Antony and Cleopatra (1974 TV drama) explained

Director:Jon Scoffield
Music:Guy Woolfenden
Country:United Kingdom
Language:English
Runtime:161 minutes
Network:ITV

Antony and Cleopatra is a 1974 videotaped television production of William Shakespeare's 1606 play of the same name, produced by ATV (which was distributed internationally by ITC) starring Richard Johnson as Mark Antony, Janet Suzman as Cleopatra, and Patrick Stewart as Enobarbus. It was directed by Jon Scoffield and is an adaptation of Trevor Nunn's Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) production of the play. It features then-little-known Ben Kingsley and Tim Pigott-Smith in small roles.

As of 2014, this production was the last made-for-TV Shakespeare adaptation to have its American network premiere on U.S. commercial television. Laurence Olivier's King Lear was shown in the U.S. in 1984 in syndication rather than on a single network.

Cast

Deviations from the play

The major character of Sextus Pompey, who figures significantly in the plot in Act II, was excised from this production.