Barnstable (film) explained

Image Upright:1.0
Director:William Sterling
Country:Australia
Language:English
Runtime:60 minutes
Company:ABC
Released: (Melbourne)[1]
Released2: (Sydney)[2] [3]

Barnstable is a 1963 Australian television play which had been performed on British TV.[4] [5] [6] It was filmed in Melbourne. Sandra Power was the barrell girl from In Melbourne Tonight making her acting debut.[1]

Cast

Production

The play had been performed on British radio in 1959 and British television in 1962. William Sterling called it "a comic modern parable of serious intention. In content, it reflects the thinking of many intellectual writers in Europe."[1]

Reception

The TV critic for the Sydney Morning Herald wrote that "Blessed simplicity is the virtue of a parable, but in this production, strongly reminiscent in style of the first episode of a very dull science fiction serial, it was never clear whether the author... wanted an undercurrent of humour to his horror or an undercurrent of horror to his humour."[7]

The Age wrote "it was difficult to known how to take the play."[8]

Notes and References

  1. News: The Age. Drama That Makes No Concessions. 1 August 1963. 11.
  2. News: Comedy with parable. Sydney Morning Herald. 12 August 1963. 7.
  3. News: Sydney Morning Herald. TV Guide. 2 September 1963. 12.
  4. News: Contemporary Play Tonight . . 38 . 10,632 . Australian Capital Territory, Australia . 4 September 1963 . 15 February 2017 . 35 . National Library of Australia.
  5. News: Comedy with Parable. Sydney Morning Herald. 12 August 1963. 8.
  6. Stephen. Vagg. 60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s. Filmink. February 18, 2019.
  7. News: Sydney Morning Herald. Barnstable on TV. 5 September 1963. 7.
  8. News: The Age. Teletopic. 15 August 1963. 10. The Televiewer.