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Patrick McGoohan stars in this adaptation ot the Henrik Ibsen play in which an uncompromising and ultimately tortured priest forces those around him to accept the only true path to God, including the residents of the village in which he was born. Through his fanatic beliefs he manages to cause the death of his wife, lose his son and eventually get exiled and stoned by the villagers.
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Those who watch this will realise that had McGoohan picked his film roles more carefully, and perhaps appeared more on our stage, he could have become one of the greatest actors of his
generation. Maybe there are other reasons why this did not happen but lack of acting skill is not one. McGoohan's presence is towering; his acting is huge, however at this time, 1959, his acting was developed for the stage, and he hadn't yet learnt that acting in front of the camera involved different skills. This DVD presents a BBC film of the stageplay, with McGoohan as the fiercely devout priest, demanding "all or nothing" from his flock, and prepared to sacrifice everything - his Mother, his child, his wife, himself - in pursuit of his devotion to God. There are no light moments here, no relief, a role to which McGoohan seems well suited; the one criticism that might be levelled at him is that he can be rather pious and humourless in his roles.
generation. Maybe there are other reasons why this did not happen but lack of acting skill is not one. McGoohan's presence is towering; his acting is huge, however at this time, 1959, his acting was developed for the stage, and he hadn't yet learnt that acting in front of the camera involved different skills. This DVD presents a BBC film of the stageplay, with McGoohan as the fiercely devout priest, demanding "all or nothing" from his flock, and prepared to sacrifice everything - his Mother, his child, his wife, himself - in pursuit of his devotion to God. There are no light moments here, no relief, a role to which McGoohan seems well suited; the one criticism that might be levelled at him is that he can be rather pious and humourless in his roles.
The quality of the original film is a little poor, the sets are simple, but the perfomances shine through. The story of how Steven Ricks - who produces this DVD, and made several excellent "Prisoner" documentaries - found the film is not given, but it is wonderful that it has survived at all. Full marks to Steven for giving us a fascinating interview with Peter Sallis (voice of "Wallace") who plays the Doctor and the Provost in the play. After "The Prisoner", one of McGoohan's pet projects was said to have been a film of Brand, to be shot on location in Norway, but sadly it came to nothing.
But at least we have this film to savour. This Ibsen play was revived in the West End in Summer 2003, with Ralph Fiennes in the lead role.
... Read more ›2 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Carla Marx
Format:DVD
As a big fan of Patrick McGoohan, I had to order this when I discovered that he considered it his best work. Nothing wrong with the acting in it, but I found the whole thing depressing, with no point for me except that what some consider greatness, is actually weakness. That's my opinion. Brand is supposed to be a strong character according to the critics, but I found his sort of character of no use to anyone. Not a satisfying thing to watch - an awful story, with nothing uplifting about it.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
4.0 out of 5 stars
1 review
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Available on DVD (Region 1)
29 Mar 2009
By Bohemian Bon Vivant
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
Brand is available in Region 1 as part of the DVD set called "The Henrik Ibsen Collection." You can search for it here at Amazon.com.
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4.0 out of 5 stars
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