Today's Countdown viewing theme is based loosely on British works of literature. Earlier this morning, for example Shakespeare's Hamlet was on view. It is the production with Patrick Stewart (Captain Piccard) and David Tenet (Dr. Who) from 2009. I'll try to post a few spooky bits about Britain (there are lot!), barring continued Internet troubles here. All of the performance can be seen over at the PBS site. I have previously blogged about it in a blog special earlier this year.
WHAT'S ON NOW
Starring late very talented British actor Nigel Hawthorne. It is based on a play by Alan Bennett, and it was he who adapted it for the screen. It is loosely based--in comedic style--on the first real serious attack of some (then) unknown illness of King George III of England. We here in America know him as the monarch that was on the throne at time of the war of independence ("American Revolution"). In Britain, his illness (which first manifest itself after the lose of the American colonies) was a serious crisis, and frankly scared the hell out of everyone. Despite that members of government tried to keep it on the QT--George's heir to throne (responsible with a mawkishly colored "villa" that still stands in Brighton) made a deal of it in his ultimately unsuccessful attempt to be made Regent of the crown (he later was made regent). It also stars Helen Mirren, Rupert Everet, Ian Holm, Rupert Graves, Amanda Donahoe, Julian Wadham....and well a LOT of other really talented British thespians. See IMDb entry here, for full list.
We now know that the King was suffering from Porphyria, a progressively degenerative disease if it isn't maintained by the the proper treatment. Treatment, alas, that didn't exist in the 18th century. George III eventually became permanently infirmed from the the disease (and there are those who thought he suffered from some sort of mental illness, by NO "mental illness" turns your pee blue).
Here's a fan video of Hamlet
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