British Universities Film & Video Council

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Peg of Old Drury

Synopsis
Feature film based on the life of the eighteenth-century actress Peg Woffington. Born in Dublin, she came to London and became a famous actress under David Garrick’s guidance. She suffered from a weak heart and died at Drury Lane following a performance of As You Like It. Contains passages, in eighteenth century performance, from The Merchant of Venice, Richard III and As You Like It.
Language
English
Country
Great Britain
Medium
Film
Technical information
Black-and-white / Sound
Year of release
1935
Duration
75 mins; 6,750 feet

Credits

Director
Herbert Wilcox
Cinematographer
Freddie Young
Screenplay
Miles Malleson
Music
Roy Robertson
Art Direction
L.P. Williams
Cast
Anna NeaglePeg Woofington (Rosalind)
Cedric HardwickeDavid Garrick
Jack HawkinsMichael O’Taffe
Margaretta ScottKaty Clive

Additional Details

Production type
Fiction Films
Historical period
18th Century
Plays
As You Like It; Merry Wives of Windsor, The; Richard III
Keywords
Shakespeare, William (1564-1616); Wooffington, Peg

Notes

Notes
Stuart Robertson, the brother of Anna Neagle, shot some footage on the set of ‘Peg’ which shows that scenes were also shot featuring Hardwicke in Hamlet (brief clips from the ghost scene and the graveyard scene) and King Lear. Neagle also apparently acted in the latter. Neither of these plays made it to the final cut. The Robertson footage is mute and is held by the BFI National Archive (master preservation material only (9/2007).
General
Based on the play Masks and Faces by Charles Reade and Tom Taylor.
User comments
The real Peg Woffington (c1714-1760) did collapse on stage at Drury Lane after a performance of As You Like It but lived some years after that. The BFI National Archive holds a copy of MASKS AND FACES (1917) based on the play with Irene Vanbrugh as Peg, but this does not feature the As You Like It episode.

Production Company

Name

British and Dominions Film

Archive

Name

BFI National Archive

Web
http://www.bfi.org.uk/archive-collections/searching-access-collections/research-viewing-services External site opens in new window
Phone
020 7255 1444
Fax
020 7436 0165
Address
21 Stephen Street
London
W1T 1LN

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