Film/Notfilm

Blu-Ray Rating: ****

Reviewed by: Amber Wilkinson

Read Amber Wilkinson's film review of Film/Notfilm
Notfilm
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The extras here are mainly additional material from Ross Lipman's work on Notfilm. The Street Scene is a six-minute segment showing the initial intended opening of the work, a sequence that was later cut as the script evolved (and the budget started to look thin). Also from the time the film was shot are The Dog And Cat Takes - outtakes showing Keaton with the animals.

Additional segments with some of his interviewees are also included - James Knowlson talks more about some of the essentials of Beckett's work, while Alan Schneider's widow recalls her husband's work with the playwright. Jeannette Seaver, who was a friend of Beckett, also pops up with some Waiting For Godot anecdotes.

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James Karen also makes an enjoyable contribution courtesy of a 42-minute Q&A with Shannon Kelley about the film from 2011. He has a wealth of anecdotes about Keaton and also, surprisingly, a few sharp words to say about the talent of Schneider.

Lipman makes good use of stills photography shot by IC Rappaort and Steve Shapiro throughout Notfilm and they talk about their approach in a seven-minute extra, while their work is also displayed in the disc's excellent photo galleries.

Perhaps most interesting of all, is a further segment of audio recording of a production meeting between Samuel Beckett, Alan Schneider and Boris Kaufman. Beckett is, as you might expect, approaching the film with a fierce intellectualism, while Schneider and, particularly, Kaufman are much more interested in how to make it 'work'.

This excellent set of extras is rounded out by a trailer and a booklet of essays.

Reviewed on: 04 Jun 2017
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Samuel Beckett's film and Ross Lipman's documentary about it.
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Product Code: B06X3VVH5Q

Region: 2

Extras: The Street Scene, The Dog And Cat Takes, interviews with James Knowlson and Jeannette Seaver, Q&A with Shannon Kelly, audio recording of Samuel Beckett, Alan Schneider and Boris Kaufman, galleries, trailer, essay booklet.


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