The History of Production of the Works of Harold Pinter
The Homecoming (1972)
Harold Pinter
Film screenplay
English
Film version of Pinter's 1965 play. Pinter adapted the screenplay. British philosophy professor Teddy (Michael Jayston) comes back home from America the first time in nine years to visit his father, uncle and two brothers and introduce them to his wife, Ruth (Vivien Merchant). The family's working-class background is vastly different from Teddy and Ruth's academic lifestyle, and the homecoming is uncomfortable for Teddy. But, unexpectedly, Ruth fits right in. While the men compete with one another, she not only enjoys herself but earns their respect.
The database entry for the film made from this screenplay can be accessed here.
Date of Composition: 1972 Confidence Level
Linked Works
The Homecoming
Linked Places
Hackney (Type of place: Place of inspiration)
Though no textual evidence supports this, The Homecoming might be considered to have been set in this part of London. As part of the preparations for the first production, Pinter took director Peter Hall to Hackney to meet a friend's father who, in Hall's eyes, resembled Max in the play. Lenny speaks of having helped out the 'borough council' with clearing snow one winter, but does not name the borough. Max recalls that he and his friend Mac being 'two of the worst hated men in the West End' which locates his memories on the other side of London, and hint at a gangland environment.
The West End (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
In The Homecoming, Max recalls that he and his friend Mac, in his youth, were 'two of the worst hated men in the the West End of London'. To contemporary audences, this might have referenced the violence of gangs such as the Richardsons who had spread their influence and protection rackets to the West End from South London, and were rivals to the Krays of east London. The gang had a reputation for brutal violence, including cutting off victims' toes with bolt cutters.
Aberdeen (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
In The Homecoming, Max recalls that his friend MacGregor's family came to London from Aberdeen
Sandown park racecourse (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
Sandown park racecourse, Esher
In the opening scene of The Homecoming, Lenny asks his dad's opinion of the chances of the horse 'Second Wind' at the three-thirty race at Sandown Park.
Epsom Downs racecourse (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
In The Homecoming, Max recollects knowing the course at Epsom 'like the back of my hand'.
Heathrow Airport (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
In The Homecoming, Sam enters and explains he has driven a client to 'London Airport'. This is a reference to Heathrow Airport. The current text names the M4 as the route taken by Sam. Pinter's original script named the A4. Pinter would have been aware of the construction of the Chiswick flyover section in 1959 when he lived nearby on the High Road.
The Savoy Hotel (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
The Savoy Hotel, Strand, London
Sam, a chauffeur, in The Homecoming states that he had picked up an American at the Savoy and driven him 'to the Caprice for lunch' and then to Eaton Square.
Le Caprice restaurant (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
The restaurant that Sam's American client went to for lunch in The Homecoming. Le Caprice opened in 1947, run by Mario Gallati, and earned a significant reputation for fine dining through the 1960s. The current restaurant began in 1981, and is now owned (since June 2005) by Richard Caring.
Eaton Square, London (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
In The Homecoming, Sam's American client visits a friend in Eaton Square. It might be concluded from subsequent dialogue that this could have been a liaison with a 'high-class' sex worker.
The Dorchester (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
Max in The Homecoming suggests that his brother Sam might 'take a suite at The Dorchester' with any woman he might marry as an alternative to bringing her home. The Dorchester was and remains one of London's most exclusive hotels, so Max's suggestion is both sarcastic and passive aggressive.
The docks (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
In The Homecoming, Lenny recounts for Ruth an incident 'down by the docks'. No doubt Pinter was referencing London's docklands.
Confidence LevelThe Ritz (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
Lenny in The Homecoming claims that he and his friends discuss philosophical issues over a liqueur in bar at The Ritz.
Greek Street (Type of place: Location (within the fiction))
In The Homecoming, Teddy's family propose to set his wife Ruth up in rooms in Greek Street, where she might work as a sex worker.
Publishers
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Characters
Max (Age: 70, Male)
Lenny (Age: early thirties, Male)
Joey (Age: mid twenties, Male)
Sam (The Homecoming) (Age: 63, Male)
Teddy (Age: mid thirties, Male)
Ruth (The Homecoming) (Age: early thirties, Female)
Resources
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Sources
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