Film

Samuel Beckett is popularly known for his absurdity in theatres what we can see in the case of " Waiting for Godot" which is considered as the benchmark for absurdism in literature. Same kind of literary trends can be easily assessed in the case of 'Film' as well , there is not any dialogue between any character. Protagonist of the ' Film' is an oldman who seems in the last stage of his life , feels himself alienated or I can say that keeps himself alienated from external world, he seems very frustrated from Old aged life , and keeps himself checking that whether he is alive or not...

I rate this 7/10 for fans of Buster Keaton. If you don't like Buster I doubt you'll find this short film interesting.

This is a homage to Buster Keaton by Samuel Beckett who is playing with the ideas of subject and object in a world where perhaps we have no control over who is doing the watching. Beckett had been influenced a great deal by the genre of comedy and acting that Keaton personifies. Many of his books and plays feature tramp-like, down-and-out characters and he uses the physical comedy routines of vaudeville and silent films of the early 20th Century in many of his works. He and Keaton both share the idea of man thrown into an uncaring world where they are left alone to survive among its absurdity.

However later Beckett stated : "Buster Keaton was inaccessible. He had a poker mind as well as a poker face. I doubt if he ever read the text - I don't think he approved of it or liked it. But he agreed to do it, and he was very competent." Buster had turned down overtures from Beckett before, but he was in debt, and the story is that his wife talked him into it.

Note actor James Karen as a reverend in the alley towards the beginning. Karen worked with Buster Keaton in touring productions of the comedy "Merton of the Movies" in the 1950s.

I was in art school in 1971 when my Persian art teacher who was well connected in the New York scene showed us this remarkable piece of black-and-white art. It was pristine 16mm print, and from the first frame I found it funny, disturbing and masterful. Keaton is one of the gods of physical comedy and he says more with his body in this short piece of film than many comics can say in a lifetime of work. The irony of this piece is that it is pure art, with nothing "arty" about it; The production is first rate, but nothing is out of place or over-the-top. It is part allegory, part silent shtick and pure Beckett, as well as pure Keaton. The plot is so simple, any description will spoil it.If you have the rare privilege to see it, do.

Samuel Beckett's only film--appropriately titled Film--is a short (26 minutes) near-silent piece. Because of that, and because the work invokes the feel of the silent era, albeit in Beckett's peculiar way, it's perfectly fitting that Beckett chose Buster Keaton as the main character (for almost the entire film, the only character). The black-and-white photography, the old furniture, and the peculiar garments of the just-as-old apartment building's tenants all contribute to the mise-en-scene that harkens back to a time when automobiles had only been around for about 20 or 30 years.

There's a perfect link of Beckett's intense focus on the self with Keaton's now-wizened features. When the screen is filled with Keaton's eye alone, you can see the wrinkles surrounding it; you can tell Beckett has more in mind than just doing a close-up. As Keaton arranges and rearranges the things in his sparse living quarters, and goes through pictures of himself, often hiding from the camera, you begin to see what's going on: is he, the character, only who he sees in the mirror, and in pictures, or is he other than that?

For this emphasis on the solipsistic, the length of Film is perfect. Any longer and it could have been a bit tedious. But Keaton lends it a few touches of his by now archetypal humor--wholly improvised--which Beckett found delightful, and Alan Schneider, the director, applauded. This is a unique work that any serious student of film should have in her/his library. It was formerly included in a VHS collection of Keaton's work but now, alas, does not seem to be available any longer.

I was under the impression this film is titled, The Goad, as a theatre prof. in college (who did her dissertation on Beckett) told my class. At the time I saw this film I thought it was weird, but I still remember it and it is an inspiration to my own short-film writing even now.