Internet Shakespeare Editions

Shakespeare in Performance: Film

Henry VI (1965, Michael Hayes)

TitleHenry VI
Year1965
Release LocationsGB
DirectorMichael Hayes
MediumBlack & white video
Length2 hrs, 55 mins
LanguagesEnglish
Audiencegeneral public
Play ConnectionsHenry VI, Part 1 (recording)
Henry VI, Part 2 (recording)
SeriesWars of the Roses

Description

Originally conceived and directed for the Stratford RSC stage by John Barton and Peter Hall, this series of programs adapts the minor tetralogy (three parts of Henry VI and Richard III) to three plays, called Henry VI, Edward IV and Richard III (See also 184 and 509). Each segment in turn was three hours in length. The production is something more than a mere recording of a stage play. Twelve cameras taped the performers who acted on a stage that had been extended forty feet by boarding over orchestra seats. The effect was to achieve a sense of space for the battle scenes that was lacking in the original RSC stage production. Rehearsal and recording took eight weeks. By working closely with the RSC and taping in their own theatre, the producer got a sense of continuity and unity that might otherwise have been lacking in so sprawling a venture

Description from Shakespeare on Screen : an International Filmography and Videography by Kenneth S. Rothwell and Annabelle Henkin Melzer. ©1990 Kenneth S. Rothwell. Cited by permission. — Added 2008-11-14

Cast Overview

MargaretPeggy Ashcroft
SomersetPhilip Brack
ExeterDonald Burton
LawyerPeter Forbes-Robertson
John TalbotPeter Gale
AlenconPeter Geddis
Simpcox's WifeSheila Grant
Papal LegateJohn Hales
BassettStephen Hancock
GloucesterPaul Hardwick
Sir John HumeCharles Kay
DauphinCharles Kay
ReignierDonald Layne-Smith
WarwickBrewster Mason
VernonRhys McConnochie
OrleansGareth Morgan
BolingbrokeGareth Morgan
TalbotClive Morton
SimpcoxJohn Normington
BedfordJohn Normington
Soldiers, Servants and Messengersnot specified
EleanorColette O'Neil
WinchesterNicholas Selby
PlantagenetDonald Sinden
SuffolkWilliam Squire
BurgundyHugh Sullivan
JoanJanet Suzman
MortimerCharles Thomas
Margery JourdainMadoline Thomas
Henry VIDavid Warner

Production Team and Crew Overview

DirectorMichael Hayes
DirectorRobin Midgeley
ProducerMichael Barry
EditorRoy Clarke
ComposerGordon Bennett
ComposerGuy Woolfenden
Adaptor/TranslatorJohn Barton
Stage DirectorPeter Hall
MakeupAnn Henderson
LightingRobert Wright
ProductionJohn Bury

Production information courtesy of: Kenneth Rothwell