Shakespeare in Performance: Film
Much Ado about Nothing (1967, Alan Cooke)
| Title | Much Ado about Nothing |
|---|---|
| Year | 1967 |
| Release Locations | GB |
| Director | Alan Cooke |
| Medium | Video |
| Length | 2 hrs, 3 mins |
| Play Connections | Much Ado About Nothing (teleplay) |
Description
A version of the 1967 National Theatre Company Production of Much Ado, edited for television. The play, originally directed for the stage by Franco Zeffirelli, was pre-recorded in the studio on January 11, 1967. The cast of forty three actors spent three weeks in rehearsal for the tv performance. Hence the production passes over the line from being a mere "recording" of a stage play to the status of a full-scale television drama. The team of Zeffirelli and Rota, who were subsequently to act as director and composer of the fabulously successful 1969 film of Romeo and Juliet, brought their special gifts to the production. With such luminaries as Maggie Smith (Beatrice), Derek Jacobi (Don Pedro), Frank Finlay (Dogberry), John McEnery (Gentleman), it glittered with talent. Unfortunately (and improbably) no copy seems to have been preserved
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 | Alan Cooke |
|---|---|
| Producer | Cedric Messina |
| Producer | Robert Stephens |
| Composer | Nino Rota |
| Choreography | Romayne Grigorova |
| Adaptor/Translator | Robert Graves |
| Stage Director | Franco Zeffirelli |
| Production | Mel Cornish |
Company Overview
| Playgroup | The Inanimates |
|---|---|
| Playgroup | The Town Band |
Production information courtesy of: Kenneth Rothwell