Swan Song (film)
Encyclopedia
Swan Song is a 1992 short film directed by Kenneth Branagh
and adapted for the screen by Hugh Cruttwell
from the one act play of the same name by Anton Chekhov
. It stars John Gielgud
as the aging actor Svetlovidov and Richard Briers
as the prop-master Nikita.
, but lost to the comedy Omnibus
.
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
and adapted for the screen by Hugh Cruttwell
Hugh Cruttwell
Hugh Percival Cruttwell was an influential teacher of drama and principal of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.-Biography:...
from the one act play of the same name by Anton Chekhov
Anton Chekhov
Anton Pavlovich Chekhov was a Russian physician, dramatist and author who is considered to be among the greatest writers of short stories in history. His career as a dramatist produced four classics and his best short stories are held in high esteem by writers and critics...
. It stars John Gielgud
John Gielgud
Sir Arthur John Gielgud, OM, CH was an English actor, director, and producer. A descendant of the renowned Terry acting family, he achieved early international acclaim for his youthful, emotionally expressive Hamlet which broke box office records on Broadway in 1937...
as the aging actor Svetlovidov and Richard Briers
Richard Briers
Richard David Briers, CBE is an English actor whose career has encompassed theatre, television, film and radio.He first came to prominence as George Starling in Marriage Lines in the 1960s, but it was in the following decade when he played Tom Good in the BBC sitcom The Good Life that he became a...
as the prop-master Nikita.
Awards
Swan Song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short FilmAcademy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
, but lost to the comedy Omnibus
Omnibus (film)
Omnibus is a 1992 short comedy film directed by Sam Karmann. It won an Academy Award in 1993 for Best Short Subject and it won the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:* Daniel Rialet - The Man* Jacques Martial - The Conductor...
.