Lost Empires
| Lost Empires | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Alan Grint |
| Produced by | Granada Television[1] |
| Written by | Ian Curteis |
| Starring | Colin Firth Laurence Olivier Pamela Stephenson |
| Release date(s) | 24 October 1986 (UK) |
| Country |  United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Lost Empires is a 1986 television adaptation of J. B. Priestley's novel of the same name, and starred Colin Firth, John Castle and Laurence Olivier. It was shown as a miniseries, and premiered on UK TV in October 1986.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
A young man (Firth) joins a traveling show with his uncle. He is lured into the majestic, mysterious quality of the magic show and is soon an important fixture at conjuring acts and disappearing acts.
During the course of the seven episodes (eight hours), Firth's character, young Richard Herncastle, sees the "whole wide world" from backstage at the music hall variety shows with which the magic act travels, just as his uncle Nick (John Castle) has promised--hilarity, beauty, love, lust, fear, despair. Richard comes of age just as the world enters the fateful year of 1914--the outbreak of World War I, when the greatest of all disappearing acts becomes imminent: the disappearance of millions.
The series has the second to last appearance of Olivier as a fading comedian named Harry Burrard, who has long since lost his audience and his comic abilities. Harry should have retired years before, however he has nowhere else to go and his brain is collapsing into paranoia. The role is a sort of older version of Olivier's Archie Rice, from The Entertainer (1960).
[edit] Cast
- Colin Firth as Richard Herncastle
- John Castle as Nick Ollanton
- Gillian Bevan as Cissie Mapes
- Beatie Edney as Nancy Ellis
- Laurence Olivier as Harry Burrard
- Carmen du Sautoy as Julie Blane
- Pamela Stephenson as Lilly Farris
- Jim Carter as Inspector Crabbe
[edit] Awards
The series was nominated for six Television BAFTA Awards including Best Costume Design, Best Make-up. In the US Olivier received an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie [1].
[edit] Video and DVD
The series has been released on both VHS and DVD format.
[edit] References
- ^ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090476/companycredits "Company credits for "Lost Empires""]. IMDB. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090476/companycredits.
[edit] External links
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