Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (Broadway Theatre Archive)

Buy This Item Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (Broadway Theatre Archive) by Image Entertainment  Available from Amazon  $24.99  on 11-15-2008     This quintessential Chekhov drama--his first success--is both comic and tragic. A group of friends and relations gather at a country estate to see the first performance of an experimental play written and staged by the young man of the house, Konstantin (Frank Langella), an aspiring writer who dreams of bringing new forms to the theatre. Among the audience are Konstantin's self-centered mother, the actress Arkadina, and her lover, the novelist Trigorin. Their glamorous presence not only disrupts the performance, but also soon takes on a more profound significance for the lives of all those present. Reader Reviews I thought this was going to be some sort of artsy animal that you had to study and have a background in literature to extrapolate anything from the play. Well I was wrong. The only extraction is getting used to the characters at first because they are played by famous actors for example Frank Langella plays Konstantin Treplev, an idealistic young playwright and Blythe Danner plays Nina a young girl who's head will be turned by the novelist Trigorin played by Kevin McCarthy. Soon you settle down and realize that this film has something to say about people and life and getting along with each other. It does not need to be interpreted and you find that even though the location is in a different place and time (Russia 1896), the people are the same people that you already know. The play moves a tad fast so you will need to re-watch it for all the nuances. Hamlet / Kline, New York Shakespeare Festival (Broadway Theatre Archive)

Anton Chekhov's The Seagull (Broadway Theatre Archive) Available from Amazon Price: $24.99 Updated on 11-15-2008.

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