Uploaded July 2022 | Updated September 2026, 3 days ago
Vincent Bagnall documents 'Acting Shakespeare' with images and narration. John Gielgud has scaled the heights of most of the great parts, from Romeo, Richard II and Hamlet, to Macbeth, Lear and Prospero. American theatre goers acclaimed his 1936 Hamlet, which broke all previous records for the run of the play on Broadway, ironically exceeded only by his own production with Richard Burton in the title-role in 1964. His Shakespearean films have been some of the most successful, notably his Cassius in Julius Caesar with Marlon Brando and James Mason and his most recent - Prospero's Books, directed by Peter Greenaway, in which he at last achieved his long-held ambition to bring The Tempest to the screen. In this 30 min program, Gielgud talks about Acting Shakespeare from a lifetime's experience as both actor and director, and illuminates the work and the man with his characteristic humor and intuitive perception of the challenges and rewards offered by these great verse-dramas. He draws vivid pictures of many fellow-actors and directors, and with the help of evocative and lavish illustrations weaves a brilliant theatrical tapestry of the twentieth century. 28 min.
Vincent Bagnall documents 'Acting Shakespeare' with images and narration. John Gielgud has scaled the heights of most of the great parts, from Romeo, Richard II and Hamlet, to Macbeth, Lear and Prospero. American theatre goers acclaimed his 1936 Hamlet, which broke all previous records for the run of the play on Broadway, ironically exceeded only by his own production with Richard Burton in the title-role in 1964. His Shakespearean films have been some of the most successful, notably his Cassius in Julius Caesar with Marlon Brando and James Mason and his most recent - Prospero's Books, directed by Peter Greenaway, in which he at last achieved his long-held ambition to bring The Tempest to the screen. In this 30 min program, Gielgud talks about Acting Shakespeare from a lifetime's experience as both actor and director, and illuminates the work and the man with his characteristic humor and intuitive perception of the challenges and rewards offered by these great verse-dramas. He draws vivid pictures of many fellow-actors and directors, and with the help of evocative and lavish illustrations weaves a brilliant theatrical tapestry of the twentieth century. 28 min.
