All's Well That Ends Well

The production design of this video is based on paintings by Vermeer, Rembrandt, de la Tour and others. It is uniformly striking and lovely, and will live in the memory.

The acting performances are good, but uneasy, perhaps reflecting the problematic nature of the play. Ian Charleson's Bertram is cold, Angela Down's Helen is weepy, and so they stay for yards and yards of iambic pentameter. Only Donald Sinden as the King errs on the side of too much emotional variety, but it's hard to remember a Sinden performance in which he wasn't an explosive law unto himself. Michael Hordern and Peter Jeffrey battle deftly as Lafeu and Parolles, while Paul Brooke's Lavache is more menacing than witty. Pippa Guard's Diana is unfailingly dignified, and a small cameo by the aged Valentine Dyall proves unexpectedly moving. And as the Countess, Celia Johnson's presence is every bit as sympathetic here as it was in "Brief Encounter" 35 years earlier.

Any dissatisfactions mentioned in this review are just quibbles, however, as the play is rare and worthwhile, the production gratifies the eye, and no one writes a closing reconciliation scene like Shakespeare. Indeed, All's Well That Ends Well.

This award-winning BBC production brings life, enormous appeal, and intelligence to a play criminally underperformed. It's a pleasure to watch ... and re-watch ... and re-watch.

Let's start with the fact that the production itself has been hailed far and wide for its beauty and visual precision. Director Elijah Moshinsky patterned it after paintings of Vermeer, and even though this may be unknown to the viewer, it has a remarkable subliminal impact.

Now for the cast:

Angela Down is the truly perfect Helena (the heroine of the play). She looks the part -- comely yet intellectual -- and speaks her lines with the perfect emotional fit. Most importantly, her diction and enunciation, and the speed at which she says the bard's words, make everything she says perfectly understandable and perfectly apt within that emotional fit. The viewer never has to wonder "What did she just say?" or "What does that mean?" Nonetheless the lines are fluid, musical, emotional, and very human. To me, this is the sign of a true Shakespearean actor.

Celia Johnson as the Countess Roussillon (Bertram's mother and Helena's guardian) is equally fantastic. She's a pleasure to watch and listen to. Consummate acting.

Ian Charleson as Bertram, Helena's very reluctant love object, is suitably sullen and morose, yet we see the physical beauty and the inherent charm, nobility, and charisma which attracts Helena to him. Charleson, a very internal actor, never overplays the part. To some extent he sometimes almost underplays it, occasionally speaking softly whilst his compatriots declaim more loudly or forcefully. Yet he holds our attention and fits the role very well.

The supporting cast is almost without exception quite admirable -- some remarkably so. Excellent casting, and a lot of excellent acting.

All in all, a very good production which makes the play easy to understand and enjoy.

Highly recommended.

Chaste, thoughtful Helena loves cold, self-centered Bertram. But when the handsome young man rejects her common birth with aristocratic scorn, unexpected events lead to deception and passion! This dark Shakespeare play is one of the real gems of the BBC collection. Everything is right about the costumes, the actors, the sets, and the lush sensuality of the presentation. Ian Charleson as Bertram is more of a villain than a hero through much of the play, laughing at Helena's tears and running off to play with his soldier friends. Yet when lust strikes him in turn, he is humbled. Pippa Guard is refined and hauntingly beautiful as Diana, the girl from the "wrong side of the tracks" (or the Elizabethan equivalent) whom the haughty Bertram plans to seduce. Diana is not just a cheap tramp. She has a desperate purity. Far from welcoming the noble's advances, she reacts like a frightened deer, or a cornered rabbit, shying from Bertram's cynical touch. Only the shrewd scheming of Helena and her high-born friends (including a king who recognizes her true worth) allows her to capture Bertram's heart at last. Humbled and humiliated by his total downfall, (and Diana's scorn) Bertram falls into forgiving Helena's open arms and proclaims his passionate devotion.

A sexy play, full of romantic longing, arrogant elegance, and sheer unadulterated desire!

"Elijah Moshinsky's TV movie of Shakespeare's 'All's Well That Ends Well' is a funny love story with a twist. Angela Down does a great job playing Helena, who loves Bertram, played by Ian Charleson. Bertram is a nobleman who doesn't love her back. Helena, who learned a lot from her doctor father, cures the King of France and is allowed to marry Bertram. But Bertram runs off to Italy and asks her to do impossible tasks to prove she's faithful. Helena doesn't give up, follows him, and cleverly does what he asked, winning him over.

This movie is one of the best in the BBC Television Shakespeare series. It has beautiful designs, inspired by famous painters like Vermeer and Rembrandt. The costumes and sets are detailed and the lighting adds to the mood of the story.

The actors do a great job, especially Celia Johnson as the kind Countess of Rousillon and Michael Hordern as the funny and loyal Lafeu. Sinden is the thankful King of France and Down's Helena is strong and understanding.

The movie captures the complicated ideas in Shakespeare's play, which is often hard to perform. It's a good mix of funny and serious, romantic and realistic, and explores important themes like gender roles, class, loyalty, honor, trickery, and forgiveness. It also includes great quotes from Shakespeare like "Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none" and "The web of our life is of a mingled yarn, good and ill together". It's a great movie that shows that everything can end up well."

The BBC version of "All's Well That Ends Well" is the only one I've ever seen. Perhaps it is terrible compared to other productions, but I still enjoyed it. Angela Down is lovely as Helen, and Peter Jeffrey nearly steals the picture as Parolles. He would have if his part had been bigger. The director cleverly shot every scene to look like a Van Dyke painting. It's beautiful, even though the colors are badly muted. I don't know if that was his intent or whether the film deteriorated, but it looks decidedly dull. While this version may not be great, anyone studying the play or wishing to familiarize themselves with Shakespeare shouldn't snub this production.