Englishman Abroad, An
- Synopsis
- Made-for-television film. Acclaimed recreation of the meeting between actress Coral Browne and British spy and defector Guy Burgess, in Moscow in 1958. The initial meeting took place in a theatre, where Browne (who plays herself) is appearing as Gertrude in a Shakespeare Memorial Theatre production of Hamlet. Includes two sequences from the play in performance: the introduction of Rosencrantz and Guildernstern (II ii) and Hamlet after the death of Polonious and the entrance of the King and Queen (II iv/IV i). If there are connections to be made between Burgess and Hamlet they are not made clear beyond Shakespeare perhaps signifying Britain and its culture for which Burgess felt a certain love and longing.
- Language
- English
- Country
- Great Britain
- Medium
- Television
- Technical information
- Colour / Sound
- Transmission details
- 29 Nov 1983 (Channel: BBC1)
- Duration
- 62 mins
- Availability
- Out of distribution
Credits
- Director
- John Schlesinger
- Producer
- Innes Lloyd
- Cinematographer
- Nat Crosby
- Writer
- Alan Bennett
- Music
- George Fenton
- Cast
Mark Wing-Davey Hamlet Charles Gray Claudius Coral Browne Herself (Gertrude) Alan Bates Guy Burgess Harold Innocent Rosencrantz Vernon Dobtcheff Guildenstern
Additional Details
- Theatre company
- Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company
- Production type
- Television and Radio Drama
- Historical period
- Elizabethan
- Plays
- Hamlet
- Subjects
- Drama
- Keywords
- Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Notes
- Awards
- 1984 BAFTA Awards - Best Actor (Alan Bates), Best Actress (Coral Browne), Best Costume Design (Amy Roberts), Best Design (Stuart Walker), Best Film Cameraman (Nat Crosby), Best Single Drama (John Schlesinger).
Production Company
- Name
BBC
- Notes
- The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
How to cite this record
Shakespeare, "Englishman Abroad, An". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av36454 (Accessed 06 Oct 2024)