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Portrait of a Lady (1968)
STARS: Richard Chamberlain, Suzanne Neve, Edward Fox.
DIRECTOR: N/A. DURATION: 360 mins.
SYNOPSIS: Drama based on Henry James' 1881 novel about a spirited young American woman who visits England and insists on complete freedom to choose her own future - unfortunately she makes the wrong decision by marrying a man interested in her only as a prize object.
RC PLAYS: Ralph Touchett.
Out of the white coat, into period costumes and something for Chamberlain to get his teeth into - at last.
A distinct lack of decent parts in America coupled with typecasting following the end of Dr. Kildare, led Richard to uproot to London, where he hoped to follow his ambition of becoming a 'real' English actor.
"I got an offer to appear on the Eamonn Andrews television show; he's something like Johnny Carson," says Chamberlain, explaining how fate played a hand in his career's next phase. "I thought, 'Aha! It's an omen! They'll pay my way over! I'll pack my bags and go!' So I went. Shortly after I got there, my agent mentioned that the BBC was doing a TV version of Henry James' Portrait of a Lady and asked if I would be interested in playing Ralph Touchett. I love James and I love the novel."
However, characteristic self-doubts soon began to set in. "I was terrified about working with English actors," he revealed. "All that training and diction. But then I found out that they were even more afraid about working with me."
All Richard's hard work during filming and enthusiasm for the project paid off as he gained respect from his colleagues and numerous plaudits from critics. Certainly all the actor's concerns about his technique proved unfounded - he more than holds his own opposite the likes of Edward Fox, a member of one of Britain's oldest acting dynasties.
As usual the BBC spared no expense when it came to recreating the era, so it probably comes as no surprise that this version is regarded as better than even acclaimed director Jane Campion's recent cinematic adaptation.
But what did Chamberlain think of his first foray into mini-series? "That was the turning-point in my career," he says.
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