Film / Notfilm

This DVD/Blu-Ray set is a delight. You get a sparkling transfer of Film (1965) with Buster Keaton, a pretty good transfer of the vanishingly rare Film (1979) with Max Wall and Patricia Hayes, and the excellent documentary NotFilm, which sheds light on Samuel Beckett, and on where Film fits within his works.For the main feature, don't expect a slapstick comedy along the lines of Buster's 1920s efforts. This is a serious piece, more about the settings than the performances, albeit with some humour (think Waiting for Godot). Its starkness will ensure you don't forget it. However, some of the outtakes (included) do show a little of Buster's visual wit coming through, which was consigned to the cutting room floor. The plot, or at least, the conceit, is that E is pursuing O. As for what E and O's motives and history are, that is very much left to us to decide.The remake is interesting as it follows the original script rather than the amended version necessitated by budgetary limitations. I find the black and white photography more compelling, and you can't compete with Buster Keaton, but I enjoyed both versions, if that's the right word for it. No attempt is made to make it funnier, which is to be welcomed.Whilst Film received mixed reviews at the time, there can be no doubt that the documentary NotFilm is immensely well-informed and slickly assembled, including covert tape recordings of Samuel Beckett himself, the only ones in existence. I watched it in one sitting. My enjoyment was enhanced by the many references—indeed, linkages—made to such works as Man With A Movie Camera and Buster Keaton's works, The General, Sherlock Jr etc. Kevin Brownlow, the man behind Hollywood, Buster Keaton: A Hard Act to Follow, Unknown Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd: The Third Genius is interviewed, and the documentary lives up to the wonderful standards he set in his.This set should appeal to all fans of Samuel Beckett as well as fans of the silent film era, and those who appreciate the visual value of film. It is a privilege to find works, old and new, examined and presented with such attention to detail. Buy it now.

this is Beckett's sole venture into film

PURCHASED FOR MY BROTHER WHO'S A BIG BUSTER KEATON FAN. MUST BE GOOD AS HE'S NOT COMPLAINED ABOUT IT.