Bringemovies
← Browse Movies
Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told
TITLE DETAILS

Samuel Beckett: As the Story Was Told

1996-04-13 · 103 min · Not rated

A two-part biography of the Irish writer Samuel Beckett. The first part covers the traumas of his formative years: his ill-fated love affair with his first cousin, the death of his father, and his decorated service with the French Resistance. He had settled in France before the Second World War, met fellow Irishman James Joyce, and begun writing. Patrick Magee's television performance of `Krapp's Last Tape' (1972) is interwoven with key landscapes and personalities from Beckett's life. The second part concludes the story of how Beckett finally began to connect with his audience, principally through `Waiting for Godot'. Includes an interview with the actress Billie Whitelaw, a celebrated interpreter of his work.

Open detail page

Trailers are previews, not full movies.

No authorized playback source configured. Use the legal watch options below.

Production details

Directors
Seán O'Mórdha
Production companies
Araby Production
Countries
Unavailable
Status
Released

Top Cast

Ronald PickupRonald PickupNarrator
Stephen ReaStephen ReaVoice
Denys HawthorneDenys HawthorneVoice
Patrick MageePatrick MageeArchival Footage
Billie WhitelawBillie Whitelawinterviewee
John CalderInterviewee
Marthe GautierInterviewee
Marie KeanMarie KeanVoice
J.G DelvinVoice
Stephen BrennanStephen BrennanVoice
Daphne CarrollVoice
Bosco HoganBosco HoganVoice
John KavanaghJohn KavanaghVoice
Pat LaffenVoice

Title information and images are supplied by TMDb. Explore our discovery guide for advice on comparing metadata and legal viewing options.

Where to watch

Availability provided by JustWatch via TMDb. Offers can change. Provider links are listed on TMDb; full playback requires a separately authorized source.

Availability not listed for this country.

Recommendations

The Edge of Love
★ 6.2
The Edge of Love2008

When the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his flirtatious wife Caitlin sweep into war-torn London, the last thing they expect is to bump into Dylan's childhood sweetheart Vera. Despite her joy at seeing Dylan after so many years, Vera is swept off her feet by a dashing officer, William Killick, and finds herself torn between the open adoration of her new found beau and the wily charms of the exotic Welshman.

Shadowlands
★ 6.9
Shadowlands1993

C.S. Lewis, a world-renowned writer and professor, leads a passionless life until he meets spirited poet Joy Gresham.

The Last King of Scotland
★ 7.4
The Last King of Scotland2006

Young Scottish doctor, Nicholas Garrigan decides it's time for an adventure after he finishes his formal education, so he decides to try his luck in Uganda, and arrives during the downfall of President Obote. General Idi Amin comes to power and asks Garrigan to become his personal doctor.

Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
★ 6.3
Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool2017

Liverpool, 1978: What starts as a vibrant affair between a legendary femme-fatale, the eccentric Academy Award-winning actress Gloria Grahame, and her young lover, British actor Peter Turner, quickly grows into a deeper relationship, with Turner being the person Gloria turns to for comfort.

Copying Beethoven
★ 6.5
Copying Beethoven2006

Serving as Ludwig van Beethoven's copyist gives a conservatory student access to the composer's musical genius, but also exposes her to his cruelty.

My Oxford Year
★ 7.0
My Oxford Year2025

An ambitious American fulfilling her dream of studying at Oxford falls for a charming Brit hiding a secret that may upend her perfectly planned life.

Victoria & Abdul
★ 6.9
Victoria & Abdul2017

Queen Victoria strikes up an unlikely friendship with a young Indian clerk named Abdul Karim.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie
★ 7.0
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie1969

A headstrong young teacher in a private school in 1930s Edinburgh ignores the curriculum and influences her impressionable 12-year-old charges with her over-romanticized worldview.

Persuasion
★ 7.2
Persuasion2007

Anne Elliot was once in love with Frederick Wentworth, a commander in the Royal Navy who was rejected by her snobby parents eight years ago. When the family hits hard times and are forced to rent out their mansion to his brother-in-law, Frederick returns as a captain - but will he remember Anne?

The Glenn Miller Story
★ 7.0
The Glenn Miller Story1954

A vibrant tribute to one of America's legendary bandleaders, charting Glenn Miller's rise from obscurity and poverty to fame and wealth in the early 1940s.

Becoming Jane
★ 7.3
Becoming Jane2007

Though young Jane Austen's financially strapped parents expect her to marry the nephew of wealthy Lady Gresham, Jane herself knows that such a union will destroy her creativity and sense of self-worth. Instead, she becomes involved with Tom Lefroy, a charming but penniless apprentice lawyer who gives her the knowledge of the heart she needs for her future career as a novelist.

All This, and Heaven Too
★ 7.2
All This, and Heaven Too1940

When lovely and virtuous governess Henriette Deluzy comes to educate the children of the debonair Duc de Praslin, a royal subject to King Louis-Philippe and the husband of the volatile and obsessive Duchesse de Praslin, she instantly incurs the wrath of her mistress, who is insanely jealous of anyone who comes near her estranged husband. Though she saves the duchess's little son from a near-death illness and warms herself to all the children, she is nevertheless dismissed by the vengeful duchess as the attraction between the duke and Henriette continues to grow.

Finding You
★ 6.9
Finding You2021

Finley, a talented aspiring violinist, meets Beckett, a famous young movie star, on the way to her college semester abroad program in a small coastal village in Ireland. An unexpected romance emerges as the heartthrob Beckett leads the uptight Finley on an adventurous reawakening, and she emboldens him to take charge of his future, until the pressures of his stardom get in the way.

Maestro
★ 6.2
Maestro2023

A towering and fearless love story chronicling the lifelong relationship between Leonard Bernstein and Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. A love letter to life and art, Maestro at its core is an emotionally epic portrayal of family and love.

Love Story
★ 6.8
Love Story1970

Harvard Law student Oliver Barrett IV and music student Jennifer Cavilleri share a chemistry they cannot deny - and a love they cannot ignore. Despite their opposite backgrounds, the young couple put their hearts on the line for each other. When they marry, Oliver's wealthy father threatens to disown him. Jenny tries to reconcile the Barrett men, but to no avail.

The Private Life of Henry VIII
★ 6.4
The Private Life of Henry VIII1933

Renowned for his excess, King Henry VIII goes through a series of wives during his rule. With Anne Boleyn, his second betrothed, executed on charges of treason, Henry weds maid Jane Seymour, but that wedded bliss also ends in tragedy. Not one to be single for long, the tyrannical king chooses German-born Anne of Cleves, but their union lasts only months before an annulment is granted, and so Henry's reign of spousal terror continues.

Educating Rita
★ 6.9
Educating Rita1983

Rita, a witty 26-year-old hairdresser, wants to 'discover' herself, so she joins the Open University where she meets the disillusioned professor of literature, Dr. Frank Bryant. His marriage has failed, his new girlfriend is having an affair with his best friend and he can't get through the day without downing a bottle or two of whisky. What Frank needs is a challenge... and along comes Rita.

Crown Heights
★ 6.6
Crown Heights2017

When Colin Warner was wrongfully convicted of murder, his best friend Carl King devoted his life to proving his innocence.

Love & Friendship
★ 6.1
Love & Friendship2016

From Jane Austen’s novella, the beautiful and cunning Lady Susan Vernon visits the estate of her in-laws to wait out colorful rumors of her dalliances and to find husbands for herself and her daughter. Two young men, handsome Reginald DeCourcy and wealthy Sir James Martin, severely complicate her plans.

Rocketman
★ 7.3
Rocketman2019

The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.

Similar titles

Haywire
★ 6.7
Haywire1980

Based on the autobiography of Brooke Hayward, daughter of famous Broadway producer Leland Hayward and actress Margaret Sullavan, who grows up in the glamorous, cruel and emotionally unstable world of her parents.

E. M. Cioran. Sa vie. Son oeuvre
★ 6.2
E. M. Cioran. Sa vie. Son oeuvre1999

Those Days in Terezín
★ 7.0
Those Days in Terezín1997

Looking for clues about the “Chaplin of Theresienstadt”, ghetto cabaret artist Karel Švenk, Schönemann meets his acquaintances and creates an intergenerational network of memory. Laughter was a form of defence. Resistance means commemoration.

Ray
★ 7.5
Ray2004

Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
Scar Tissue

The life of Anthony Kiedis, famed frontman of The Red Hot Chili Peppers, artist, addict, and ringleader, contains a deeply unconventional father and son story set against a substance-fueled 70s & 80s LA punk scene. This story examines, without judgement, how all of his experiences shaped the music that was eventually embraced by millions.

Poster unavailable
Not rated
Untitled Richard Simmons Biopic

An extraordinary man full of fame, glitz and an assiduous promoter of fitness and wellness. Richard Simmons from fitness guru to 1980s household name, with his energetic aerobic workouts and colorful personality on TV shows and films.

Sisis Erben - Die Kinder der Kaiserin Elisabeth
★ 8.0
Sisis Erben - Die Kinder der Kaiserin Elisabeth2022

A mother figure idealized by the cinema, Empress Elisabeth of Austria did not flourish with her four children. What kind of mother was the rebellious Sissi?

Poster unavailable
Not rated
This Beggar's Description2006

It's a sensitive, moving doc chronicling the life of Tétrault's brother Philip , a Montreal poet, musician and diagnosed paranoid schizophrenic. A promising athlete as a child, Philip began experiencing mood swings in his early 20s. His extended family, including his daughter, share their conflicted feelings love, guilt, shame, anger with the camera. They want to make sure he's safe, but how much can they take?

Cinema Twain
★ 7.0
Cinema Twain2016

Val Kilmer, master of reinvention, becomes Mark Twain, in a funny, moving, contemporary and reflective performance, based on the life of the man who was Samuel Clemens and on his writings as Mark Twain: his thoughts on politics, his family, his faith and God… Twain shows the greatness of his incomparable wit.

Soldier of the Road: A Portrait of Peter Brötzmann
★ 5.0
Soldier of the Road: A Portrait of Peter Brötzmann2012

How do you become Peter Brötzmann? How do you become what you are: a painter, a musician, an absolute artist? Europe was nothing but a ruin and shame possessed the heart of the young Germans. They needed to invent, scream, regain a lost brotherhood. Overcome this silence! That’s how some young German, British, Dutch, Belgian… musicians made Europe exist long before Maastrich and have kept on cherishing, imperturbably, their freedom! They are no longer twenty-year-olds, but others have followed. They set themselves one constraint: reinvent everything every time. A way to take the very instant into account, to let the unexpected in, to match to the world.

Maria Casarès and Albert Camus, you, my life
★ 8.5
Maria Casarès and Albert Camus, you, my life2022

Maria Casarès, a theatre actress and Albert Camus, one of the most important modern french writer, keep a long correspondence (more than 900 letters) about their love and the emotions they feel for each other for 15 years.

The Sea Inside
★ 7.6
The Sea Inside2004

Ramón Sampedro is a ship mechanic and part-time poet left a quadriplegic following a diving accident. Ramón fought for 30 years for the legal right to end his own life. He develops close relationships with his long-term lawyer Julia and his friend Rosa, who tries to convince him that his life is worth living. Despite his situation, Ramón manages to inspire those around him to live life to the fullest.

Mary Queen of Scots
★ 6.5
Mary Queen of Scots2018

In 1561, Mary Stuart, widow of the King of France, returns to Scotland, reclaims her rightful throne and menaces the future of Queen Elizabeth I as ruler of England, because she has a legitimate claim to the English throne. Betrayals, rebellions, conspiracies and their own life choices imperil both Queens. They experience the bitter cost of power, until their tragic fate is finally fulfilled.

Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life
★ 6.4
Chris Brown: Welcome to My Life2017

This compelling Documentary moves beyond the spotlight and past the attention-grabbing headlines to give pop superstar Chris Brown a chance to tell his own story. New interviews with the international phenomenon reveal long-awaited answers about his passion for making music, his tumultuous and much publicized relationships, and the pitfalls of coming of age in the public eye. Also included is new concert footage, behind-the-scenes access, and special interviews from Usher, Jennifer Lopez, DJ Khaled, Mike Tyson, Jamie Foxx and others.

Au Revoir les Enfants
★ 7.5
Au Revoir les Enfants1987

Au revoir les enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie—until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Malle’s own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.

The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez
★ 6.1
The Unbreakable Tatiana Suarez2024

Follow the exceptional spirit and drive of mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter Tatiana Suarez as she prepares to reenter the cage after nearly four years away from the sport. Suarez reflects on her journey from wrestling prodigy to professional athlete and the legacy she leaves young women, particularly those in the Latina community.

Merhaba Güzel Vatanım
★ 5.8
Merhaba Güzel Vatanım2019

Biopic of the Turkish poet Nâzim Hikmet and Ahmet Ümit, who followed in his footsteps. Based on the real-life stories of the two writers, the film explores the impact of Nâzım Hikmet's journey to Moscow on Ahmet Ümit's turbulent life and his move to Moscow in the 1980s. The film, which also features important segments of Turkish history, highlights the most dramatic aspects of the writers' challenging journeys while emphasizing the redemptive power of art and literature. Embracing the slogan "Life is short, art is long," the film explores how two young people were transformed into writers by the influence of their era.

Freedom Writers
★ 7.9
Freedom Writers2007

A young teacher inspires her class of at-risk students to learn tolerance, apply themselves, and pursue education beyond high school.

Viva Zapata!
★ 6.8
Viva Zapata!1952

The story of Mexican revolutionary Emiliano Zapata, who led a rebellion against the corrupt, oppressive dictatorship of president Porfirio Díaz in the early 20th century.

The Elephant Man
★ 8.1
The Elephant Man1980

A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man being mistreated by his "owner" as a side-show freak. Behind his monstrous façade, there is revealed a person of great intelligence and sensitivity.

Your favorites

Recently viewed

Watch

Choose an authorized server.

Full video from an operator-configured authorized source. Official trailers use a separate player. If a server fails, retry or select another authorized server.

Legal watch options

Official trailer

Trailer preview only. Press Play to start.

Privacy choices

Favorites stay in your browser. Movie images load from TMDb. YouTube trailers contact YouTube only after you allow external media and choose a trailer. Advertising consent, if ads are enabled, is managed separately by the operator’s certified CMP.

Privacy policy

After allowing external media, choose the trailer button to load its player.