All's Well That Ends Well (1981) (TV)

Director:

Elijah Moshinsky

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Release Date:

4 January 1981 (UK)

Plot:

Helena loves Bertram, but he's of noble birth, while she's just a doctor's daughter. But Bertram is at the court of the King of France...

Plot Keywords:

Shakespeare | Unrequited Love | Cad | Virgin | Spoiler In Title

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Celia Johnson	...	Countess of Rousillon
Ian Charleson	...	Bertram
Michael Hordern	...	Lafeu
Angela Down	...	Helena
Peter Jeffrey	...	Parolles
Kevin Stoney	...	Countess's Stewart
Donald Sinden	...	King of France
Robert Lindsay	...	First French Lord
Dominic Jephcott	...	Second French Lord
Paul Brooke	...	Lavache
James Simmons	...	Bachelor
John Segal	...	Bachelor
Peter Sands	...	Bachelor
Yves Aubert	...	Bachelor
Terence McGinity	...	First Gentleman

Also Known As:

The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: All's Well That Ends Well (USA) (video title)

Runtime:

Greece:141 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Movie Connections:

Version of All's Well That Ends Well (1968) (TV)

Shakespeare's Dark Tale of Obsession and Desire!

Chaste, thoughtful Helena loves cold, self-centered Bertram. But when the handsome young man rejects her common birth with aristocratic scorn, unexpected events lead to deception and passion! This dark Shakespeare play is one of the real gems of the BBC collection. Everything is right about the costumes, the actors, the sets, and the lush sensuality of the presentation. Ian Charleson as Bertram is more of a villain than a hero through much of the play, laughing at Helena's tears and running off to play with his soldier friends. Yet when lust strikes him in turn, he is humbled. Pippa Guard is refined and hauntingly beautiful as Diana, the girl from the "wrong side of the tracks" (or the Elizabethan equivalent) whom the haughty Bertram plans to seduce. Diana is not just a cheap tramp. She has a desperate purity. Far from welcoming the noble's advances, she reacts like a frightened deer, or a cornered rabbit, shying from Bertram's cynical touch. Only the shrewd scheming of Helena and her high-born friends (including a king who recognizes her true worth) allows her to capture Bertram's heart at last. Humbled and humiliated by his total downfall, (and Diana's scorn) Bertram falls into forgiving Helena's open arms and proclaims his passionate devotion.

A sexy play, full of romantic longing, arrogant elegance, and sheer unadulterated desire!