kevinolzak Review of Antony and Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra (1984 TV Movie)

A final bow to the Bard for lifelong Shakespearean John Carradine

[3/10 · 21 July 2020]

"Antony & Cleopatra by William Shakespeare" (that's the full on screen title, folks) carries a 1983 copyright but at least one source claimed that it was completed in 1981, yet saw no theatrical release so far as I know (shot on videotape rather than film), and a British telecast on Oct. 5, 1984 though obviously PBS would have provided its natural home in the US, now easily available on DVD though still quite obscure. Casting must have proved problematic, small screen actors like Anthony Geary, Nichelle Nichols, and Water Koenig in support of the two leads, Lynn Redgrave as Cleopatra, a bit long in the tooth but okay, and Timothy Dalton as Marc Antony, a fine choice if somewhat ill at ease. Like Charlton Heston's 1972 feature adaptation, this clocks in at about 3 hours and doesn't measure up to other versions, the videotape quality and stage settings no match for genuine film excitement. The most notable surprise among the performers is the presence of John Carradine (apparently reading from cue cards), longtime purveyor of the Bard since his teens yet rarely cast in such roles on screen, mostly the stage. In 1943 he even started his own theatrical group, John Carradine and His Shakespeare Players, traveling the West Coast in triumphant presentations of "Othello," "The Merchant of Venice," and finally "Hamlet," his fervent wish to reach Broadway by the spring of 1944 to celebrate the birthday of his late friend John Barrymore. Alas, financial woes put a premature end to his greatest dream, exhibitors noting the huge box office but deciding that the Carradine name just wasn't enough of a draw to earn their support. Here billed 4th as the Soothsayer, he offers sage advice to Nichelle Nichols' Charmian and Kim Miyori's Iras, their palms read if not their faces, and is later seen opposite Dalton's Antony, favorably comparing his prowess to that of rival Octavius Caesar (Anthony Geary). Two sequences adding up to 4 1/2 minutes out of three bloated hours, but truly the last opportunity to see a lifelong Shakespearean receive a measure of respect near the end of his life (he gave all his sons the same advice about acting: "if you can do Shakespeare, you can do anything!").