In this second live television broadcast of the allegorical stage play, a mountaineer is manipulated into a deadly, propagandist expedition.
Famed but reclusive mountaineer Michael Ransom (William Devlin) is pressured by the British government to undertake a perilous mission. He must lead an expedition to make the first ascent of F.6, an unconquered mountain on the disputed border of two British colonies. Ransom initially dismisses the climb as a vulgar publicity stunt, but through the machinations of his brother, the powerful Sir James Ransom (Dennis Arundell), and a subtle appeal to his own vanity, he agrees. The journey up the mountain becomes an allegorical ordeal, where Ransom and his climbing companion David Gunn (Ben Wright) are forced to confront their deepest fears and motivations on the mountain’s cursed slopes.
The BBC mounted a second live production of the Auden and Isherwood play in just over a year, a decision that reflected its contemporary political resonance. Written as a potent allegory, its story of a state-sponsored heroic quest served as a sharp critique of British imperialism and the cynical manufacturing of propaganda. Broadcast in the autumn of 1938, against the backdrop of the Munich Agreement and escalating European tension, the play’s anti-heroic and anti-jingoist stance would have carried an acute charge. For the still-new television service to revisit such a formally complex and intellectually demanding work demonstrated a clear commitment to using the medium for serious, politically engaged drama.
Broadcast: BBC, 2 Performances, 18 September and 26 September 1938
Written by: W. H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood
Director: Royston Morley
Main Cast: William Devlin (Michael Ransom), Ben Wright (David Gunn), Peter Ashmore (Edward Lamp), Philip Thornley (Doctor Williams), Stuart Latham (Announcer), Catherine Lacey (Mrs A), Dennis Arundell (Sir James Ransom), Barbara Everest (Mrs Ransom), Alan Baddely (Monk)
