For Krapp, life is a lonely journey.
All he has is a banana, a dictionary and a tape recorder. One of them, however, is the hidden key to his happiness; by talking to it constantly, Krapp’s life is made less of a lone ride, because over time, it talks back.
The adventures of Krapp are chronicled in “Krapp’s Last Tape,” a play by Samuel Beckett, a dramatist and Irish Nobel Laureate.
The movie version of Beckett’s play will be shown tonight in the LNCO Auditorium at 7 p.m. This is the last stop in Salt Lake City for the Beckett Film Festival, which originated in Paris last April.
A discussion after the film will feature Vincent Pecora, chairman of the English department, and Barbara Smith from the theater department.
Gerald McDonough, festival director, said the movie is worth watching because of its provocative nature.
“It’s a very bizarre, internal monologue,” he said. “It’s as if (Krapp) confronts different versions of himself.”
Beckett, who was born in Dublin in 1906, is known for his deep but mellow work. Like “Krapp’s Last Tape,” his plays are often comedies, yet they revolve around pessimistic issues.
“His plays are provocative, his thoughts are astonishing, and this movie is just a glimpse into his powerful mind,” McDonough said. “You don’t get that from watching ‘Days of Our Lives.'”