The Seagull

Episode aired Jan 5, 1975
Not RatedNot Rated
2h

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

YOUR RATING

Blythe Danner and Frank Langella in The Seagull (1975)

This quintessential Chekhov drama--his first success--is both comic and tragic. A group of friends and relations gather at a country estate to see the first performance of an experimental pl... Read allThis quintessential Chekhov drama--his first success--is both comic and tragic. A group of friends and relations gather at a country estate to see the first performance of an experimental play written and staged by the young man of the house, Konstantin (Frank Langella), an aspir... Read allThis quintessential Chekhov drama--his first success--is both comic and tragic. A group of friends and relations gather at a country estate to see the first performance of an experimental play written and staged by the young man of the house, Konstantin (Frank Langella), an aspiring writer who dreams of bringing new forms to the theatre.

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

YOUR RATING

- John J. Desmond
- Anton Chekhov(play "Chayka")
- Stark Young(translation and adaptation)
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Blythe Danner and Frank Langella in Great Performances (1971)

Blythe Danner, Frank Langella, and Lee Grant in The Seagull (1975)

Featured review

9/10

Still the most memorable Nina I've seen

Though it's been decades since I saw this TV production (on PBS), it stays in my mind because Blythe Danner's performance remains still the most memorable Nina I've seen (and that includes Vanessa Redgrave's performance in the film version directed by Sidney Lumet). Her poignant vivacity and despair were so sharply etched, and her devastation at the end was so piercing, I think it is one of the greatest performances I've seen, though I also remember Lee Grant's imperiousness as Arkadina (very much like her performances in THE LANDLORD and SHAMPOO). I wish that this version could be made available (rebroadcast on TV, perhaps on Bravo, or available on tape) so that I can see if my memory is correct.

(July 2014) A DVD of this production has been available through the Broadway Theatre Archive series for a while now; finally saw it and was surprised at how much i remembered of this production. It's especially fascinating to see many performers who would go onto different roles, such as Marian Mercer as Masha, the girl "in mourning for my life", she would go on to many roles in TV comedies. Or David Clennon, who would gain recognition for playing the snarky boss on THIRTYSOMETHING, here he's the schoolteacher who is hopelessly in love with Masha. But the cast is quite wonderful, and there are so many moments of great emotion, such as the moment when Sonia (played by Olympia Dukakis) grabs the hand of the doctor (played by Louis Zorich) and kisses it as a declaration of her devotion. And yes, Blythe Danner gives a superlative performance as Nina, and it remains one of the great performances in the American theater, and it's a real blessing that it has been preserved.

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