Disraeli (TV serial)

Disraeli, also called Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic, is a 1978 four-part British serial about the great statesman and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Benjamin Disraeli. It was produced by Associated Television and aired on ITV.

This article is about British 1978 television series about the Prime Minister. It is not to be confused with Disraeli (1929 film).

Disraeli
DVD cover art
Screenplay byDavid Butler
Directed byClaude Whatham
StarringIan McShane
Theme music composerWilfred Josephs
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
ProducerCecil Clarke
Production locationEngland
EditorAl Pigden
Production companyAssociated Television
Release
Original networkITV (UK)
PBS's Masterpiece Theatre (US)
Original release5 September 1978 (1978-09-05) (UK)
1 June 1980 (1980-06-01) (US)

With a screenplay by David Butler, it stars Ian McShane and was directed by Claude Whatham. Spanning five decades of Disraeli's life, the serial focuses as much on Disraeli's personal life as it does on his political persona.

Filmed on site in England, the miniseries received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Limited Series after being broadcast in the US in 1980 as part of Masterpiece Theatre under the title Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic.[1]

Plot

As the series starts, Disraeli is a Byronic world traveler who has published two novels but is struggling with debt. He tries making connections in high society, and eventually runs for office several times, albeit unsuccessfully.

Much of his personal life is covered, and his more successful involvement with politics starts in the second episode, which ends with his being sworn in as Chancellor of the Exchequer.

The rest of the series chronicles his rise to power, the death of his wife, and his two terms as Prime Minister.

Cast

Reception

The miniseries was widely praised.[2] The American television magazine Panorama wrote that "McShane captures the inner contradictions of the man" and "It says a lot for Ian McShane's performance in this television series that he brings out both the likeable and the questionable qualities in Disraeli's character."[2]

The miniseries was broadcast in the U.S. on PBS's Masterpiece Theatre in 1980[3] and was subsequently nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series.[1]

In 1980 screenwriter David Butler also published a book based on the series, titled Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic, via Warner Books.[4]

References
  1. "Disraeli: Portrait of a Romantic". Emmys.com. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  2. Slide, Anthony (1996). Some Joe You Don't Know: An American Biographical Guide to 100 British Television Personalities. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 177.
  3. Williams, Christian (31 May 1980). "Prime Portrait". Washington Post. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
  4. Burt, Daniel S. (2001). The Biography Book: A Reader's Guide to Nonfiction, Fictional, and Film Biographies of More Than 500 of the Most Fascinating Individuals of All Time. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 114.
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