In this BBC literary adaptation, an American is dispatched to Paris on a delicate family mission.
Lambert Strether (Alan Gifford) is dispatched to Paris by his wealthy American fiancée. His mission is to bring home her wayward son, Chadwick Newsome (Harvey Spencer). Accompanied by his friend Waymarsh (David Bauer), Strether soon falls under the spell of European culture, guided by the sophisticated Maria Gostrey (Bethel Leslie). As he becomes integrated into Chadwick’s circle, which includes the formidable Madame de Vionnet (Lila Valmere), Strether begins to question his assignment and his own rigidly-ordered American life.
Adapting Henry James’s famously intricate prose for television presents a formidable challenge. This three-part serial, directed by the emerging James Cellan Jones, confronts the novel’s psychological density head-on. The production uses its serial format to patiently unpack the moral and social dilemmas of its protagonist. Rather than simplifying the narrative, Denis Constanduros’s script preserves the novel’s focus on perception and shifting consciousness. The entire serial was recorded at BBC Glasgow, highlighting the corporation’s commitment to producing significant literary drama outside of its London studios during the period.
Broadcast: BBC Two, 3 Episodes, 31 January – 14 February 1965
Dramatised by: Denis Constanduros
Based on the novel by: Henry James
Director: James Cellan Jones
Script Editor: Michael Voysey
Main Cast: Alan Gifford (Lambert Strether), David Bauer (Waymarsh), Bethel Leslie (Maria Gostrey), Harvey Spencer (Chadwick Newsome), Roy Stephens (Little Bilham), Lila Valmere (Madame De Vionnet), Marie Noelle Gresset (Jeanne De Vionnet), Lois Maxwell (Sarah Pocock), Carol Cleveland (Mamie Pocock), Ronald Wilson (Jim Pocock), Geoffrey Hutchings.
