The Week in Review

THE PLAY

KRAPP'S LAST TAPE

OVERVIEW

John Hurt's hour-long monologue as an old recluse listening to taped excerpts of his life. Part of the Barbican theatre's Beckett season.

CRITICAL VIEW

"Clever, brilliant, meticulous. An unforgettable perfomance," enthused Paul Taylor. The Evening Standard was "hit for six by the extraordinary power and pathos ... the force of Beckett's ravishing despair remains undimmed", while the Telegraph found it "a play, and a performance, of terrible beauty". The Guardian agreed, judging Hurt's performance "a highlight of this festival".

OUR VIEW

A beautifully focused production of an exceptional and brilliant play.

ON VIEW

Sunday, 2.30pm and 6.30pm, at the Barbican, London (0171-638 8891)

THE FILM

EYES WIDE SHUT

OVERVIEW

Kubrick's much-hyped, and final, film about sexual jealousy, marriage and erotic fantasies, starring Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman.

CRITICAL VIEW

"A dismal and overwrought piece of work," decided Anthony Quinn. "Kubrick has no instinct for the spontaneous and intimate on screen," wrote The Times and the Evening Standard thought the film's pretext "staggeringly unsuccessful". The Guardian revealed, "The technical and visual command of the movie is captivating - but it is a minor Kubrick." "A powerful movie," said the Telegraph.

OUR VIEW

Psychologically flawed, dismal and stilted; not the swansong we had expected.

ON VIEW

On general release. Certificate 18. 159 mins