King John (film)
King John is the title by which the earliest known example of a film based on a play by William Shakespeare is commonly known.[1]
Filmed in
The first film was of The Temptation Scene with John, Hubert, and Arthur, the second of The Lamentation Scene with Constance, Philip of France, Lewis, and Pandulph, the third of King John's Dying Scene with John, Henry, Pembroke, and Salisbury, and the fourth of King John's Death Scene with John, Henry, Falconbridge, Pembroke, and Salisbury.
The filming of King John was produced and directed by William Kennedy Laurie Dickson and Walter Pfeffer Dando. The acting and production design was by Herbert Tree, the cinematography was by William Dickson, and the production company was the British Mutoscope and Biograph Company.[2]
Surviving copies
The
Preserved still frames
The below still frames from the film were published in the 27 September 1899 issue of
- Preserved still frames from King John (1899)
-
The John—Hubert Temptation Scene: Act 1, Scene 5, corresponding to Act 3, Scene 3 inHubert (left) to murder Prince Arthur(kneeling on the right). -
The Lamentation Scene: Act 2, Scene 1, corresponding to Act 3, Scene 4 in the original play. Lady Constance (front left) laments the capture of her son, Prince Arthur, as Lewis (rear left), Cardinal Pandulph (front right), and Philip of France (rear right) look on. -
King John's Death Scene: Act 3, Scene 3, corresponding to Act 5, Scene 7 in the original play. A poisoned and feverish King John (in the throne, center stage) rants as Prince Henry (center stage to John's right), Pembroke, and Salisbury looks on. -
King John's Death Scene: Act 3, Scene 3, corresponding to Act 5, Scene 7 in the original play. King John (in the throne, center stage) lays dead as Faulconbridge (rear center) crowns Prince Henry (front left of Faulconbridge) while the kneeling Pembroke, and Salisbury looks on.
_-_Act_1,_Scene_5_(FF3.3).jpg)
_-_Act_2,_Scene_1_(FF3.4).jpg)
_-_Act_3,_Scene_3_(FF5.7)-1.jpg)
_-_Act_3,_Scene_3_(FF5.7)-2.jpg)
Cast
- King John
- Dora Senior as Prince Henry
- Charles Sefton as Prince Arthur
- James Fisher as Earl of Pembroke
- S. A. Cookson as Earl of Salisbury
- Hubert de Burgh
- Lewis Waller as Philip Faulconbridge
- Constance
- William Mollison as Philip, King of France
- Gerald Lawrence as Lewis, The Dauphin
- Louis Calvert as Cardinal Pandulph
Notes and references
- ^ a b Buchanan 2009, p. 61.
- ^ a b c Kachur 1991.
- ^ Newton 1899.
- ^ Ball 1968.
Sources
- George Allen & Unwin.
- Buchanan, Judith (2009). Shakespeare on Silent Film: An Excellent Dumb Discourse. Cambridge: ISBN 978-0521871990.
- Kachur, B. A. (1991). "The First Shakespeare Film: A Reconsideration and Reconstruction of Tree's King John". Cambridge Core.
- Newton, H. C. (27 September 1899). "Review of King John". The Sketch.
Further reading
- Anonymous King John Souvenir | Shakespeare's Historical Drama King John | Her Majesty's Theatre. London, England, British Mutoscope & Bioscope Company, 1899 [Theatre Programme].
- Barnes, John The Beginnings Of The Cinema In England 1894-1901 | Volume Five: 1900. Exeter, England, Exeter University Press, 1997. ISBN 9780859895224
- McKernan, Luke & Terris, Olwen Walking Shadows | Shakespeare In The National Film And Television Archive. London, England, British Film Institute, 1994. ISBN 085170414X
- McKernan, Luke A Scene - King John - Now Playing At Her Majesty's Theatre in: Fitzsimmons, Linda & Street, Sarah Moving Performances | British Stage & Screen 1890s-1920s. Trowbridge, England, Flick Books, 1999. ISBN 9780948911545
External links
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