All's Well That Ends Well (TV 1981)

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, who is ill, and Helena has a remedy that might cure ... See full summary »

Director:

Elijah Moshinsky

Writer:

William Shakespeare (play)

Stars:

Celia Johnson, Ian Charleson, Michael Hordern

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

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, who is ill, and Helena has a remedy that might cure him and win her the right to marry Bertram. But does Bertram want to marry her?

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Plot Keywords:

love | virgin | shakespeare's all's well that ends well | cad | braggart | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 January 1981 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Complete Dramatic Works of William Shakespeare: All's Well That Ends Well

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Time-Life Television Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

141 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Elijah Moshinsky composed many of the shots as live action replicas of the paintings of Johannes Vermeer.

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Connections

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

User Reviews

Memorably Beautiful

The production design of this video is based on paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, de la Tour and others. It is uniformly striking and lovely, and will live in the memory.

The acting performances are good, but uneasy, perhaps reflecting the problematic nature of the play. Ian Charleson's Bertram is cold, Angela Down's Helen is weepy, and so they stay for yards and yards of iambic pentameter. Only Donald Sinden as the King errs on the side of too much emotional variety, but it's hard to remember a Sinden performance in which he wasn't an explosive law unto himself. Michael Hordern and Peter Jeffrey battle deftly as Lafeu and Parolles, while Paul Brooke's Lavache is more menacing than witty. Pippa Guard's Diana is unfailingly dignified, and a small cameo by the aged Valentine Dyall proves unexpectedly moving. And as the Countess, Celia Johnson's presence is every bit as sympathetic here as it was in "Brief Encounter" 35 years earlier.

Any dissatisfactions mentioned in this review are just quibbles, however, as the play is rare and worthwhile, the production gratifies the eye, and no one writes a closing reconciliation scene like Shakespeare. Indeed, All's Well That Ends Well.