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THE SHOW:

The BBC archives are a treasure trove of material waiting to be rediscovered. Amongst them are many filmed versions of classic plays starring some of the best actors to ever tread the boards. With many of them filmed live on elaborate sets, they maintain the look and feel of stage productions while also hearkening back to the old days of live television. The six-DVD Anton Chekhov Collection gathers up vintage stagings of the master playwright's dramatic material, providing a mini-education in the Russian author's bibliography in one handy box. These aren't necessarily cinematic productions, but a glimpse of what it would be like to have seen marvelous British theatre actors at work; though, don't make the mistake of thinking these are static or confined teleplays. 6a of 6 - The Cherry Orchard (I)
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Most of the long-form productions are taken from the "Play of the Month" television program in the early 1970s. Others either predate this series, while two plays get double doses, including one more modern version of each. 

Info
Includes: 1) Platonov ('71) Play adapted from fragments of Chekhov's first full-length play, sometimes known as the "Play without a Name" or Fatherlessness." Platonov is a village schoolteacher whose high ideals and unflagging criticism of provincial life render him irresistable to the women he meets. With Rex Harrison, Sian Phillips and Clive Revill. 2) The Wood Demon Play adapted for TV with Ian Holm and Francesca Annis. It is Leo ZHELTUKHIN's birthday, and friends and neighbors are joining him for lunch. 3) The Proposal ('59) One-act play about the tendency of wealthy families to seek other wealthy families to increase their estates by encouraging marriages that made good economic sense. 4) The Wedding (61) Story adapted for TV. A bridegroom's plans to have a general attend his wedding ceremony backfire when the general turns out to be a "lowly" naval captain. 5) The Seagull ('78) Play adapted for TV in which a struggling writer Konstantin becomes enamored by a visiting young actress Nina. With Anthony Bate, Stephen Rea and Michael Gambon. 6) An Artist's Story ('74) A film adaptation of the Chekhov short story in which an artist bored with country life challenges a charity worker's ideals. With Patrick STEWART. 7) Uncle Vanya ('70) Play adapted for TV with Anthony Hopkins, Freddie Jones and Ann Bell. When your life has been spent supporting a distinguished relative, what do you do when he turns out to be not so distinguished after all? 8) Uncle Vanya ('91) Studio production of Chekov's wistful masterpiece with David WARNER as the retired prof whose return sets in motion a typically Chekovian comic tragedy of lost hopes, stifled passion and belighted ideas. With Ian Bannen, Ian Holm, Rachel Kempson and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio. 9) The Three Sisters ('70) Play adapted for TV with Janet Suzman, Eileen Atkins and Michele Dotrice as the Prozorov sisters who dream of returning to Moscow after eleven years of living in a provinvcial Russian town. 10) The Cherry Orchard ('62) Madame Ranyevskaya returns to Russia after some years in Paris & finds that the family estate has gone to seed.Can the precious cherry orchard be saved from the axe? With John Gielgud, Peggy Ashcroft and Judi Dench. 11) The Cherry Orchard ('81) Sensing that revolution was about to put an end to privileged and protected ways of life, Chekhov wrote with sympathy for the complacent gentry, but also with excitement for the future. With Judi Dench
DVD
1 of 6 - Platonov
2 of 6 - The Wood Demon - The Proposal - A Wedding
3 of 6 - The Seagull - An Artist's Story
4a of 6 - Uncle Vanya (I)
4b of 6 - Uncle Vanya (II)
5 of 6 - The Three Sisters
6a of 6 - The Cherry Orchard (I)
6b of 6 - The Cherry Orchard (II)

DVD Format: NTSC
DVD9: 8 x
Kleur: Zwart/Wit en Kleur
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Poster: Isis
Group: alt.binaries.dvd