The Birthday Party
The movie was a passion project of director William Friedkin who called it "the first film I really wanted to make, understood and felt passionate about". He had first seen the play in San Francisco in 1962, and managed to get the film version funded by Edgar J. Scherick at Palomar Pictures, in part because it could be made relatively cheaply. Pinter wrote the screenplay himself and was heavily involved in casting. "To this day I don't think our cast could have been improved," wrote Friedkin later.,Stanley Webber: How would you like to go away with me?
Lulu: What?
Stanley Webber: How would you like to go away with me?
Lulu: Where would we go?
Stanley Webber: Nowhere...
Lulu: Well that's a charming proposal.,Featured in Pinter's Party as Told by William Friedkin (2017),Finally, I really discover Harold Pinter. Well, I first discovered him in "The Caretaker," with the same excellent Robert Shaw, but only here, in "The Birthday Party," I really did feel the depth of his absurd humor. Thanks to some great actors like Patrick Magee, Sydney Tafler, Dandy Nichols, Moultrie Kelsall, Helen Fraser. Robert Shaw has a very challenging role here. I enjoyed it, very much, but it's not for everybody. Great direction by a great director, William Friedkin.,