Timon Of Athens (BBC Shakespeare Collection) [DVD] [1981]

Money, friendship and its betrayal, honest feeling, and reckless generosity are explored in this very fine Jonathan Miller production for the BBC. Timon of Athens is a collaborative work of Shakespeare and Thomas Middleton. It is probably an incomplete work due to the sketchy nature of some of its parts and characterizations. In this production Jonathan Pyrce gives an astonishingly intense and metalic performance of the title role of Timon. A little known and infrequently performed work, this is a highly recommended performance.

A play one may best describe as ‘interesting’ rather than good or enjoyable but it suffers with the low budget production values so typical of these BBC adaptations of that time.This rather detracts from the performances and direction of the respective Jonathans involved.

Worth buying

A beautiful and moving production.

A flawed play but reveals Shakespeare's mind in a powerful way.

Timon of Athens is a very generous man. But he little realises that all his many good friends are fly by nights.Sadly he ends giving it all away, and yes, you guessed it, none of his friends will help him out.So after losing it all, he ends up sleeping on the beach....but you will need to watch the rest as i do not want to spoil the ending.As a point of interest. That sex kitten Dianna Dors is in this production but i bet you will not recognise her.Overall an interesting tragedy, one that is still relevant today and should serve to sound a sound warning in this day and age. A little slow but not dull. But then i like Shakespeare!

Great play. Terrible version. There appears to be very little interest in the language which is mumbled at speed.

It is OK . I ponder how Shakespeare audience would respond to this kind of production ? The play is not simple everyday piece to mash and I am not sure that general audience would understood to the play well. But I may be wrong. They were obviously "literate" and- perhaps there was nothing else in the West end . The BBC production is difficult to tie together as in picture and as in verse what are in shadows of something else. .