Word: bikel
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Dates: during 1955-1955
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...judges, Joan plays out the great scenes of her life: the coming of the voices, the assignations with angels and the beating she got when her father thought they were men, the political rehearsal with a rural winesack (Theodore Bikel), the advent at Chinon, the brotherhood in arms (Bruce Gordon) and the rich reek of fighting France -stale wine, hot harness -that kept her head clear through the glory and the banners and the blood. Scene follows scene without shift; past follows present follows past as sun follows shadow on a dappled day. As Joan strides through her story...
...American context to heighten her joyful spirit, so the other characters have been adapted with varying degrees of success, however. Boris Karloff is a restrained and very effective Cauchon. While he is sympathetic, the role demands an unwavering conception of duty which permits little new interpretation. Theodore Bikel, as Robert de Beauricourt, is properly rowdy but perhaps a victim of the incongruity of French and American vulgarity. His almost Prussian manner may be an attempt to breach the gap, but it is an inadequate one. If Christopher Plummber had rendered Warwick American-style, the result would have been ludicrous. Happily...
...hour play into the allotted 54 minutes, used a single set, concentrated on closeups, and apparently aimed at the style of the recitative. Speeches were delivered with ringing clarity, and Shakespeare's vivid imagery made up for the TV version's many lacks. Theodore Bikel's fat Caesar was rich in pomposity and human infirmity. A nice scene showed him eagerly cupping his deaf ear to catch each glowing word of flattery from the conspirator luring him to his death...
...more subtle inflections of English, but in any event, it is not too serious. Felicia Montalegre plays a female lion-tamer with a vigor and grace that fail only when the excitement or anguish of her lines forces her to plunge through them. In smaller roles, Theodore Bikel, Alexander Scourby and Rita Vale are probably the show's brightest actors, with the rest of the cast not far behind...