THE MERRY WIVES OF WINDSOR

The Merry Wives of Windsor (BBC 1982) – DVD Edition

BBC Release

Details

• DVD Region: 2 + 4 PAL (UK & Europe)
• Certificate: U
• Running Time: Approx. 170 minutes
• Type: Fullscreen
• Originally Transmitted: 28th December 1982
• DVD Release Date: 2005
• Released By: BBC Worldwide Ltd.
• Distributed By: DD Home Entertainment
• Format: Colour PAL
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English SDH
• Audio: Mono
• Aspect Ratio: 4:3

© BBC Television in association with Time-Life
All Rights Reserved

A Comedie

In 1978, the BBC set itself the task of filming all of William Shakespeare’s plays for television. These productions, renowned for their fidelity to the text, used the best theatrical and television directors and featured outstanding performances by leading actors.

“O, what a world of vile ill-favour’d faults
Looks handsome in three hundred pounds a year.”

Among the honest folk of Windsor, Sir John Falstaff stands out as a rogue, a chancer, and an oaf. More concerned with money, the ageing, overweight Falstaff hatches a plan to court two wealthy married women, Mistress Ford and Mistress Page. When the wives discover his scheme, they devise their own plan to teach him a lesson.

Shakespeare’s boisterous comedy of love and money was supposedly written because Queen Elizabeth wanted to see Falstaff in love. The great Shakespearian character, Falstaff, played with gusto by Richard Griffiths, is mercilessly taunted by Judy Davis and Prunella Scales as the wives.

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Enter Justice Shallow, Master Slender, and Sir Hugh Evans…

SHALLOW: “Sir Hugh, persuade me not.
I will make a Star Chamber matter of it.
If he were twenty Sir John Falstaffs,
he shall not abuse Robert Shallow, esquire…”

Richard Griffiths
Prunella Scales   Judy Davis
with
Alan Bennett   Elizabeth Spriggs
and Ben Kingsley

Dramatis Personae

In Credits Order:

• Alan Bennett … Justice Shallow
• Richard O'Callaghan … Slender
• Tenniel Evans … Sir Hugh Evans
• Bryan Marshall … George Page
• Richard Griffiths … Sir John Falstaff
• Gordon Gostelow … Bardolph
• Nigel Terry … Pistol
• Michael Robbins … Nym
• Miranda Foster … Anne Page
• Judy Davis … Mistress Ford
• Prunella Scales … Mistress Page
• Ron Cook … Peter Simple
• Michael Graham Cox … Host of the Garter Inn
• Lee Whitlock … Robin
• Elizabeth Spriggs … Mistress Quickly
• John Joyce … John Rugby
• Michael Bryant … Doctor Caius
• Simon Chandler … Fenton
• Ben Kingsley … Frank Ford
• Ralph Brown … John
• Peter Gordon … Robert
• Crispin Mair … William Page
• Harvey Brown … Fairy
• Kerry Cavalli … Fairy
• Adam Cooper … Fairy
• Helen Grey … Fairy
• Simon Kemp … Fairy
• Wayne Phelan … Fairy
• Tony Young … Fairy

• Director: David Hugh Jones
• Produced: Shaun Sutton
• Adapted: William Shakespeare’s original play

William Shakespeare

His Most Excellent
Comedie
The Merry Wives of Windsor