Best of Enemies
by James Graham
Directed by Jeremy Herrin
Inspired by the documentary by Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon
RUNNING TIME: 180 Minutes
AGE RATING: 15
David Harewood (Homeland) and Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) play feuding political rivals in James Graham’s (Sherwood) multiple award-winning new drama.
In 1968 America, as two men fight to become the next president, all eyes are on the battle between two others: the cunningly conservative William F. Buckley Jr., and the unruly liberal Gore Vidal.
During a new nightly television format, they debate the moral landscape of a shattered nation. As beliefs are challenged and slurs slung, a new frontier in American politics is opening and television news is about to be transformed forever.
Jeremy Herrin (All My Sons) directs this blistering political thriller, filmed live in London’s West End.
Best of Enemies will be filmed live at the Noël Coward Theatre in London’s West End.
About the National Theatre Company
It is over five decades since the National Theatre Company under Laurence Olivier gave their first-ever performance. Since the opening night of Hamlet, starring Peter O'Toole, on 22 October 1963, the National Theatre has produced well over 800 plays. For its first 13 years, the Company worked at the Old Vic Theatre, while waiting for its new home to be completed. In 1976, under Peter Hall, the move took place and Denys Lasdun's National Theatre building was opened by The Queen.
In each of the years since, the National has staged over twenty new productions. Several different productions can be seen in any one week and there are over 1,000 performances every year, given by a company of 150 actors to over 600,000 people, with many more seeing NT productions in the West End, on tour or via National Threatre Live cinema broadcasts.
What is National Theatre Live?
National Theatre Live brings the best of British theatre to hand picked cinema screens all over the UK and beyond, from Tokyo to San Francisco, to Helmsley!
With state-of-the-art filming techniques, tailored to every play, they bring each performance as it happens, in all its glory. From close-ups that capture every flicker of emotion, to sweeping wide shots of the stage; you’ll have the best seats in the house.And, you’ll be part of something much bigger. There will be thousands of others all around the world watching along with you. Sharing every gasp, every laugh, every dramatic moment!
How does it work?
Each of the broadcasts is filmed in front of a live theatre audience. The position of cameras in the theatre is tailored to each play, to ensure that audiences watching in the cinema always get the best seat in the house.
Via satellite they then broadcast the live performance from the theatre they are in to cinemas across the UK (including the big screen at HAC), as well as many European cinemas.
The live footage from the broadcast is then packaged and shared, unedited, with cinemas for repeat encore screenings in international territories not able to screen it live, or with cinemas wishing to relive the glory. There is little or no difference between what you see in the live broadcast and a repeat encore screening.