Shakespeare in Performance: Film
The Serpent (1963, Peter Dews)
| Title | The Serpent |
|---|---|
| Year | 1963 |
| Release Locations | GB |
| Director | Peter Dews |
| Medium | Black & white video |
| Length | 51 mins |
| Languages | English |
| Audience | general public |
| Play Connections | Antony and Cleopatra (teleplay) |
| Series | The Spread of the Eagle |
Description
The title for the series, "The Spread of the Eagle," came from the Roman eagle, "aloof, golden, and cruel," according to Producer/Director Peter Dews. The nine-part series included three of the Roman history plays—Coriolanus, Julius Caesar and Antony and Cleopatra. The dominant theme of the series was identical to that of An Age of Kings: the Tudor passion for order and strong government. This Tillyardian view reflected the ideology of the mid-Sixties, whose bland acceptance of bourgeois values had not yet been challenged by the disarray of the Vietnam era. Coriolanus becomes the "ex-soldier who tries to run post-war politics on wartime principles," without the slightest success. The production involved a huge cast of some 76 actors and expenses in excess of £9,000
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
Production Team and Crew Overview
| Director | Peter Dews |
|---|---|
| Producer | Peter Dews |
| Composer | Christopher Whelen |
| Costumes | Elizabeth Agombar |
| Makeup | Tommy Manderson |
| Production | Clifford Hatts |
Production information courtesy of: Kenneth Rothwell