Nicole:
The part of the play we chose was at 41:00 when Clov is talking to Hamm and Hamm asks Clov if he’s tired of doing what he’s been doing and Clov says he is. They agree that if Clov leaves he will set an alarm clock to go off so he know he will no longer return. The whole play takes place in the living room. The movie makes it feel a lot more lonely, empty and cold whereas the book describes what it looks like but doesn’t emphasize it as much. In the film, we notice the clothes the characters are dressed in which makes it seem like they’re in a cold dark room. (Jacket, gloves, hat) In the movie, Clov appears to be more enthusiastic to explain what he will do when he leaves Hamm. He seems excited to have come up with the alarm clock idea and eventually leave Hamm although the book kind of shows us that Clov very much cares for Hamm.
Maria:
When reading the story I imagined the setting to be more complete than how it is depicted in the movie. In the movie, the characters are wearing dark clothing and presented in a dark room with light shining only on the actors as the camera is directed at them. The acting in the movie allows the read to visualize the text in a better way as it shines light on the expressions that the characters have in the story. On page 783, Hamm tells Clov, “To hell with the universe… Think of something.” and Clov responds “Wait! Yes… Yes! I have it! I set the alarm.” and although the text states the actions of Clov, the movie shows animated expressions of his face and his reaction to thinking of an idea. Although Hamm is unable to see Clov’s expressions, in the movie, Clov acts with very distinctive expressions. When Clov rings the alarm clock, he is grinning, showing how proud he is of his idea and Hamm is looking concerningly as he is unsure and unimpressed of Clov’s idea. This allows the reader to paint a better picture in their mind of the relationship Hamm and Clov have.
2 responses so far ↓
dy154836 // Apr 28th 2017 at 1:05 am
I agree with Maria that the expressions of the actors really helped to give us a better understanding of Hamm and Clov’s relationship. We saw how Clov seemed indifferent and sometimes even cold toward Hamm, but this slowly changed as we saw Clov get excited, angry and happy. At the end, it seems like Clov was feeling bad for Hamm as he stood there silently watching him before he was going to leave.
j.moreno1 // Apr 28th 2017 at 1:30 am
Nicole, you make a great point when discussing how Clov appears to be more excited in the play but in the text he seems to be more scared to leave Hamm. The directing of this play is unique in a way that it likes to focus on the expressions of the characters to give the words exchanged between them more meaning. Something as simple as an alarm clock can be easily overlooked in the text, however, in the play, it plays a role in showing us how excited Clov really is.
You must log in to post a comment.