Englishman Abroad, An

Synopsis

Made-for-television film. Acclaimed recreation of the meeting between actress Coral Browne and British spy and defector Guy Burgess, in Moscow in 1958. The initial meeting took place in a theatre, where Browne (who plays herself) is appearing as Gertrude in a Shakespeare Memorial Theatre production of Hamlet. Includes two sequences from the play in performance: the introduction of Rosencrantz and Guildernstern (II ii) and Hamlet after the death of Polonious and the entrance of the King and Queen (II iv/IV i). If there are connections to be made between Burgess and Hamlet they are not made clear beyond Shakespeare perhaps signifying Britain and its culture for which Burgess felt a certain love and longing.

Language

English

Country

Great Britain

Medium

Television

Technical information

Colour / Sound

Transmission details

29 Nov 1983 (Channel: BBC1)

Duration

62 mins

Availability

Out of distribution

Credits

Director

John Schlesinger

Producer

Innes Lloyd

Cinematographer

Nat Crosby

Writer

Alan Bennett

Music

George Fenton

Cast

Mark Wing-Davey	Hamlet
Charles Gray	Claudius
Coral Browne	Herself (Gertrude)
Alan Bates	Guy Burgess
Harold Innocent	Rosencrantz
Vernon Dobtcheff	Guildenstern

Additional Details

Theatre company

Shakespeare Memorial Theatre Company

Production type

Television and Radio Drama

Historical period

Elizabethan

Plays

Hamlet

Subjects

Drama

Keywords

Shakespeare, William (1564-1616)

Notes

Awards

1984 BAFTA Awards - Best Actor (Alan Bates), Best Actress (Coral Browne), Best Costume Design (Amy Roberts), Best Design (Stuart Walker), Best Film Cameraman (Nat Crosby), Best Single Drama (John Schlesinger).

Production Company

Name

BBC

Notes

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)