Beckett said that his plays were about small men in large landscapes ( well Godot, anyway) and the trouble with this production is that the dreaded close-up obscures the rhythm and the dimension of the interplay between all characters. McPherson's direction is utterly wrong, showy, youthful, and consequently misplaced in a piece that possesses the echoes and regrets and pain of King Lear.
Adapting to different media is of course desirable but the challenge of Endgame is the static, 'voiced only' nature of the text (that's why the parents are in the bins, Beckett couldn't manipulate them on and off stage, so he stuck them in bins), and the movement of the camera distracts from the essence of the play.
It's a great shame as the play is the best and personal favorite of the writer himself.
Adapting to different media is of course desirable but the challenge of Endgame is the static, 'voiced only' nature of the text (that's why the parents are in the bins, Beckett couldn't manipulate them on and off stage, so he stuck them in bins), and the movement of the camera distracts from the essence of the play.
It's a great shame as the play is the best and personal favorite of the writer himself.