The Man With The Flower In His Mouth
Encyclopedia
The Man With the Flower in His Mouth is a play
by the Italian
playwright Luigi Pirandello
. It is particularly noteworthy for becoming, in 1930, the first piece of television
drama ever to be produced in Britain, when a version was screened by the British Broadcasting Corporation
as part of their experimental transmissions.
("il fiore in bocca") and a peaceful businessman who has missed his train. In other words, between someone who intensely lives the little time left to him and someone who is rich with time to spend idly and irresponsibly, waiting for the morning train and entirely absorbed by the banal contretemps.
The exceptional nature of the moment, for the man who feels death upon him--to use Pirandello's phrase--and the normality of it, for the one who is absorbed in the usual affairs of life with its small daily commitments, mark the two ends of the dialectic which is animated in the grand soliloquy of the protagonist.
He lucidly analyses his last sensations on earth, evoking scenes of common life, particulars of a quotidianity which are receding from him irremediably and which, for this reason, make precious the memories of even the most trivial events. In the solemnity of his solitude, he seems to have gained unexpected awarenesses of the life that is leaving him and of death. With no sense of regret or repentance, he almost seems to bitterly enjoy his unrepeatable experience marked by the echo of the end, which allows him to dedicate himself with interest to observing the anonymous life of others, in order to grasp its sense.
's primitive 30-line television technology since the previous year, running test transmissions both from Baird's own premises and from their own radio
headquarters at Savoy Hill. In the summer of 1930 it was decided that a drama should be produced as a new test for and demonstration of the medium, and The Man With the Flower in His Mouth was selected for use because of its short length of around half an hour, its limited cast of only three characters and its confined setting.
The production was broadcast live on the afternoon of July 14, from a set at the Baird company's headquarters, 133 Long Acre in London
. The production starred Earle Grey as 'The Man', Gladys Young as 'The Woman' and Lionel Millard as 'The Customer'. It was directed by the BBC's head of radio drama
at the time, Val Gielgud
, and produced by Lance Sieveking
. The artwork was by C. R. Nevinson.
Generally regarded as a successful experiment, the production was watched at the time by Ramsay MacDonald
, the Prime Minister
, with his family from their official residence at 10 Downing Street
. Baird had installed one of his prototype 'televisors' here two months previously, so that MacDonald could view the test transmissions he and the BBC were regularly broadcasting.
in Manchester
, decided to attempt a re-creation of an extract of the play, using a replica of one of the 30-line Baird Televisiors he had constructed himself, which acted as both camera and monitor.
The 30-line signal was sufficiently low-band for Elliott to be able to record the production onto a stereo audio tape recorder
, thus preserving it for posterity. Although Elliott did not re-create the entire play and used amateur student actors in the roles, he did secure the services of the original production's producer, Lance Sieveking. Sieveking not only returned to produce the production in an attempt to assure as much authenticity as possible, but he was also able to provide the original artwork used in the play which was used again, and the very same 78-rpm gramophone record
which had provided the music in 1930, which was also re-used.
The 1967 production survives in Elliott's hands, and a small segment was seen in the 1985 Granada documentary series Television, a history of the medium.
in Brussels. The composer was Luc Brewaeys
.
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
by the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
playwright Luigi Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello
Luigi Pirandello was an Italian dramatist, novelist, and short story writer awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1934, for his "bold and brilliant renovation of the drama and the stage." Pirandello's works include novels, hundreds of short stories, and about 40 plays, some of which are written...
. It is particularly noteworthy for becoming, in 1930, the first piece of television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
drama ever to be produced in Britain, when a version was screened by the British Broadcasting Corporation
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
as part of their experimental transmissions.
Plot
The play is a one-act "dialogue", derived with small variations, from the novella La Morte Adosso (1923). The dialogue takes place in a bar, late at night, between a man who is dying of an epitheliomaEpithelioma
Epithelioma is an abnormal growth of the epithelium, which is the layer of tissue that covers the surfaces of organs and other structures of the body.-Classification:Epitheliomas can be benign growths or malignant carcinomas...
("il fiore in bocca") and a peaceful businessman who has missed his train. In other words, between someone who intensely lives the little time left to him and someone who is rich with time to spend idly and irresponsibly, waiting for the morning train and entirely absorbed by the banal contretemps.
The exceptional nature of the moment, for the man who feels death upon him--to use Pirandello's phrase--and the normality of it, for the one who is absorbed in the usual affairs of life with its small daily commitments, mark the two ends of the dialectic which is animated in the grand soliloquy of the protagonist.
He lucidly analyses his last sensations on earth, evoking scenes of common life, particulars of a quotidianity which are receding from him irremediably and which, for this reason, make precious the memories of even the most trivial events. In the solemnity of his solitude, he seems to have gained unexpected awarenesses of the life that is leaving him and of death. With no sense of regret or repentance, he almost seems to bitterly enjoy his unrepeatable experience marked by the echo of the end, which allows him to dedicate himself with interest to observing the anonymous life of others, in order to grasp its sense.
1930 television version
The BBC had been experimenting with John Logie BairdJohn Logie Baird
John Logie Baird FRSE was a Scottish engineer and inventor of the world's first practical, publicly demonstrated television system, and also the world's first fully electronic colour television tube...
's primitive 30-line television technology since the previous year, running test transmissions both from Baird's own premises and from their own radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
headquarters at Savoy Hill. In the summer of 1930 it was decided that a drama should be produced as a new test for and demonstration of the medium, and The Man With the Flower in His Mouth was selected for use because of its short length of around half an hour, its limited cast of only three characters and its confined setting.
The production was broadcast live on the afternoon of July 14, from a set at the Baird company's headquarters, 133 Long Acre in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. The production starred Earle Grey as 'The Man', Gladys Young as 'The Woman' and Lionel Millard as 'The Customer'. It was directed by the BBC's head of radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
at the time, Val Gielgud
Val Gielgud
Val Henry Gielgud was an English actor, writer, director and broadcaster. He was a pioneer of radio drama for the BBC, and also directed the first ever drama to be produced in the newer medium of television....
, and produced by Lance Sieveking
Lance Sieveking
Lance Sieveking was an English writer and pioneer BBC radio and television producer. He was married three times, and was father to archaeologist Gale Sieveking and Fortean-writer Paul Sieveking .-Biography:...
. The artwork was by C. R. Nevinson.
Generally regarded as a successful experiment, the production was watched at the time by Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
, the Prime Minister
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
, with his family from their official residence at 10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street
10 Downing Street, colloquially known in the United Kingdom as "Number 10", is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government and the official residence and office of the First Lord of the Treasury, who is now always the Prime Minister....
. Baird had installed one of his prototype 'televisors' here two months previously, so that MacDonald could view the test transmissions he and the BBC were regularly broadcasting.
1967 re-creation
As the 1930 production was transmitted live, no record survives of it in the archives. However, in 1967, Bill Elliott, a technician working at Granada TelevisionGranada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
, decided to attempt a re-creation of an extract of the play, using a replica of one of the 30-line Baird Televisiors he had constructed himself, which acted as both camera and monitor.
The 30-line signal was sufficiently low-band for Elliott to be able to record the production onto a stereo audio tape recorder
Tape recorder
An audio tape recorder, tape deck, reel-to-reel tape deck, cassette deck or tape machine is an audio storage device that records and plays back sounds, including articulated voices, usually using magnetic tape, either wound on a reel or in a cassette, for storage...
, thus preserving it for posterity. Although Elliott did not re-create the entire play and used amateur student actors in the roles, he did secure the services of the original production's producer, Lance Sieveking. Sieveking not only returned to produce the production in an attempt to assure as much authenticity as possible, but he was also able to provide the original artwork used in the play which was used again, and the very same 78-rpm gramophone record
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
which had provided the music in 1930, which was also re-used.
The 1967 production survives in Elliott's hands, and a small segment was seen in the 1985 Granada documentary series Television, a history of the medium.
2007 opera
In February 2007 an opera based on the play was premiered in De MuntLa Monnaie
Le Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie , or the Koninklijke Muntschouwburg is a theatre in Brussels, Belgium....
in Brussels. The composer was Luc Brewaeys
Luc Brewaeys
Luc Brewaeys is a Belgian composer, conductor, pianist and recording producer at the VRT...
.
See also
- BBC television dramaBBC television dramaBBC television dramas have been produced and broadcast since even before the public service company had an officially established television broadcasting network in the United Kingdom...
- List of BBC television programming
- Timeline of the BBCTimeline of the BBC- 1920s :* 1922** 18 October - The British Broadcasting Company is formed.** 14 November - First BBC broadcasts from London .** 15 November - First broadcasts from Birmingham and Manchester ....