| John Brown's Raid | |
|---|---|
| Genre | TV play |
| Written by | Robert Crean |
| Directed by | Sidney Lumet |
| Starring | James Mason |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 mins |
| Original release | |
| Network | NBC |
| Release | October 25, 1960 |
John Brown's Raid is a 1960 television play directed by Sidney Lumet. [1]
The story of John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry.
It was shot on location at Harper's Ferry. The Los Angeles Times said it was rehearsed in one day and filmed in four days. [2] James Mason wrote in his memoirs that there were ten days of rehearsal in New York. [3] It was shot on video tape. [4]
Mason said when he saw the production "a lot of good material was missing and the dramatic urgency was never really established." [5]
Variety later wrote:
[Lumet] tried to maneuver things into some semblance of that needed reality, but it was a lost cause from the start. Little enough drama emerged from the hour outing and one couldn't help wondering: why this continuing concentration on John Brown as a subject of presentation when the end result proved little more than the rantings of a religious fanatic”; for it was as though everybody concerned was briefed on the premise: ‘Forget about the drama, ir’s the tape job that counts.' At least that’s the way it played. [6]