Beckett on Film: Act without Words

A brief mime showing two players, A and B, in two large sacks on the stage. Beckett specified “violent lighting” and extended the notion by having the player prodded into action by a “goad”. The goad prods A into movement and a dull, gradual emergence to set about this banal routine. Dishevelled and sulky, he eventually undresses and re-enters the sack. At this point, the goad prods B into action. He embarks on a more complicated routine, checking his watch, moving briskly to relocate the sacks on the stage before retiring back to his own sack. The goad, now on two wheels, awakens A and the routine goes on. What unites A and B is the equal absurdity of their lives in a vicious circle of never-ending useless activity. This film is one of 19 made for the “Beckett on Film” project. The “Beckett on Film” project brought together some of the most distinguished directors and actors working today to film the whole Samuel Beckett canon of plays. Directors include Atom Egoyan, Damien Hirst, Neil Jordan and Anthony Minghella. Actors included Harold Pinter, Jeremy Irons, John Hurt, Julianne Moore and Kirsten Scott Thomas.