Two-Headed Eagle
Two Headed Eagle is a 1961 Australian television play directed by William Sterling and starring Margo Lee. It was based on a play by Jean Cocteau which had been first presented on the London stage in 1946.[1] The adaptation was by Alan Seymour who wrote a number of TV plays around this time.[2]
| Two-Headed Eagle | |
|---|---|
 Advertisement The Age 14 Dec 1960 | |
| Directed by | William Sterling |
| Written by | Alan Seymour |
| Based on | play by Jean Cocteau translated by Carl Wildman |
Production company | |
Release date | 14 December 1960 (Melbourne) 8 March 1961 (Sydney) |
Running time | 75 mins |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
Premise
An assassin sets out to kill a widowed Queen.
Cast
- Edward Brayshaw as the assassin Stanislas[3]
- Margo Lee as the Queen
- Michael Duffield as Felix von Willenstein
- Christopher Hill as Christopher Von Foehn
- Madeline Howell as Edith Von Berg
- Joe Jenkins as Tony
Reception
The TV critic for The Sydney Morning Herald praised Margo Lee's performance but thought the play "could have been more effective if there had been a little more care in the production. The camera work relied too much on ordinary close and long shots; there was nothing much, in this respect, to enliven proceedings during the queen's long vocal cadenza; and the quality of the sound-reproduction was variable."[4]
The Age said it was a "personal triumph" for Lee.[5]
See also
- List of television plays broadcast on Australian Broadcasting Corporation (1960s)
References
- "Untitled". The Age. 8 December 1960. p. 14.
- Vagg, Stephen (18 February 2019). "60 Australian TV Plays of the 1950s & '60s". Filmink.
- "TV Guide". The Age. 8 December 1960. p. 37.
- "The Two Headed Eagle". Sydney Morning Herald. 9 March 1961. p. 11.
- "Personal Triumph for Magot Lee". The Age. 22 December 1960. p. 11.