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Quartermaine's Terms
I continue to dip into the archive at Mick's Nostalgia Channel.
Yesterday evening I watched Quartermaine's Terms (1987) a TV version of Simon Gray's tragi-comedy. It has John Gielgud in a role created on stage by Robin Bailey- which is an example of trading up, I think- and Edward Fox (who I find I'm coming to love) as kindly, impossibly other-worldly Quartermaine. Quartermaine's Terms is teetering on the edge of becoming a "classic"- by which I mean that it keeps on being revived. A recent production starred Rowan Atkinson in the title role- and why not?
The picture quality is lousy, but I find I don't mind. I'm here to watch some first rate actors perform a first rate script (and especially watch Gielgud be Gielgud) and not to marvel at the wrinkles on their faces and the folds in their clothes.
Yesterday evening I watched Quartermaine's Terms (1987) a TV version of Simon Gray's tragi-comedy. It has John Gielgud in a role created on stage by Robin Bailey- which is an example of trading up, I think- and Edward Fox (who I find I'm coming to love) as kindly, impossibly other-worldly Quartermaine. Quartermaine's Terms is teetering on the edge of becoming a "classic"- by which I mean that it keeps on being revived. A recent production starred Rowan Atkinson in the title role- and why not?
The picture quality is lousy, but I find I don't mind. I'm here to watch some first rate actors perform a first rate script (and especially watch Gielgud be Gielgud) and not to marvel at the wrinkles on their faces and the folds in their clothes.
no subject
Fine, sold.
Edward Fox is in one of the other TV plays I have been hunting for decades, recently found the original stage script for, am rather fervently hoping Mick's Nostalgia Channel has a copy of and don't care about the quality so long as I can see it. The alternative is a visit to the BFI Mediatheque which is not happening for so many reasons.
I was essentially unaware of Simon Gray until his adaptation of A Month in the Country (1987), after which I read several of his plays but somehow missed this one, so thank you for the heads-up.
no subject
Mick keeps adding to his archive.- and Quartermaine's Terms is a recent arrival. I'm getting the impression he (whoever he is) must have taped almost every play that was broadcast by the TV companies at the back end of the last century- and if the play you want isn't there yet it'll probably show up eventually.
I've been aware of Gray for ages but I think this may be the first thing of his I've watched knowingly. It's sad and funny and charming.