The Mayor of Casterbridge is a 1978 BBC seven-part serial based on the eponymous 1886 book by the British novelist Thomas Hardy.[2] The six-hour drama was written by television dramatist Dennis Potter and directed by David Giles with Alan Bates as the title character.[3][4] It was released as a 3-disc DVD box set in May 2003.
| The Mayor of Casterbridge | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Genre | Classic serial |
| Based on | The Mayor of Casterbridge by Thomas Hardy |
| Screenplay by | Dennis Potter |
| Directed by | David Giles |
| Starring | Alan Bates |
| Composer | Carl Davis |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 7 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Jonathan Powell |
| Running time | 50 min. (per episode) & 55 min. (final ep.)[1] |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC2 |
| Release | 22 January – 5 March 1978 |
Plot
editOn a drunken impulse, Henchard sells his wife and daughter at a country fair, an outrageous act for which he suffers agonising remorse. Years later, when he has become a respected and prosperous man, his wife returns to find him. Henchard's attempt to right the long-ago wrong sets in motion a series of events that spell his destruction.
Cast
edit- Alan Bates[5] as Michael Henchard
- Anne Stallybrass as Susan
- Janet Maw as Elizabeth-Jane
- Jack Galloway as Farfrae
- Anna Massey as Lucetta[3]
Location
editThe series was shot entirely on location in Dorset, largely in the village of Corfe Castle.[3]
References
edit- ^ "BBC Two England - 5 March 1978 - BBC Genome". genome.ch.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "The Mayor of Casterbridge". BBC. 22 January 1978. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ a b c "Mayor of Casterbridge, The (1978)". BFI ScreenOnline. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
- ^ "The Mayor of Casterbridge: Episode 1". 22 January 1978. p. 25 – via BBC Genome.
- ^ Movie credits