Chat Ed : Welcome Atom!
Cyndi Lauper Tea Bag : Halo0o0o0o0o00o0o0o Atom Egoyan.. welcome to C4 Chat thats for joining us tonight

Atom Egoyan : Welcome everyone. This project was a dream come true for me. Krapp's Last Tape is, I think, the greatest dramatic soliloquy of the last century and it was an honour to be able to direct it.

Lotty : Hi. My drama teacher went to all of the beckett festival and beckeet on film festival! He's beckett mad! His favourite was Krapps Last Tape-it made him cry. How did you manage to create such a powerful piece?

Atom Egoyan : It's an extraordinary piece of text. Not only does it need a sensitive performance, but I think what the camera allows us to do is to focus on the face of a man listening to his own voice. By very carefully feeling the moments when he reacts to his own memories and to identify the sources of his pain and loss, you are able to create a choreography between the lens and the face. It can be quite overwhelming, especially when it is projected on a large screen. I think there is a particular alchemy that is created when one films Krapp's Last Tape because the act of recording and fixing permanently an event is intrinsically linked not only to what Krapp is doing in the play, but also what I am doing as a director by filming John Hurt's exquisite performance.

Catherine Finch : Isn't Beckett a little old fashioned now? Isn't it time to debunk Beckett's mythical status especially in light of theatre development over the last ten years?

Atom Egoyan : I think this play in particular is right to the moment. It was written in 1958. At that point it was a work of science fiction because a 70 year old man could not have the technical means to listen to a recording made so many years before. Not only does it make sense now, in the year 2001, but I do believe this film version is an attempt to clarify exactly why this piece is so important to us. There is no doubt in my mind that Beckett is one of the revolutionaries of modern theatre. To consider his work 'old-fashioned' is a responsibility born by bad interpretations as opposed to irrelevancies in the text.

Derek and Clive : I read a review that compared the opening of Krapp's Last Tape to Kubrick's narrative of evolution in '2001' Does this make you grin? :D

Atom Egoyan chuckles
Atom Egoyan : There is no accounting for interpretation. I'm not sure if it makes me grin, or grimace.

TOne : How did you get involved with the Beckett on Film project?

Atom Egoyan : I met Michael Colgan, the artistic director of The Gate Theatre, when they brought Waiting for Godot to Toronto some years ago. He came to the premiere of Felicia's Journey in Dublin and we had breakfast the morning after and he proposed the project to me. I absolutely insisted on Krapp's Last Tape as it transformed my life when I read it at the age of 14.

Catherine Finch : What elements of Beckett's personality do you think shine through his work?

Atom Egoyan : Catherine, I think he's a supremely intelligent and compassionate writer who is genuinely concerned with finding a new language to convey the particular anxieties of our time.

David Collard : Wanted to say how fine I thought your version of Krapp's Last Tape was. Long long takes and (for TV) a real theatrical pace which gave John Hurt's performance and unbearable poignancy. Is this the definitive Krapp? It'll do for now!

Atom Egoyan : Thank you very much David. I felt the long takes were really important to me though I realised they are certainly not conventional for the TV screen. The other versions which exist are much faster and furiously cut. I cannot help but feel that they miss some of the poetry of the language.

Table Leg : Have you seen any of the other films, and what do you think of them?

Atom Egoyan : The other performances are certainly great. The films are really documents of those performances rather than film interpretations of the text, great though those performances are.

Sameer Padania : Hi Atom, just wondering if you ever got the Paradjanov booklet, and also when your film starring Aznavour is coming out... Regards, Sameer

Atom Egoyan : Hi Sameer. Thanks for the booklet. The film will be out in 2002. Still reading Malarme.

Derek and Clive : Was John Hurt wonderful to work with?

Atom Egoyan : John was a great collaborator. I was inspired by how much he invested himself in his performance.

Kali : Your films have recieved awards and The Sweethearafter was oscar nominated - how important is this to you?

Atom Egoyan : Any recognition, especially from one's peers, is hugely important to one's development. The problem with awards is that sometimes they are given to the wrong film. As elated as one is when one receives attention, you have to keep this perspective.

Luke Block : Hi Atom, what advice would you give to a fledgling filmaker armed with a head full of crazy ideas and a couple of trusty Super 8's?

Atom Egoyan : Switch to digital and take full advantage of the technologies that have democratised film production. Super 8 is a great texture but a difficult medium to work with in this day, for dramatic sound material that is, ie. dialogue.

Nic : You directed an Opera (Salome?) a few year ago, what attracted you to the genre and how did you get involved? Have you got any more planned?

Atom Egoyan : I love music theatre. I'm a huge fan of Gavin Bryar's music so when the opportunity came up to direct his opera in London, I couldn't resist. I hope to do more opera work in the future.

Chat Ed : Our half hour with Atom is nearly up now, so last three questions now, thanks....
Brian : Have you finished making 'Ararat' yet and will it get a UK release?

Atom Egoyan : We have finished the shooting and it will definitely get a UK release in 2002.

B Laing : What other projects are you currently working on?

Atom Egoyan : I'm finishing Ararat and I will have an installation in London in February 2002 at the Museum of Mankind, behind the Royal Academy, which is based on Krapp's Last Tape. It will be produced by Artangel in London.

Lotty : I have read all of Becketts plays but seen none live! When do you think Krapps Last Tape will be done live?

Atom Egoyan : I know it's being performed right now in Dublin but I would gather that it is being performed all over a lot of the time. Check your local listings.

Chat Ed : and one teeny last one
Table Leg : If there was one thing you could do tomorrow, anything in the world, what would it be?

Atom Egoyan : I would put an end to war. Or better yet, put an end to human misunderstanding and the catastrophic effects of the mis-use of power.

Chat Ed : That's it! Thanks for that Atom, great stuff! Thanks for joining us tonight everyone.
Lotty : thanx atom! you made my day!
Table Leg : Thanks Atom!
Derek and Clive : thanks for chatting Atom :D
Lotty : ATOM ROCKS!!!!!!
Kali : Thanks for talking to us Atom!

Atom Egoyan laughs
Atom Egoyan : I'm really thrilled with the response I have received to the film version and I think it's one of the purest things I'll ever direct. It was a huge honour to work with this text and this towering performance from John Hurt.

Atom Egoyan leaves the room