaker, her granddaughter mallorie meegan warner must move into birdies large victorian. The caretaker is a 1963 british drama film directed by clive donner and based on the harold pinter play of the same name. Numerous critics have said that much of the action of the caretaker by harold pinter is dominated by the characters struggle for power over one another. 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. In a career spanning over 50 years, he wrote more than screenplays. He is best remembered for winning the nobel prize in literature in 2005. Donald pleasence plays a laconic tramp, who is invited to stay in the home of robert shaw, on the implied promise that he, pleasence, will be hired as caretaker. 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. The action of the play occurs in the flat of aston and mick, two brothers.
Erlina suwardi 2009031055 character analysis of harold pinters the caretaker in drama, characters play a dominant role in order to present the scenes. The caretaker project gutenberg selfpublishing ebooks. In this play, there are only three characters, the brothers, which are aston and mick, and the old tramp. The caretaker the dumbwaiter by harold pinter too surreal in the case of the caretaker and too predictable in that of the dumbwaiter. Shaws offinthecoop brother alan bates is delighted to have pleasence play with. In 1974, harold pinter ventured into film directing with butley, an overthetop comedy by peter gray thats as far removed from the usual pinter style as a marx brothers film. By one of those strange quirks of show business, harold pinters equally strange play, the caretaker, can be seen here, as of this morning, on stage and screen. Jul 02, 2018 coming only a few years after pinters original 1960 play, and using two of the original trio from its stage cast, clive donners adaptation of the caretaker 1963 is the purest example of whats called pinteresque. The caretaker is a play in three acts by harold pinter. The caretaker study guide contains a biography of harold pinter, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Writer 140 victoria station short 2020 kod snpa short 2019. The collection, harold pinter, 1976, with malcolm mcdowellalan bateshelen mirrenlaurence olivier duration.
Donald pleasence plays a laconic tramp, who is invited to stay in the home of robert shaw, on the implied promise that. Based on the harold pinter play the story centers around aston robert shaw who suffers from an undisclosed mental illness and lives alone in a cramped, cluttered room of an abandoned home that his brother mick alan bates is trying to renovate. Harold pinter, the justifiably celebrated english playwright, has done a lot of film work, sometimes adapting his own plays the caretaker. 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. The remarkable performances are by donald pleasence, robert shaw and alan bates. As a child, he witnessed the bombing of london by nazi forces during the second world war. The caretakerthe dumbwaiter by harold pinter too surreal in the case of the caretaker and too predictable in that of the dumbwaiter. Donald pleasence plays a laconic tramp, who is invited to stay in the home. Pinter, the son of jewish parents, grew up east of london where he experienced some of. Coming only a few years after pinters original 1960 play, and using two of the original trio from its stage cast, clive donners adaptation of the caretaker 1963 is the purest example of whats called pinteresque. 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. While renovating his house in london, aston, out of pity, lodges a homeless man, but astons brother taunts and harasses the cranky old bum.
The caretaker harold pinter adapted his own threecharacter play for the screen, but made little attempt to broaden the canvas and its stage origins are barely disguised. The caretaker by harold pinter starring alan bates, donald pleasence and robert shaw. Harold pinter was an english playwright, poet, screenwriter, director, actor who won the 2005 nobel prize in literature. Harold pinter, english playwright, who achieved international renown as one of the most complex and challenging postworld war ii dramatists. The play is a study of how power, allegiance and corrupted innocence affect a lonely tramp and two brothers who he meets. The electrifying chamber piece that made harold pinters name, audiences and critics alike still to this day occupy themselves with what the caretaker is. The basic interest of this paper is to shed light on the theme of loneliness as reflected in pinters the caretaker. Featuring one of the smallest casts i can remember, the caretaker is a claustrophobic tale of two brothers the mentally ill, but wellmeaning aston robert shaw and the.
Whether good or bad the characters are, they are the ones who make the play and without them, there will be no play can be presented. Later, he was evacuated to cornwall and reading, where he led a lonely life. A night out itv abc, 24 april 1960 when looking for dvd or bluray copies of harold pinters work on screen, a simple rule generally applies if it was made for television it is unlikely to have been commercially released, whereas if it was a film it almost certainly has but it. Harold pinter biography, movie highlights and photos. While renovating his home in london, aston, out of pity, allows an old homeless. Harold pinter, right, rehearsing the caretaker with donald pleasence as davies.
Harold pinters plays are considered comedies of menace, intrusion, and violence. Featuring one of the smallest casts i can remember, the caretaker is a claustrophobic tale of two brothers the mentally ill, but wellmeaning aston robert shaw and the slightly psychotic mick alan bates and their relationship with davies donald pleasence, a tramp whom aston saves from a fight and brings home one night, only to find. Harold pinter biography childhood, life achievements. The work is pinters second fulllength play and it concerns the delicate balance between trust and betrayal in familial relationships. In the play the caretaker by harold pinter, violence is very closely tied in with power. The guest is a filmed adaptation of the harold pinter play of the same name. His plays are noted for their use of understatement, small talk, reticenceand even silenceto convey the substance of a characters thought, which often. The story follows two brothers, aston robert shaw and mick, who live in a semiderelict house in east london. The caretaker paperback february 28, 1991 by harold pinter author.
The caretaker, in its own way, is a perfect rehearsal for the film techniques that would, by the end of the decade, make performance perhaps the most intoxicatingly depraved film of all time. It was first performed in 1960 and became pinters first commercially successful production. He started his career as a playwright in the play titled the room 1957. The play opens as aston saves davies from a fight and brings him home to give him a place to stay.
The caretaker, threeact play by harold pinter, published and first produced in 1960. Dec 24, 2008 in 1974, harold pinter ventured into film directing with butley, an over the top comedy by peter gray thats as far removed from the usual pinter style as a marx brothers film. Sep 06, 2017 harold pinter, right, rehearsing the caretaker with donald pleasence as davies. The caretaker has been analysed to death by academics intent on finding deeper meanings below the grimy veneer of the dishevelled house where the action takes place. 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. 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. Davies seems grateful, but it is soon clear that he is a perpetual liar and a. By one of those strange quirks of show business, harold pinter s equally strange play, the caretaker, can be seen here, as of this morning, on stage and screen. Harold pinter, a prizewinning playwright and screenwriter, wrote the caretaker, his first commercial success. Modern man has three faces mike, aston and davies in the caretaker by harold pinter. These incidents left a lasting mark in his young mind.
The caretaker takes place in a house in west london during the 1950s and examines the strange relationship between a tramp, davies, and two damaged and disconnected brothers, mick and aston. 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. With alan bates, donald pleasence, robert shaw, harold pinter. This film is an adaptation of the harold pinter play and focuses mainly on dialouge as the whole film basically takes place in one room. 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. 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.
525 1389 1471 404 770 548 1368 1064 364 1571 960 1200 1266 1519 67 340 146 1468 97 650 1552 984 1195 280 1053 271 869 292 784 642 1495 1100