Edward II (1970)

The reign of Edward II, King of England, is troubled from the start, when he brings his male lover, hated by the nobles, out of exile.

Directors:

Richard Marquand, Toby Robertson

Writer:

Christopher Marlowe (play)

Stars:

Ian McKellen, Timothy West, Diane Fletcher

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ian McKellen	...	King Edward
Timothy West	...	Young Mortimer
Diane Fletcher	...	Queen Isabella
James Laurenson	...	Piers Gaveston
Robert Eddison	...	Lightborn / Archbishop of Canterbury
Paul Hardwick	...	Earl of Warwick / Sir John Maltravers
Trevor Martin	...	Earl of Lancaster / Rice ap Howell
Andrew Crawford	...	Old Spencer / Third Poor Man
Bette Bourne	...	Edmund of Kent (as Peter Bourne)
David Calder	...	Young Spencer
David Strong	...	Robert Baldock
Michael Spice	...	Old Mortimer / Sir John of Hainault
Stephen Greif	...	Earl of Pembroke / Abbot of Neith
Colin Fisher	...	Earl of Arundel
Richard Morant	...	Earl of Leicester / Levune

Storyline

The reign of Edward II, King of England, is troubled from the start, when he brings his male lover, hated by the nobles, out of exile.

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Plot Keywords:

king | earl | regicide | gay interest | homosexual love | 

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Cool It, Carol! (1970)

User Reviews

Christopher Marlowe done to perfection

My main attraction to watching Edward II, not including my love for literature, was Ian McKellen. And he is superb here, passionate and very spontaneous. Plus there are few performances of his where he has been more handsome. James Laurenson is also outstanding, very nuanced, while the support cast of Timothy West and Diane Fletcher are also on their level. There is a memorable turn towards the end by Robert Eddison. The dialogue I can't fault and it is delivered with great feeling and intensity by all, and the story is well measured in pace and gives the love between Edward and Gaveston a certain depth. The production values are fine, the settings are appropriately regal and the costumes at least don't look drab. The filming is very good. Overall, helped hugely by the performances this is Christopher Marlowe done perfectly, highly recommended. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Latin

Release Date:

6 August 1970 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Prospect Theatre Company

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min