Swan Song
- Synopsis
- Short film. Adaptation by Hugh Cruttwell of Anton Chekhov’s one-act play Kalchas. A ageing actor wakes up in his dressing room long after the play has ended and walks on to the stage where he meets his prompter. They reflect on loneliness and death and the actor recites those lines from the tragic roles of Othello, Hamlet and Lear which he feels mirror his own regrets.
- Language
- English
- Country
- Great Britain
- Medium
- Film; Television
- Technical information
- Colour / Sound
- Transmission details
- 25 Dec 1993 at 20:30 (Channel: Channel Four)
- Duration
- 24 mins
Credits
- Director
- Kenneth Branagh
- Producer
- David Parfitt
- Cinematographer
- Roger Lanser
- Writer
- Anton Chekhov; Hugh Cruttwell
- Production Design
- Bunny Christie
- Cast
John Gielgud Svetlovidov (Actor) Richard Briers Nikita (Prompter)
Additional Details
- Production type
- Fiction Films
- Plays
- Hamlet; King Lear; Othello
- Subjects
- Drama
- Keywords
- Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)
Notes
- History
- Shown in 1993 Venice Film Festival
Production Company
- Name
Swan Song Film
Archive
- Name
BFI National Archive
- Web
- http://www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collections/searching-access-collections/research-viewing-services External site opens in new window
- Phone
- 020 7255 1444
- Fax
- 020 7436 0165
- Address
- 21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN
How to cite this record
Shakespeare, "Swan Song". https://learningonscreen.ac.uk/shakespeare/search/index.php/title/av37100 (Accessed 26 Nov 2024)