Billy Budd
Screening on Film
Directed by Peter Ustinov.
With Peter Ustinov, Robert Ryan, Terence Stamp.
UK, 1962, 35mm, black & white, 125 min.
With Peter Ustinov, Robert Ryan, Terence Stamp.
UK, 1962, 35mm, black & white, 125 min.
Actor Peter Ustinov directed, produced, starred in, and adapted from a Broadway play this version of Herman Melville's classic allegorical tale of treachery in the eighteenth-century British navy. Under Ustinov's direction there is a decided shift in emphasis from Melville's portrayal of absolute good and evil to a poignant examination of the blindness of justice and the law. Featuring an array of sterling performances, the angelic Billy is played by a blond Terence Stamp in his film debut. Ustinov himself is Man-o-War Captain Vere, forced to try the naïve Billy for the accidental murder of evil master-at-arms Claggart, played with staggering authority by Robert Ryan, who had long coveted the role.
Part of film series
Screenings from this program
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The Little Match Girl
Directed by Jean Renoir, 1928
Live piano accompaniment by Peter FreisingerScreening on Film
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Nana
Directed by Jean Renoir, 1926
Live piano accompaniment by Peter FreisingerLive Musical AccompanimentScreening on Film
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Trailers, Trailers, Trailers
Introduced by Film Conservator Julie BuckScreening on Film
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Treasures from the Harvard Film Archive: ...
Sweet Smell of Success
Directed by Alexander Mackendrick, 1957
Screening on Film
