Billie Whitelaw stars in this studio production of Eugene O’Neill’s classic play about a woman’s confrontation with her past.
After a long and difficult period on land, Anna Christopherson (Billie Whitelaw) seeks out her estranged father, Chris (Joseph Furst), the Swedish captain of a coal barge. Believing the sea will offer a kind of purification, she joins him on his vessel. Their quiet existence is shattered by a storm, during which they rescue the powerfully built Irish stoker Mat Burke (Andrew Keir) from a shipwreck. An intense romance blossoms between Anna and Mat, but their future is thrown into jeopardy when Anna is forced to reveal the truth about her hidden past.
This production, mounted for the BBC’s prestigious ‘Festival’ strand, was a significant assignment for director Rudolph Cartier. By 1963, O’Neill’s play had become a recurring benchmark for the Corporation, but Cartier’s version is defined by its casting. The title role was a formidable vehicle for Billie Whitelaw, whose raw, unsentimental performance was perfectly suited to the play’s modernist grit. Matched by the formidable screen presence of Andrew Keir as the brash sailor Mat Burke, the production confirmed the play’s status as a durable television text, driven by a new generation of intense, naturalistic performers.
Broadcast: BBC, 1 Episode, 4 January 1963
Written by: Eugene O’Neill
Adapted by: John O’Toole
Producer: Rudolph Cartier
Director: Rudolph Cartier
Main Cast: Billie Whitelaw (Anna Christie), Joseph Furst (Chris Christopherson), Andrew Keir (Mat Burke), Madge Ryan (Marthy Owen), Horace James (Dave), Philip Oxman (Larry), David Lander (Johnny-The-Priest), Grant Holden (Sailor), Peter Mason (Johnson)
