Five Screenplays.

by Harold Pinter

Five of Pinter's works provide insight into his ability to adapt novels to the modern screen

367 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Harold Pinter was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramatists with a writing career that spanned more than 50 years. His best-known plays include The Birthday Party (1957), The Homecoming (1964) and Betrayal (1978), each of which he adapted for the screen. His screenplay adaptations of others' works include The Servant (1963), The Go-Between (1971), The French Lieutenant's Woman (1981), The Trial (1993) and Sleuth (2007). He also directed or acted in radio, stage, television and film productions of his own and others' works.

Reviews

[Anthony McGill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although rightly lauded as one of the world's greatest playwrights, we shouldn't forget the quality of Harold Pinter's many outstanding screenplays - some from his own works and many based on novels by other writers.

This collection of five early screenplays by Pinter, adapted from the works of others is an exceptional example of his extraordinary skill as a screenwriter, especially with his collaboration with director Joseph Losey. I read these many years ago but can vividly recall how impressed I was at the sure-fire brilliance that Pinter displayed at adapting these novels into works of art, resulting in both excellent cinema and as stimulating stand-alone material to read.

The screenplays featured in this book:
* THE SERVANT (adapted from the novel by Robin Maugham - not based on the play) - The 1963 film was directed by Joseph Losey and starred Dirk Bogarde, James Fox, Sarah Miles and Wendy Craig.

* THE PUMPKIN EATER (adapted from the novel by Penelope Mortimer) - The 1964 film was directed by Jack Clayton and starred Anne Bancroft, Peter Finch and James Mason.

* THE QUILLER MEMORANDUM (adapted from 'The Berlin Memorandum' by Adam Hall - a pseudonym for Elleston Trevor) - The 1966 film was directed by Michael Anderson and starred
George Segal, Alec Guinness and Max von Sydow.

* ACCIDENT (adapted from Nicholas Mosley's novel) - The 1967 film was directed by Joseph Losey and starred Dirk Bogarde, Stanley Baker, Jacqueline Sassard and Delphine Seyrig.

* THE GO-BETWEEN (adapted from the novel by L.P. Hartley) - The 1971 film was directed by Joseph Losey and starred Julie Christie and Alan Bates.

All of the above screenplays were nominated for BAFTA (British Academy of Film & Television Arts) awards with 'The Pumpkin Eater' and 'The Go-Between' winning the Best Screenplay prize.

[Ivana · Rating 2 out of 5]

Leider konnte ich mit den meisten Dramen nichts anfangen.
Das erste hat mich aber sofort abgeholt, die Familienstimmen die aneinander vorbei sprechen und man nicht weiss, was geschehen ist und was die Wahrheit ist. Der Sohn ist weit weg, spricht mit der Mutter und dem Vater, die ihn nicht hören können. Die Mutter tut es genauso, beide lieben einander, wissen jedoch nicht, was der andere denkt. Die Liebe für den jeweils anderen entwickelt sich so, wie der eine über den jeweils anderen denkt. Ein schönes Drama über Liebe, Familie, Distanz, Entfremdung und Rückkehr.
Die anderen Dramen, z.B. über Krieg und Folter oder über eine Frau, die aus einem Koma erwacht und sich an nichts erinnern kann, haben mich leider nicht angesprochen.