Most welcome Wordsworths

Press, 21 October 1980, Page 19

Most welcome Wordsworths

Review

John Collins

SAfter an enticing buildup; “Therese Raquin” (One, Sunday) failed to';, screen because of a housekeeping problem. But the substitute was charming _a representation of the life and work of the poet Wordsworth. ,It must be fare indeed that there, is such a satisfying conjunction on the screen of words and vision. Add to this, characterisation and judicious introductions of tension — and the programme became a thing of beauty, a grateful replacement no matter what had to be abandoned, and a Sunday night mood piece at its best.. Most people are not very good with poetry, but they would not have been long adrift with the brilliant camerawork of this programme to carry them along. It was a case, for once, of being helped bv colour reception. William Wordsworth was a poet of Nature; and it was nature jn its countryside and plants that this programme set out to celebrate. It also set out to celebrate Wordsworth's “still, sad music of humanity,” and if at times the studio music was a little too loud for Wordsworth’s humanity the defect was not fatal. Television has its builtin .points, of reference and actors are subject to these whether they like it: or nofso .when Felicity Kendal, as sister Dorothy,

standing in a none too affluent cottage kitchen and surrounded by obvious fruit of her own garden and cultivation, began breaking eggs into an earthenware bowl the neon sign at the corner of the screen began to flash “The Good Life,” and if Penelope Keith had marched in fluting patronisingly nobody might have been surprised although they would certainly have been very disappointed. The atmosphere was most satisfactory as it was, for this Sunday evening bonus. With scenery like the English Lake Dis'trict to hand, not to mention the declamatory lines of Mr Wordsworth, Television . New Zealand is welcome to stumble on a change of programme like this any time it likes. It is not possible to leave this tribute without referring once ■ more to Miss Kendal. She has a face made for expressing chummy — in this case, sisterly — affection, especially where involuntary and laughing tears have to be fought back.

Her square chops and wide mouth with overlapping lips, together with her’ huge eyes make her a

director’s dream where triumph in the face of adversity, or even the converse, is called for in the script. Those in the country who are concerned more With how the country is run. than with the political parties or. the political personalities who do the running had a bad time this week-end, because they had no chance of getting through a news or public-affairs programme without “the leadership crisis” raging on the screen.

The strongest sense of unreality about the whole thing came in the capacity' of the main politicians interviewed to behave as though there was really nothing unusual going on at all. Thus Mr Muldoon was ebullient, as usual; and Mr Taiboys (in London) refused to answer questions, as usual.

, Having been too generrous to Television in the opening paragraphs it is now convenient to redress the balance.

“Wednesday Love” (One); which had been languishing somewhere since 1975 and might have been better to go on doing so, was a 8.8. C. psychological play with (of course) no ending. . Since it was Sunday there were no ad breaks, and they were missed. This must mean that either the programme needed these breaks as tedium rests, or that the worst has happened and ads are now addictive.