Distributor:
Roadshow Home Entertainment Certificate: PG |
Region 4 Available to buy Extras: No
ANYONE
IN IT WE KNOW?
Helen
Mirren, Robert Lindsay, Nicol Williamson, Jane Lapotaire, Tony Doyle,
Derek Jacobi, Patrick Stewart, Claire Bloom, Patrick Allen, Michael
Hordern, John Bird, Ronald Pickup, Frank Middlemass, Brenda Blethyn,
Michael Kitchen
WHAT’S
IT ABOUT THEN?
Back
in 1978 the BBC (especially
producer Cedric Messina) decided
they would try and mount
productions of all of
Shakespeare's plays over the
next seven years they managed
it, all 35 of Bill's plays were
given sumptuous mountings, the
attempt lacked some cohesion
though as the plays were filmed
in such a wide variety of
styles, with some shot on film,
some studio bound etc. The casts
though featured the cream of
British acting talent though.
Nicely for us Roadshow are
releasing some of the best of
these productions on DVD, here
we take a look at the first four
of them.
HAMLET
(25 May 1980 | 214 minutes) Possibly the most famous of
Shakespeare's plays Derek Jacobi
headlines as Prince Hamlet who
on his return home to Denmark
discovers his father has been
murdered, spurred on by the
ghost of his father he vows his
revenge but instead finds
himself questioning the very
nature of existence. Jacobi was
already well known on the stage
but this production really made
his name as far as the general
public were concerned. The rest
of the cast is pretty
mindblowing too including the
likes of Patrick Stewart, Lalla
Ward and Claire Bloom. It's
understandable to see why,
despite the lack of high
production values, Hamlet is
regarded as one of the best of
the BBC productions.
A
MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM (13 DECEMBER 1981 | 111 minutes)
Shakespeare's lyrical tale of life in the Forest of Athen's with the
King and Queen of the Fairies (Oberon and Titania) are linked by the
wedding of Duke Thesus to a love triangle involving three young
Athenians (Lysander, Demetrius and Hermia). Helen Mirren is simply
devine in her flowing diaphanous gowns as Titania, also excellent is old
Citizen Smith himself but the legendary Brian Glover almost steals the
show though as the donkey Puck. Gorgeous.
KING
LEAR (19 SEPTEMBER 1982 | 182 minutes)
Michael Hordern excels as the ageing King Lear whose plans for his three
daughters turn his world around and ends up losing the love of his most
devoted daughter (played by Brenda Blethyn). Hordern has always been a
stately actor even back in his younger days but here he even surpasses
the great Olivier in this production by Jonathan Miller. The
heartbreaking end will leave you reeling.
MACBETH
(5 November 1983 | 147 minutes)
The infamous Scottish play is here given a brilliant reading by director
Jack Gold with the production mixing in the supernatural, regicide and
ultimate destiny, Nicol Williamson headlines as Macbeth who after
learning from a trio of witches that his destiny is to be King
determines to achieve it. A fantastic treatise on the nature and
corrupting power of evil Macbeth is rightly regarded as being in
Shakespeare's top five plays and the cast here are uniformly excellent,
Williamson excels as Macbeth but Jane Lapotiare is even better as the
pure spouting venom of Lady Macbeth, also on hand is the ever reliable
James Bolam and a youngish Tony Doyle.
All
four of these releases (available to buy separately) are well worth
seeking out.
A
MIDSUMMER NIGHTS DREAM (13 DECEMBER 1981 | 111 minutes) 
KING
LEAR (19 SEPTEMBER 1982 | 182 minutes) 
MACBETH
(5 November 1983 | 147 minutes) 
