National Theatre Live: No Man’s Land
Director: Robin Lough, Sean Mathias Run Time: 141 min. Rating: NR Release Year: 2016
Starring: Damien Molony, Ian McKellen, Owen Teale, Patrick Stewart
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
The Film Center is proud to partner with National Theatre Live to present world-class performances filmed live on Britain’s most exciting stages.
About the film:
Following their hit run on Broadway, Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart return to the West End stage in Harold Pinter’s No Man’s Land, filmed live in from Wyndham’s Theatre, London.
One summer’s evening, two aging writers, Hirst and Spooner, meet in a Hampstead pub and continue their drinking into the night at Hirst’s stately house nearby. As the pair become increasingly inebriated, and their stories increasingly unbelievable, the lively conversation soon turns into a revealing power game, further complicated by the return home of two sinister younger men.
“a faithful and loving production that captures both the essential bleakness and paradoxical comedy of this enigmatic masterwork”
—Michael Billington for the Guardian (UK)
Images courtesy of National Theatre Live
About the filmmakers:
For over 4 decades, Robin Lough has been capturing spectacular stage productions for the screen, sharing fine art with audiences around the world. Along with work for The Royal Shakespeare Company, Shakespeare’s Globe, and the BBC, Lough has filmed thirteen productions for National Theatre Live, including One Man, Two Guvnors in 2011, Othello in 2013, No Man’s Land in 2016, and Twelfth Night in 2017.
An accomplished playwright and director, Sean Mathias made an assured feature directorial debut with Bent (1997), adapted from Martin Sherman’s 1979 play about the plight of homosexuals interred in concentration camps. Since then, Mathias has directed highly acclaimed theatre productions in London, New York City, Cape Town, Los Angeles and Sydney, including Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in popular revivals of Waiting for Godot and No Man’s Land.
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