The Chinese Wall (TV play)

Last updated

The Chinese Wall
Chinese Wall.png
Ad in The Age 17 April 1963
Based onplay by Max Frisch
Written byRichard Lane
Directed by William Sterling
Country of originAustralia
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time75 minutes [1]
Production companyABC
Release
Original release17 April 1963 (1963-04-17)

The Chinese Wall is a 1963 Australian television play. [2] It was the television world premiere of a farce by contemporary Swiss playwright Max Frisch. [3] [4] The play first aired on 17 April 1963 in Melbourne and later on 15 May in Sydney.

Contents

Plot

A modern character, The Contemporary, invites the audience to watch. He then becomes involved in the play's action.

In the second century BC the Emperor Hwang Ti is building the Great Wall of China "to hold up time and prevent all future." [3] Historical characters from other ages meet him in his royal garden in order to tell him what they know of what is happening. Characters include Don Juan, Romeo and Juliet, Napoleon, Christopher Columbus, Brutus and Cleopatra. They submit their knowledge of collapsing empires and cvilisations, world wars and atom bombs, but cannot prevent evil. [5]

Cast

Production

The play was first produced in 1946 but it achieved little success. Firsch later rewrote it following the success of his second play The Fire Raisers and it was produced successfully in theatres in Europe. It was translated into English from German only in 1962. [7]

Sterling read the script in the ABC's head office in Sydney and wanted to produce it on Australian television. It was the first non-Australian play to have its world TV premiere in Melbourne during the past five years (that had been The Soldier's Tale starring Robert Helpmann directed by Sterling). "Frisch uses the stage to tell a message as well as entertain," said Sterling. "He is anti romantic. He hopes to achieve through the farce an awakening of the individual to his responsibilities." [7]

According to one report, "The play's message is that mankind now has the means of destroying itself and must cope with this situation. Playwright Frisch chose the Chinese Wall as an allegorical basic for his play because it is one of the world's oldest constructions still standing in more or less its original state." [3]

The play was experimental. [7]

Reception

The Age gave it a poor review saying the play was "ninety percent reiteration". [8]

The Age, reviewing the year in TV drama, said Chinese Wall and Barnstable were examples of "highbrow productions of limited appeal" which "frustrated more than they entertained, among local productions." [9]

Related Research Articles

Bill Bain was an Australian television and film director.

The Gold Coast Classic was a professional golf tournament played at Coolangatta & Tweed Heads Golf Club in northern New South Wales, Australia. It was held from 1978 to 1983. From 1979 to 1983 it was sponsored by Tooth and Co., a beer brewery, initially under their name but from 1982 under the name Resch's Pilsner.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victorian Open</span> Golf tournament

The Victorian Open is an annual golf tournament held in Australia. It was founded in 1957 and is the Victoria state open championship for men. It is run by Golf Victoria and is a Golf Australia national ranking event.

The New South Wales Open is an annual golf tournament held in New South Wales, Australia. The event was founded in 1931 as the New South Wales Close Championship, being restricted to residents of New South Wales, becoming the New South Wales Open Championship in 1958 when it was opened up to players from outside New South Wales. Norman Von Nida won the event six times, while Jim Ferrier and Frank Phillips won it five times with Greg Norman winning it four times.

<i>Uneasy Paradise</i> 1963 Australian TV series or program

Uneasy Paradise is a 1963 Australian television film directed by William Sterling. It is a 60-minute drama set in Melbourne about a gambler married to Sally. He loses much money at a club run by Paolo.

"Plain Jane" is a 1966 Australian TV movie. It stars Elspeth Ballantyne and was produced by Oscar Whitbread for the ABC. "Plain Jane" aired on 5 January 1966 in Sydney and Melbourne, and on 25 May 1966 in Brisbane.

The Man Who Shot the Albatross is a play by Ray Lawler about the Rum Rebellion, first performed in 1971. A 1972 television film featured the stage cast.

"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.

<i>Shell Be Right</i> 1962 Australian television play

She'll Be Right is a 1962 Australian television play which aired on the ABC.

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.

<i>The Prisoner</i> (1963 film) 1962 Australian TV series or program

The Prisoner is a 1962 Australian television play based on a play which had been filmed with Alec Guinness. Many Australian TV dramas at the time were based on overseas stories.

<i>Barnstable</i> (film) 1963 Australian TV series or program

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.

Double Yolk is a 1963 Australian television play. It adapts two short plays, "By Accident" and "With Intent". Both were by Hugh and Margaret Williams who had written The Grass is Greener.

A Local Boy is a 1964 Australian TV play produced in ABC's Gore Hill Studios in Sydney. Australian TV drama was relatively rare at the time.

"Salome" is a 1968 Australian TV play starring Frank Thring. It was based on the 1891 play of the same name by Oscar Wilde and was reportedly the first time that play had been adapted for television.

John Croyston was an Australian writer, radio producer and director.

"Moby Dick - Rehearsed" is a 1965 Australian TV play based on the 1955 play Moby Dick - Rehearsed by Orson Welles. It was shot in Sydney.

"Shadow on the Wall" is the 15th television play episode of the second season of the Australian anthology television series Wednesday Theatre. It was recorded in 1967 as part of Australian Playhouse but was not aired until 10 April 1968 in Melbourne and Sydney. as part of Wednesday Theatre. It was a rare contemporary Australian TV drama to address the Vietnam War. It ran for 30 mins.

<i>The Devil Makes Sunday</i> (1962 film) 1962 Australian TV series or program

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.

Carole Potter was an Australian actor best known for her work in the early days of Australian television. She was born in England and moved to Australia in 1957. Her TV debut was made when she was 15 in The Governess. She married director William Sterling with whom she often collaborated.

References

  1. ↑ "TELEVISION AND RADIO". The Canberra Times . Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 15 May 1963. p. 33. Retrieved 3 May 2020– via Trove.
  2. ↑ "Untitled". The Age. 11 April 1963. p. 13.
  3. 1 2 3 "World Premiere Of New Farce". The Canberra Times . Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 15 May 1963. p. 33. Retrieved 3 May 2020– via Trove.
  4. ↑ "Unusual Play Screened". Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 1963. p. 15.
  5. ↑ "TV Guide". Sydney Morning Herald. 13 May 1963. p. 16.
  6. ↑ "Untitled". The Canberra Times . Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 15 May 1963. p. 33. Retrieved 3 May 2020– via Trove.
  7. 1 2 3 "Play Which Will Involve Viewers". The Age. 11 April 1963. p. 13.
  8. ↑ "Teletopics". The Age. 25 April 1963. p. 10.
  9. ↑ The Televiewer (27 December 1963). "Television 1964 - Wide Open for Some new Ideas". The Age. p. 21.


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.