nice piece on Harold Pinter's fine acting--not mentioned here are a couple of small bits in Losey's "Accident" and "The Servant"--

"Pinter's role in (Beckett's) Catastrophe allows him to plumb the depths of this theme further. John Gielgud plays the Protagonist--a political prisoner standing limp and pliant on the stage of a theater--while a Director (Pinter) and his Assistant prepare him for a public exhibition. Pinter orders minute changes to Gielgud's posture and clothing to make his appearance more ridiculous (and thus more humiliating). "Raise the shins," he orders. "Higher. Bare the knees." As Pinter speaks these words, he doesn't snarl, nor does he betray any anxiety. Degrading the Protagonist is all in a day's work. The power of Pinter's performance lies in how little such degradation affects the Director. "