"Oedipus The King" by Sophocles (Michael Pennington)(1986 TV)

"Oedipus the King", by Sophocles, from 1984 TV production with Michael Pennington, Claire Bloom and John Shrapnel. Translated and directed by the late
Don Taylor.

2 hours total time


from John O'Connor's review in New York Times (1988):

Mr. Marks [producer] has explained: ''What we wanted was to find a way for authentic Sophocles to speak directly to viewers in such a way that the two and a half millennia dividing us would melt away. They should be able to see into his mind as he uncannily still seems to see into ours.''

Rather than attempting authentic recreations with masks and so forth, this series aims for an ''indeterminate feel'' in setting and costuming. David Myercough-Jones has designed a spare, misty arena outside the gates to the king's palace. June Hudson's costumes are plucked from different historical periods, elegant empire gowns for Jocasta, barrister robes for the chorus, a white silk suit for Oedipus.

The concept works. ''Oedipus the King,'' unfolding like some eternal mystery, is powerful. Its characters are archetypes embedded in our psyches, filling us with wonder even as we shudder. And the cast is about as good as you'll get nowadays: Michael Pennington as Oedipus, Claire Bloom as Jocasta, Sir John Gielgud as Tiresias, John Shrapnel as Creon, Cyril Cusack as a Theban citizen.

..... Television, it seems, is offering the best theater in town at the moment.

Directed by
Don Taylor

Writing credits:

Sophocles play
Don Taylor translation

Cast:

Michael Pennington ... Oedipus Rex
Claire Bloom ... Jocasta
John Gielgud ... Teiresias
John Shrapnel ... Creon
Michael Byrne ... Chorus
Cyril Cusack ... Priest

Ernest Clark ... Chorus
David Collings ... Chorus
Donald Eccles ... Chorus
Robert Eddison ... Chorus
Edward Hardwicke... Chorus
Denys Hawthorne ... Chorus
Noel Johnson ... Chorus
Clifford Rose ... Chorus
Alan Rowe ... Chorus
Nigel Stock ... Chorus
John Woodnutt ... Chorus

Norman Rodway ... Corinthian Messenger
David Waller ... Shepherd
Gerard Murphy ... Messenger
Cassie Shilling ... Antigone
Kelly Huntley ... Ismene

Produced by
Louis Marks

Original Music by
Derek Bourgeois

Film Editing by
Dave Hambelton

Production Design by
David Myerscough-Jones

Costume Design by
Jane Hudson

Other crew
Geoffrey Lewis .... classical advisor