Private Potter
Encyclopedia
Private Potter is a 1962
British drama film
directed by Caspar Wrede
and starring Tom Courtenay
, Mogens Wieth
, Ronald Fraser
, and James Maxwell
.
.
was written by Ronald Harwood
for a television play that was broadcast on ITV
in 1961 as an ITV Television Playhouse production and featured the same main cast. Finnish-born director Caspar Wrede first spotted Tom Courtenay while he was still at RADA
and the leading role of the fragile young soldier who wilts under pressure was his first film appearance.
1962 in film
The year 1962 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May - The Golden Horse Film Festival and Awards are officially founded by the Taiwanese government....
British drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
directed by Caspar Wrede
Caspar Wrede
Baron Caspar Wrede af Elimä was a Finnish film and theatre director.-Early life:...
and starring Tom Courtenay
Tom Courtenay
Sir Thomas Daniel "Tom" Courtenay is an English actor who came to prominence in the early 1960s with a succession of films including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner , Billy Liar , and Dr. Zhivago . Since the mid-1960s he has been known primarily for his work in the theatre...
, Mogens Wieth
Mogens Wieth
Mogens Wieth was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 27 films between 1940 and 1962.He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and died in London, England.-Selected filmography:* Som sendt fra himlen...
, Ronald Fraser
Ronald Fraser
Ronald Fraser was an English character actor, who appeared in numerous British films of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s whilst also appearing in many popular TV shows.-Background:...
, and James Maxwell
James Maxwell (actor)
James Maxwell was an American actor, theatre director and writer, particularly associated with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.-Early life:...
.
Plot
The eponymous Private Potter is a soldier who claims that the reason he cried out leading to the death of a comrade was that he saw a vision of God. There is then a debate over whether he should be court-martialledCourt-martial
A court-martial is a military court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of members of the armed forces subject to military law, and, if the defendant is found guilty, to decide upon punishment.Most militaries maintain a court-martial system to try cases in which a breach of...
.
Production
The screenplayScreenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
was written by Ronald Harwood
Ronald Harwood
Sir Ronald Harwood CBE is an author, playwright and screenwriter. He is most noted for his plays for the British stage as well as the screenplays for The Dresser and The Pianist, for which he won the 2003 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay...
for a television play that was broadcast on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
in 1961 as an ITV Television Playhouse production and featured the same main cast. Finnish-born director Caspar Wrede first spotted Tom Courtenay while he was still at RADA
Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art is a drama school located in London, United Kingdom. It is generally regarded as one of the most renowned drama schools in the world, and is one of the oldest drama schools in the United Kingdom, having been founded in 1904.RADA is an affiliate school of the...
and the leading role of the fragile young soldier who wilts under pressure was his first film appearance.
Cast
- Tom CourtenayTom CourtenaySir Thomas Daniel "Tom" Courtenay is an English actor who came to prominence in the early 1960s with a succession of films including The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner , Billy Liar , and Dr. Zhivago . Since the mid-1960s he has been known primarily for his work in the theatre...
as Private Potter - Mogens WiethMogens WiethMogens Wieth was a Danish film actor. He appeared in 27 films between 1940 and 1962.He was born in Copenhagen, Denmark and died in London, England.-Selected filmography:* Som sendt fra himlen...
as Yannis - Ronald FraserRonald FraserRonald Fraser was an English character actor, who appeared in numerous British films of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s whilst also appearing in many popular TV shows.-Background:...
as Doctor - James MaxwellJames Maxwell (actor)James Maxwell was an American actor, theatre director and writer, particularly associated with the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.-Early life:...
as Lieutenant Colonel Harry Gunyon - Ralph MichaelRalph MichaelRalph Michael was an English actor. He was born in London, United Kingdom.His film appearances include: A Night to Remember, Children of the Damned, Khartoum, Grand Prix, The Assassination Bureau, and Empire of the Sun.Television credits include: The Adventures of Robin Hood, Dixon of Dock Green,...
as Padre - Brewster MasonBrewster MasonBrewster Mason was an English stage actor who also made some notable film and television appearances.He was born in Kidsgrove, Staffordshire and made his stage debut at the Finsbury Park Open Air Theatre in 1947. He then appeared on stage in repertory theatre, in London's West End and on Broadway...
as Brigadier - Eric ThompsonEric ThompsonEric Norman Thompson was an English actor, producer and television presenter.Thompson was born in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, the son of George Henry and Anne Thompson, and grew up Rudgwick, Sussex, attending Collyer's School, Horsham...
as Captain John Knowles - John Graham as Major Sims
- Frank FinlayFrank FinlayFrancis Finlay, CBE is an English stage, film and television actor.-Personal life:Finlay was born in Farnworth, Lancashire, the son of Margaret and Josiah Finlay, a butcher. A devout Catholic, he belongs to the British Catholic Stage Guild. He was educated at St...
as Captain Patterson - Harry LandisHarry LandisHarry Landis is a British actor. He has had a long career in British television and film and is known for playing cockney-Jewish roles....
as Lance Corporal Lamb - Michael Coles as Private Robertson
- Jeremy Geidt as Major Reid
- Fulton MackayFulton MackayFulton Mackay OBE was a Scottish actor and playwright, best known for his role as prison officer Mr. Mackay in the 1970s sitcom Porridge.-Early life:...
as Soldier