Coriolanus, Part 1: The Hero

Summary: 1963 BBC production of Coriolanus, presented in three parts as a component of the nine-episode cycle The Spread of the Eagle, which is based on three Roman plays by Shakespeare. The Hero is Part 1 of Coriolanus.
Theatre play: Coriolanus by William Shakespeare [more information]
Play synopsis: 'The last of Shakespeare’s great political tragedies, chronicling the life of the mighty warrior Caius Marcius Coriolanus. It covers many issues including pride of coming before a fall. The ambitious mother of of the hero plays a large part in his initial successes. Coriolanus supports the old patrician ways and is totally out of tune with the needs of the ordinary people. Aufidius, jealous of Coriolanus’s popularity with the Volscians, denounces him as a traitor, and the Volscians then kill the Roman. He then regrets his action and praises Coriolanus a real hero.' Source: http://www.william-shakespeare.info/shakespeare-play-coriolanus.htm.
Production history: Believed to have been written between 1605 and 1608.
Date of transmission: Friday 3 May 1963
Time: 9.25-10.15pm
Series: Spread of the Eagle
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC

Producer

Peter Dews

Playwright

Composer

Conductor

Designer

Costume Supervisor

Elizabeth Agombar

Make-up Supervisor

Tommy Manderson

Fight Arranger

John Greenwood

Fight Arranger

Derek Ware

Cast

Paul Bailey	Citizen
John Barcroft	Lieutenant to Aufidius
Raymond Clarke	Roman Soldier
Maurice Colbourne	Roman Senator
Michael Graham Cox	Citizen
Leonard Cracknell	Roman Soldier
Pamela Craig
Roger Croucher	Titus Lartius
Roland Culver	Menenius Agrippa
Jennifer Daniel	Virgilia
Marion Desmond
Hugh Dickson	The Aedile
Bernard Finch
John Gay
John Greenwood	Messenger
Robert Hardy	Caius Martius, later Coriolanus
Paul Harris	Senator
Ben Harte	Roman Soldier
Roy Herrick	Messenger
Geoffrey Hinsliff	Roman Soldier
Barry Jackson
Peter Jeffrey	Sicinius Velutus
Noel Johnson	Cominius
David King	Senator
Charles Laurence	Roman Lieutenant
Beatrix Lehmann	Volumnia
Bernard Lloyd	Citizen
Frank Pettingell	Junius Brutus
Mary Steele	Valeria
Caroline Stephens
Wendy Varnals
Terry Wale	Citizen
Paul Webster
David Weston	Roman Soldier
Jerome Willis	Tullus Aufidius
Hilary Wright	Gentlewoman

Title: Coriolanus, Part 1: The Hero (BBC, 1963)
Archive: BBC Information and Archives [more information]
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Title: Radio Times, 23 May 1963 (Magazine)
Linking notes: Points from the Post. Pro and Con Dept., p. 10: two letters, one in praise and the other despairing of Coriolanus

Title: Radio Times, 25 April 1963 (Magazine)
Linking notes: cover image, article on The Spread of the Eagle cycle on p. 49 and listing on p. 51

Title: The Spread of the Eagle: Julius Caesar (BBC, 1963) (Blog article)
Author/creator: John Wyver (Author)
Reference: Published online at https://screenplaystv.wordpress.com/2012/07/22/spread-of-the-eagle-julius-caesar-bbc-1963/ on 22 July 2012
Notes: This blog article focuses mainly on the Julius Caesar parts of the Spread of the Eagle, but it also has something to say about the series as a whole.

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