Henry V, The Life of
- Synopsis
- First televised adaptation of the play broadcast in the Television World Theatre series. Directed and produced by Peter Dews, with John Neville as Henry V and Bernard Hepton as Chorus/Shakespeare.
- Series
- BBC Television World Theatre
- Language
- English
- Country
- Great Britain
- Medium
- Television
- Transmission details
- 29 Dec 1957 at 20:30 (Channel: BBC)
- Duration
- 120 mins
Credits
- Director
- Peter Dews
- Producer
- Peter Dews
- Writer
- William Shakespeare
- Art Direction
- Guy Sheppard
- Cast
Additional Details
- Production type
- Television and Radio Drama
- Plays
- Henry V
- Subjects
- Drama
- Keywords
- Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Notes
- Notes
- Production cost: £4.069. Cast: 44
The Birmingham Shakespeare Library holds a rehearsal script from 2-29 December 1957.
Information received June 2013 confirms that a copy is held in the BBC Information and Archives and may be available for viewing through the BFI National Archive. - General
- According to Rothwell/Melzer, Dew’s presentational Chorus (the Chorus as author-figure, in this production, it appears, Shakespeare himself) anticipates the way in which the figure was used in later productions, such as the 1979 BBC TV Shakespeare (dir. David Giles) and Kenneth Branagh’s film version (1989). Rothwell/Melzer suggest that this device also served as a means for directors to assuage "their guilt over wrenching Shakespeare from page and stage to screen" (96).
- History
- First US broadcast 4 November 1960 , WTTW, Chicago (NET),
- Reviews
- "B.B.C. Television: Henry V, " The Times, 30.12.1957, p. 10.
Kenneth Rothwell and Annabelle Henkin Melzer, Shakespeare on Screen: An International Filmography and Videography (London: Mansell, 1990), entry 177, pp. 96.
John Wyver ‘assesses the production at http://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2013/06/11/television-world-theatre-the-life-of-henry-the-fifth-bbc-1957 (accessed 6/2013).
Production Company
- Name
BBC
- Notes
- The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
How to cite this record
Shakespeare, "Henry V, The Life of". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av36786 (Accessed 25 Nov 2024)