An anthology series of single plays adapting the psychologically complicated tales of romance and society by the author Henry James.
This LWT anthology presented thirteen self-contained dramas, each based on a short story by Henry James. The plays anatomise the intricate and often tragic romantic entanglements of the English and American upper classes at the turn of the century. Standout productions include “Grace,” in which a woman, Grace Gracedew (Diana Rigg), finds herself pursued by the charming but unreliable Captain Yule (Jeremy Brett); “Kate,” featuring Kate Cookham (Eileen Atkins) as a woman whose inheritance depends upon her relationship with a distant relative; and “Daisy,” which charts the course of a flirtatious American heiress, Daisy Miller (Georgina Hale), as she scandalises European society.
Produced by John Frankau under the supervision of LWT’s head of drama Rex Firkin, the series was a prestige production typical of the period. Its chief virtue was its ability to translate the dense, interior prose of Henry James into compelling television drama. The adaptations, all penned by Terence Feely, succeeded by focusing on the subtext and unspoken tensions that define James’s work.
The series attracted a formidable roster of actors, who gave nuanced performances that illuminated the author’s fascination with emotional restraint and the subtle cruelties of social convention. While handsomely mounted, the production’s primary focus remained on the psychological conflicts of characters trapped by circumstance and their own natures.
Broadcast: ITV – LWT, 13 Episodes, 29 September 1974 – 20 April 1975
Adapted from the stories of Henry James by: Terence Feely
Directors: John Frankau, Michael Ferguson, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, John Reardon, John Sichel, Gareth Davies, Derek Bennett, Christopher Hodson
Executive Producer: Rex Firkin
Producer: John Frankau
Main Cast: Diana Rigg (Grace Gracedew), Jeremy Brett (Captain Yule), Eileen Atkins (Kate Cookham), Georgina Hale (Daisy Miller), Anton Rodgers (James Mallory), Patricia Routledge (Mrs Meldrum), Pamela Brown (Mary Tredick), Daniel Massey (Frederick Winterbourne), Cheryl Campbell (Emma Gosselin), Bernard Hepton (Austin Sloper), Anna Palk (J.L. Westgate)
