The Prisoner | |
---|---|
Written by | William Sterling |
Directed by | William Sterling |
Starring | Campbell Copelin |
Country of origin | Australia |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Production company | ABC |
Original release | |
Network | ABC |
Release | 14 November 1962 (Melbourne) [1] |
Release | 1 May 1963 |
The Prisoner is a 1962 Australian television play based on a play which had been filmed with Alec Guinness. [2] Many Australian TV dramas at the time were based on overseas stories. [3]
Sterling aimed to recreate prison through the mind of a prisoner. [1]
The critic from the Sydney Morning Herald wrote that, "no thumb-screw or rack could have seemed more incredible than did the weapons in the verbal armoury of the interrogator, played so as to be fairly obviously diabolical by Christopher Hill... The camera circled and shifted as ominously as the dialogue; the shadows and lights of William Sterling's production accentuated the probing nightmare; but in the end one was not quite sure how it all had happened." [4]
The Bulletin thought it was "stronger than the motion picture in many ways." [5]
Ballad for One Gun is a 1963 Australian television film about Ned Kelly broadcast on ABC.
Killer in Close-Up was a blanket title covering four live television drama plays produced by the Australian Broadcasting Commission in 1957 and 1958. It could be seen as the first anthology series produced for Australian television.
Hamlet is a 1959 Australian TV play starring William Job and produced by Royston Morley.
"The Tower" is a 1964 TV play broadcast by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It aired on 2 December 1964 as a stand-alone in Melbourne and on 28 April 1965 as part of Wednesday Theatre in Sydney. It aired on 6 January 1965 in Brisbane. It was based on a play by Hal Porter and directed by Christopher Muir in the ABC's studios in Melbourne.
Two Headed Eagle is a 1960 Australian television play directed by William Sterling and starring Margo Lee. It was based on a play by Jean Cocteau which had been first presented on the London stage in 1946. The adaptation was by Alan Seymour who wrote a number of TV plays around this time. The play had been produced with Tallulah Bankhead.
She'll Be Right is a 1962 Australian television play which aired on the ABC.
My Three Angels is a 1962 Australian television adaptation which marked the acting debut of champion swimmer Murray Rose.
Man of Destiny is a 1963 Australian television play directed by Christopher Muir. It was based on the 1897 play Man of Destiny by George Bernard Shaw. Just like the play it revolves around the early career of Napoleon Bonaparte.
William Sterling was an Australian producer and director. He was born in Sydney.
Murder in the Cathedral is a 1962 Australian television play adapted from T. S. Eliot's 1935 play Murder in the Cathedral, about Thomas Becket. It was one of a number of verse plays produced by the ABC.
Light Me a Lucifer is a 1962 Australian television comedy film which aired on ABC. Written by John O'Grady, it starred Frank Thring as the devil, along with Wyn Roberts, Edward Howell, Joan Harris, Ken Goodlet and Lynne Flanagan. It was produced in Melbourne.
The Forbidden Rite is a 1962 Australian television play. It is a filmed ballet - the first ballet written in Australia exclusively for TV. The ABC did regularly broadcast ballet at the time.
A Man for All Seasons is a 1964 Australian television play. It is an adaptation of the play by Robert Bolt.
Village Wooing is a 1962 Australian television play directed by William Sterling and starring Michael Denison and Dulcie Gray who were touring Australia at the time. It was based on the play by George Bernard Shaw.
Barnstable is a 1963 Australian television play which had been performed on British TV. It was filmed in Melbourne. Sandra Power was the barrell girl from In Melbourne Tonight making her acting debut.
The End Begins is a 1961 Australian television play shot in ABC's Melbourne studios. Like many early Australian TV plays it was based on an overseas script. It was a rare Australian TV play with a science fiction theme and a black lead actor, although no recordings are thought to have survived.
You Can't Win 'Em All is a 1962 Australian television play directed by Patrick Barton. Filmed in London, it was based on a play by Alun Owen which had been previously filmed by the BBC in 1962.
The Chinese Wall is a 1963 Australian television play. It was the television world premiere of a farce by contemporary Swiss playwright Max Frisch. The play first aired on 17 April 1963 in Melbourne and later on 15 May in Sydney.
Lola Montez was a 1962 Australian TV play which was based on the musical of the same name.
The Devil Makes Sunday is a 1962 Australian television play by New Zealand-born author Bruce Stewart. It was broadcast live from Melbourne, and taped and shown in other cities at a later date.