Act Without Words

Duration: 10

Year Published: 1965

Creator: Cineastes Associates

Format: 16mm

Color: Color

Sound: sound

Description: Presents an animated interpretation of Samuel Beckett's one act mime of the same title which comments on man's existential condition. Shows the puppet hero being pushed onto a barren desert and then enduring the taunts and mocking gestures of an unseen power. Concentrates on the frustration and futility of the hero's situation: when he sits in the shade of a branch, it wilts; when a pitcher of water is lowered, it is out of reach; when a rope is lowered and he begins to climb, he falls. Reveals the implications of such an existence when finally the man begins to ignore all enticements and is left on the land examining his nails., Puppet animation is used to express the tenor of Beckett's existential universe. A fastidious little fellow in bowler hat and striped shirt finds himself stranded in an inhospitable desert. Fate presents him with a number of objects - some boxes, a pair of scissors and a rope - but he is unable to utilize them to grasp the precious jug of water that is tantalizingly suspended above him.

Complete Record: Presents an animated interpretation of Samuel Beckett's one act mime of the same title which comments on man's existential condition. Shows the puppet hero being pushed onto a barren desert and then enduring the taunts and mocking gestures of an unseen power. Concentrates on the frustration and futility of the hero's situation: when he sits in the shade of a branch, it wilts; when a pitcher of water is lowered, it is out of reach; when a rope is lowered and he begins to climb, he falls. Reveals the implications of such an existence when finally the man begins to ignore all enticements and is left on the land examining his nails., Puppet animation is used to express the tenor of Beckett's existential universe. A fastidious little fellow in bowler hat and striped shirt finds himself stranded in an inhospitable desert. Fate presents him with a number of objects - some boxes, a pair of scissors and a rope - but he is unable to utilize them to grasp the precious jug of water that is tantalizingly suspended above him. , NOTE: Two (or more) records have been merged together to create this data.