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United States
NR 1h 43m

Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told

A two-part biography of the Irish writer Samuel Beckett. The first part covers the traumas of his formative years: his ill-fated love affair with his first cousin, the death of his father, and his decorated service with the French Resistance. He had settled in France before the Second World War, met fellow Irishman James Joyce, and begun writing. Patrick Magee's television performance of `Krapp's Last Tape' (1972) is interwoven with key landscapes and personalities from Beckett's life. The second part concludes the story of how Beckett finally began to connect with his audience, principally through `Waiting for Godot'. Includes an interview with the actress Billie Whitelaw, a celebrated interpreter of his work.

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Top Cast

  • Ronald Pickup

    Ronald Pickup

    Narrator

  • Stephen Rea

    Stephen Rea

    Voice

  • Denys Hawthorne

    Denys Hawthorne

    Voice

  • Patrick Magee

    Patrick Magee

    Archival Footage

  • Billie Whitelaw

    Billie Whitelaw

    interviewee

  • John Calder

    John Calder

    Interviewee

  • Marthe Gautier

    Marthe Gautier

    Interviewee

  • Marie Kean

    Marie Kean

    Voice

  • J.G Delvin

    J.G Delvin

    Voice

Overview

A two-part biography of the Irish writer Samuel Beckett. The first part covers the traumas of his formative years: his ill-fated love affair with his first cousin, the death of his father, and his decorated service with the French Resistance. He had settled in France before the Second World War, met fellow Irishman James Joyce, and begun writing. Patrick Magee's television performance of `Krapp's Last Tape' (1972) is interwoven with key landscapes and personalities from Beckett's life. The second part concludes the story of how Beckett finally began to connect with his audience, principally through `Waiting for Godot'. Includes an interview with the actress Billie Whitelaw, a celebrated interpreter of his work.

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