“THE DREAM WAS AMERICA AND THE DOOR TO THE DREAM WAS ELLIS ISLAND.”
Ellis Island is a television miniseries broadcast in three parts in 1984 on the CBS television network. The screenplay was co-written by Fred Mustard Stewart, adapted from his 1983 novel of the same title. The series tells the story of several immigrants from the late 1800s until the early 1910s, trying to achieve the American Dream and arriving on Ellis Island, hoping for a better life. Ellis Island highlighted numerous important events which occurred up to and during World War I, and many of the characters are based on real persons, such as Irving Berlin.
Creator
Status
Ended
Type
Scripted
Seasons
1
Episodes
3
3 episodes
Vanessa Ogden
King Lear is a video production of William Shakespeare's 1606 play of the same name, directed by Michael Elliott. It was broadcast in 1983 in the UK and in 1984 in the US. Elliott set his Lear in an environment resembling Stonehenge, although the production was entirely shot in a studio. The somewhat out-of-focus effect that one sees at certain moments is because mist pervades the setting in several scenes. In keeping with the primitive backdrop, this production emphasizes the primitive over the sophisticated. Shakespeare's characters use the clothing, weapons, and technology of the early Bronze Age rather than the Elizabethan era. Laurence Olivier played Lear in this production to great acclaim, winning an Emmy for his performance. It was the last of Olivier's appearances in a Shakespeare play. At 75, he was one of the oldest actors to take on this enormously demanding role. A notable cast was assembled for this production, including, in addition to Olivier, John Hurt, Diana Rigg, Leo McKern, Dorothy Tutin, Anna Calder-Marshall, Colin Blakely, and Robert Lindsay. The American syndicated telecasts featured an introduction shot at the real Stonehenge, featuring Peter Ustinov as host. It has been released on DVD in both Region 1 and Region 2 editions.
