The Making of Samuel Beckett's Play/Comedie and Film (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781472534965)

Samuel Beckett's short play Play / Com die and his only film Film were written around the same time (1962-1963). They both have self-referential titles that invite meditation on the genres they represent. Although medium-specific opportunities and challenges underlie their very different geneses, they have influenced each other in terms of both form and content. In more ways than one, Film continues where Play left off. Whereas in Play the genesis shows a steady increase in speech tempo to the point of near unintelligibility, the silent Film radically eliminates speech from the outset. Conversely, the cinematic element is also clearly present in Play, notably in the crucial role assigned to the light beam as the mechanical, mindless inquisitor. Both works are grounded in technology and rely heavily on explanatory notes for the members of their production teams, thus exposing the inherently collaborative nature of such projects. The genetic critical analysis of the manuscripts of Play / Com die and Film not only contributes to the interpretation of each work separately but also considers the two works together through the prism of Beckett's multimedial authorship.

Author: Olga Beloborodova
ISBN-10: 1472534964
ISBN-13: 9781472534965
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Language: English
Published: 11/28/2019
Pages: 352
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 8.40h x 6.60w x 0.80d