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75% Critic Match
National Theatre Live: The Motive and the Cue
7.5 / 10• 2024• 2h 45m•NR• English
DramaComedy
Storyline
Returning to cinemas in 2027. In 1964, Richard Burton, newly married to Elizabeth Taylor, is to play the title role in an experimental new Broadway production of Hamlet under Sir John Gielgud’s exacting direction. But as rehearsals progress, two ages of theatre collide and the collaboration between actor and director soon threatens to unravel.
Cast & Crew
Johnny Flynn
Richard Burton
Lead
Mark Gatiss
Sir John Gielgud
Tuppence Middleton
Elizabeth Taylor
Aysha Kala
Assistant to Sir John Gielgud
Luke Norris
William Redfield
Allan Corduner
Hume Cronyn
Ryan Ellsworth
George Voskovec
Elena Delia
Jessica Levy
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Sam Mendes's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. National Theatre Live: The Motive and the Cue is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
