Australian TV Plays: The Chinese Wall (17 April 1963)

Some art house stuff. From a play by Max Frisch. This was the ABC's arty phase of 1962-63. They would rather do this than Australian content.

It was the world premiere on TV. TV times called it "one of the most unusual and important avante garde plays seen on Australian TV".

Plot

A modern character, The Contemporary, invites the audience to watch. He then becomes involved in the play's action.

In the second century BC the Emperor Hwang Ti is building the Great Wall of China "to hold up time and prevent all future."

Historical characters from other ages meet him in his royal garden in order to tell him what they know of what is happening. Characters include Don Juan, Romeo and Juliet, Napoleon, Christopher Columbus, Brutus and Cleopatra. They submit their knowledge of collapsing empires and cvilisations, world wars and atom bombs, but cannot prevent evil.

Cast

Edward Brayshaw as The Contemporary
Joan Letch as Olson, mother of the mute tortured, suspected of being the Voice of the People
Carole Potter as the emperor's daughter, Princess Mee Lan
Edward Howell as the Emperor of China
David Mitchell as Wu Tsiang, a Chinese prince
Sydney Conabere as Da Hing Yeng, the Emperor's Master of Revels

Original play

The play was first produced in 1946 but it achieved little success. Firsch later rewrote it following the success of his second play The Fire Raisers and it was produced successfully in theatres in Europe. It was translated into English from German only in 1962.

In the early 1960s some of Max Frisch's plays were done on BBC radio. But not this one.

You can borrow a copy of the play here.

Frisch was called one of the big four of contemporary European dramatists - the others were Brecht, Ionesco and Duerren-Duerren. TV Times said "He is a moralist with a conscience. His works reflect a grave uneasiness at the political and social position in the world and the consequence of man's failure everywehere to face individual responsibility."

Production

The play by Max Frisch was translated by James L. Rosenberg. It was adapted for television by Richard Lane.

Will Sterling read the script in the ABC's head office in Sydney and wanted to produce it on Australian television. It was the first non-Australian play to have its world TV premiere in Melbourne during the past five years (that had been The Soldier's Tale starring Robert Helpmann directed by Sterling).

"Frisch uses the stage to tell a message as well as entertain," said Sterling. "He is anti romantic. He hopes to achieve through the farce an awakening of the individual to his responsibilities."

Stering said Frisch "adheres closely in style to Berthold Brecht whose epic theatre is the main breakaway in our times from traditional forms."

According to one report, "The play's message is that mankind now has the means of destroying itself and must cope with this situation. Playwright Frisch chose the Chinese Wall as an allegorical basic for his play because it is one of the world's oldest constructions still standing in more or less its original state.^"

The play was experimental.

It was recorded at ABC's Ripponlea Studios on 17 April 1963.

Edward Brayshaw announced he wanted to go to England after it. He had made 24 TV plays, 23 at the ABC one on Shadow of the Vine. Plus 20 stage plays adnd 25 radio dramas.

Reception

The Age gave it a poor review saying the play was "ninety percent reiteration".

The Age, reviewing the year in TV drama, said Chinese Wall and Barnstable were examples of "highbrow productions of limited appeal" which "frustrated more than they entertained, among local productions."