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.
Seán O'Mórdha
Director
Ronald Pickup
Narrator
Stephen Rea
Voice
Denys Hawthorne
Voice
Patrick Magee
Archival Footage
Billie Whitelaw
interviewee
John Calder
Interviewee
Marthe Gautier
Interviewee
Marie Kean
Voice
J.G Delvin
Voice
My Oxford Year70%
The Edge of Love62%
The Last King of Scotland74%
Victoria & Abdul68%
Maestro62%
Copying Beethoven64%
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere67%
Love Story68%
Finding You68%
Colette68%
Rocketman73%
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool63%
Persuasion72%
Genius64%
Macbeth72%
Jersey Boys67%
Phenomenon65%
The Physician73%
The Young Victoria72%
My Girl74%
