An 'About Anglia' special presentation to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, featuring a compilation of enactments of Shakespeare’s work, and cinematic footage taken from Laurence Olivier’s Richard III.
Genre:
Arts; Biography; Documentary; Television
Michael Robson provides a narrative biography complimented by images of Shakespeare’s birth town of Stratford-upon-Avon and nearby Warwick.
Cast members Jeremy Bush and Michael Robson, in period costume, enact scenes from 'King Lear'; a recital of Sonnet 73 is heard, complimented by visuals of a typical English rural landscape; and actor Ron Moody performs Shylock’s monologue from 'The Merchant of Venice'.
Robson gives a brief analysis of the scope of Shakespeare’s work, that is still to this day part of the school curriculum, and two pupils enact scenes from 'Henry IV'.
A scene from Henry V is performed by Robson, and later, Bob Wellings and Jessica Hallsmith reinterpret scenes from Troilus and Cressida replacing Elizabethan with World War II settings and costuming.
Further recitals from Shakespeare’s work include sections taken from 'King Lear' (the Consolation monologue); and 'Cymbeline'; followed by a choral version of the same play performed by school pupils. A recital from 'The Tempest' completes the film, against visuals of historic buildings and the natural landscape.
Featured People:
Pupils of Fakenham Grammar School; Pupils of Burebank School, Aylsham