Sir Laurence Olivier Recites Shakespeare | The Dick Cavett Show
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- Опубликовано: 26 май 2019
- Sir Laurence Olivier delivers one of the Dick Cavett Show's most iconic moments.
Date aired - 1/24/1973 - Sir Laurence Olivier
#LaurenceOlivier #DickCavett
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Dick Cavett has been nominated for eleven Emmy awards (the most recent in 2012 for the HBO special, Mel Brooks and Dick Cavett Together Again), and won three. Spanning five decades, Dick Cavett’s television career has defined excellence in the interview format. He started at ABC in 1968, and also enjoyed success on PBS, USA, and CNBC.
His most recent television successes were the September 2014 PBS special, Dick Cavett’s Watergate, followed April 2015 by Dick Cavett’s Vietnam. He has appeared in movies, tv specials, tv commercials, and several Broadway plays. He starred in an off-Broadway production ofHellman v. McCarthy in 2014 and reprised the role at Theatre 40 in LA February 2015.
Cavett has published four books beginning with Cavett (1974) and Eye on Cavett (1983), co-authored with Christopher Porterfield. His two recent books -- Talk Show: Confrontations, Pointed Commentary, and Off-Screen Secrets (2010) and Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic moments, and Assorted Hijinks(October 2014) are both collections of his online opinion column, written for The New York Times since 2007. Additionally, he has written for The New Yorker, TV Guide, Vanity Fair, and elsewhere.
#thedickcavettshow 
Развлечения
No whooping, no howling. No twat of a host butting in, laughing hysterically at anything said.
Just a host and an audience listening to the guest.
Let's be honest, you're talking about Fallon.
No applauding success and name-drops.
Well said
A spirit of a general toward king comes from a Moor.
@@ahlishaholloway233 Police would be pleased to contact you about Fallon. He may have a secret devise shoved up an orifice of his.
Olvier spoke for non stop over 3 straight minutes without being interrupted
Humans have lost their ability to even do that in modern times
HOWARD STERN DRIVES ME BONKERS.
Nowadays it is all flashy, skin deep presentation without any substance. So someone like Trump was elected. People have become zombies.
It's because today, most people don't have an attention span of more than 2 minutes, and have no desire to learn anything. "It's of civic interest..." That's why no one cares -- most today only care about themselves...
Great observation. One possible explanation is cultural, i.e., that at the time this was recorded, there was still a basic but widespread respect for accomplished artists, so media people had no problem--considered it a pleasure, even --just to let them talk. I'm not sure there is as much respect for such figures today, or what they have to say, because the "theatre" Olivier is talking about is now subsumed under the broad category of :entertainment."
For a lesson in how to interview intelligently, probingly and respectfully---all three attributes to the "n"th degree---watch almost any Dick Cavett interview.
As an American is it a joy to hear the words of the greatest writer in the English language spoken in perfect English by a proper Englishman.
When a host would let the quest talk without butting in.
That's also when QUESTS were able to speak..... I can almost here Laurence Oliver say: 'What is your quest?!' (in a Monty Python voice)
Always let the quest have his say...
the Quest should always be allowed to speak.
My Guest has always been to find a Host who let the Quests speak and finally , I have found one and my guest is over ....!
Cheers to eternal quest!
There is no way this man was unaware of his own genius, and STILL he remained humble. Class act.
if you think Olivier was a humble man...you must also believe in santa claus
@@jadezee6316 was he hard to deal with ?
I think he was very aware of his genius or he couldn't have employed it. Humble to an extent, but able to blend into the background. Difficult, aren't we all at times?
In my youth, the first piece I saw of Sir Laurence Olivier was "Spartacus". There are (few) stretches in that movie where he is over-acting in a way that is almost unwatchable today - much too theatrical, and giving the impression of a big star not kept under control by a young director (who happened to be a certain Stanley Kubrick). This clouded my picture of this great actor for a couple of years, I have to confess. By the time, I saw other work and some interviews by him, and I got a much more positive impression. His genius has always been undoubted. I would certainly not call him arrogant or out of touch, but also not escpecially humble.
@@forkyyyy7842 yes..he could be hard to deal with....but he was also a very nasty man to many other actors and DID question their ability to their face....etc...
sorry i never saw your question before
Slips into the sonnet without altering his voice, demeanour or physicality and yet becomes the sonnet. Super human qualities of a super hero.
Dame Judi dench has this same quality and it is incredible.
He recites it perfectly because he understands it so well.
His eloquence would leave many today scratching their heads in puzzlement. Genius.
Tony Michaels and this is why his final resting place is Westminster Abbey.
English, well spoken is a beautiful language, it can be so expressive and magical. Why wouldn’t anyone not want to explore and master it ?
Linguistics has become very regressive indeed.
A gentle man
'today'? I clearly remember the early 90s, 30 years ago and it was exactly the same! 'like like like', etc! You'd have to go back to the early 80s and before to get any sense of intellectual understanding.
Wow! He just jumped into it and let go in a snap. The sincerity, the charm. When Oliver recites Shakespeare it’s the only time I understand it.
No, you don't. You think you understand it, but your mind is deluded by cognitive illusions. Nobody understands Shakespeare. 'Tis not the way of
the soliloquy to impart wisdom, you see?
teppolundgren The tartness of your words SOURS the ripest grapes. @@
I only understand it too when Olivier is uttering those famous phrases...especially in movies like Richard III. Genius.
@@SpaceCattttt be quiet u big fucking blow hard...How do u know what he knows or doesnt know....
SHADDUP.!!!!!
@@PapiSorrels 0
How enjoyable it is to hear a person speak without requiring the incessant stammering, the "uhs", "ums", "you knows" , to express a thought.
well yeah like, I mean he goes "Shakespeare" and I'm like all "as if", knowmsayn?
@@alonzogarbanzohunny his performance had me SHOOOK! I was like yassss slay son!
When Olivier acts, even here with this "recitation", something utterly mysterious and enrapturing happens. He holds the audience, the room, the very air around him absolutely transfixed. One feels almost as if hypnotized, so powerful and inescapable is his ability to capture one's very consciousness. He truly was the greatest actor of all time.
Amen to that ! Thank you for a very insightful & thoughtful comment !
@@jubalcalif9100 --And thank you or your generous acknowledgment.
@@photo161 You are or course completely & utterly welcome !! CHEERS !! :-)
Kudos to the director for dousing the lights behind him.
Sir Laurence Olivier and Maria Calas are my favorites... Daniel Day Lewis is pretty great as well.
Just beautiful. No grandstanding, no histrionics, perfect pace. (But of course; we're watching the greatest actor of the age). Delivered in that matchless voice. And that sweet, slightly feline smile....
Just watching this now, March 2024 - I am mesmerised. This man was Shakespeare personified.
Doesn't it drive you crazy that once upon a time there were talk shows as erudite and informed as this one? In the blather of nudge-and-wink showbiz gossip talk shows, nothing like this exists anymore.
they have been replaced by Ellen, can you imagine her interviewing Laurence Olivier, she would have some one jump out of a box to scare him and then make him play a game, her audience would scream and shout every time she raised a eye brow.
It’s depressing to think this has all gone.
Yes. We have to turn to podcasts for interviewers that don’t interrupt.
In fairness, Cavett was recognized for this even back then. Carson was also great, though in a more upbeat way, belying the great amount of reading and research he did. I grant you that today's "interviewers" aren't good.
@Nenethegreat W Thanks for your comment. Actually it's not up to me because I'm not American and have never lived in America - but you're correct in noting that there was trash back then too.
When Sir Laurence recited the sonnet from Shakespeare, i found myself in a flood of silent tears, So beautiful, so perfect, so immediate...divine Shakespeare with a man that could always bring him to life...
Exactly. To remember the lines is impressive to me but he knew they meant. He added humanity to the recitation and breathed life into the words.
@@olliefoxx7165 Shakespeare criticized exaggerated acting in hamlet. I read him slowly and he flows naturally
@@Anicius_ Did the language flow easily at first read or did you have to study the lines for awhile?
@@olliefoxx7165 it took me some time..
Lol alright then
This guy is just on a different level than everyone else...
Look at what we used to be. This is enlightened humanity being presented here. Beautiful in its prose, and delivery. As beautiful as a piece of symphony music. How far we have fallen in only 40 years. God let us return to this kind of society.
How we miss this type of talk
From an Irishman, what a beautiful exponent of the English language, he was unique and perhaps the greatest actor. Great interview by Mr Cavett
I do disagree. Paul Scofield was the greatest. Plus, Michael Redgrave in the Browning Version is unequalled.
Why ‘from an Irishman’?
@@22grena The Irish are masters of the English language though it not be their native tongue.
@@Paulco67 There are not many Irish speak the Gaelic nowadays, sadly.
I will forever remember his wonderfull voice from the Series " The World at War " which used to be show on a Sunday in the UK .
before he started talking about Shakespeare you could truly hear the passion in his voice about Theatre. and as a big lover of theatre That hit me hard in a good way.
The voice of "The World At War". Transfixed me as a young man.
That brilliant record of WW2, which stands the test of time even today, would be a lesser thing had Olivier not narrated it.
I remember it on PBS.
Indeed!! as it did I. His recitation of the poem 'SON' by the Russian poet Pavel Antolkolsky still brings me to tears, almost 50 years later.
@kirby waite I 'must mean' or 'surely mean' Read the poem.
Yes, his narration of WW2 was brilliant and his tone of voice and emotion was specific to the footage being shown. I am preparing an audition to play this great man and I am terrified.
Brilliant move by the director to lower the stage lights, and light Sir Larry with a single spotlight at the 5:01 mark. Nicely done!!
The was a planned event, do you actually believe that it "just happened" ?
@@moondawg3693 no I don’t.
What part of my comment didn’t you understand?
I acknowledged the director’s skill and expertise in setting the scene.
As someone wading into the ocean of Shakespeare for the first time there is no better navigator then Sir Lawrence. Bravo.
Olivier displays a humility that few actors who posses little to no talent today have. Pure class is something sorely lacking in the film/theatre industry.
Well said and well put !! :-)
Very true indeed.
YOU believe that "pure class is sorely lacking" only in the film/theatre industry? It is my impression that this is a much wider phenomenon, permeating ALL professions. This is certainly my experience.
@@OmarTorrez yes, sadly it's true
The ego and arrogance and rudeness today in actors is mind boggling. Most have little talent when you see and hear people like Sir Laurence Olivier. Compare him with Alex Baldwin.
This is indeed one of the most memorable and everlasting Sonnet by Shakespeare on everlasting Love. Sir Lawrence Olivier has recited it Beautifully. ✨🌠
Seriously could listen to him talk and articulate ideas FOREVER. A true treasure of class
He could read the phone book and I'd be happy.
Lovely to hear English language being spoken so wonderfully unlike today, different times and what a gentleman, class act❤
There is goodness and greatness still in this world, but you won't find it on the 6 o'clock news.
Look for it and be open to it and you will see it.
Wow!!... Sir Laurence Olivier's Shakespeare is superb... as was all his acting... Dick Cavett's not bad either. In fact, Cavett was the wittiest interviewer ever on American TV screens.
Both Olivier and Burton could read the phone book!
And hopkins
So true! Burton's voice gives me chills to this day. Greatest voice ever.
A man who had what Burton and Welles and Niven also had - elegance. Class.
He is a true expert of his craft. It's like the difference between a good singer and a great singer. A great singer is relaxed and absorbed by the song, taking their time and just doing it out of obsession. Olivier is 1 of the few true greats of acting.
Oyyyyy Veyyy !!!
We need a Dick Cavett for these times we're in now. Intelligent, thoughtful interviews
The general dumbing down of society is painfully apparent when you watch these 70's talk shows
@Michael Moores Anti-vaccine propaganda is a great example of the idiocy scattered to the four winds by the internet, well done.
I could NOT agree more. Dick Cavett was simply the BEST talk show host.
@@MegaAtomium being British I've only discovered him through youtube, but yes...an intelligent, witty host
Our schools once educated children, now they are indoctrination factories producing stupid little automatons...
@@pilroberts6185 If you thought that were true, then which generation's lazy oversight and political decisions are responsible? Because it isn't mine.
My mother named me Olivia, after she watched Lawrence Olivier’s rendition of Hamlet. And I’m going into acting. He’s always been such an inspiration to me. I hope to be of his caliber one day.
Good luck, or should I say don't break a leg.
A noble ambition Olivia - I look forward to the day when I can say 'Olivia Hawthorne ? Oh she's famous now, but I remember her back in the RUclips days!' Good luck.
Best of luck to you, Olivia. Stay humble. And remember not to compare yourself to your peers but rather yourself of yesterday.
Dont aim as high as this you'll be disappointed when you dont get this big, Lawrence was a one off. one of the greatest ever
Wish you the best of luck! He certsinly is a great inspiration!!
How, with such glories of the human spirit on display, have we sunk to the egotism and crassness of this current age.
Sadly....
apacheeeee
mirandas speech in the temprst is the most beautiful of a great genius
I have said it before and I will say it again , he is the greatest actor that ever lived hands down! RIP Sir Laurence
Agreed. Fortunate to have seen Sir Laurence as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice and as The Captain in Strinberg's The Dance of Death at the Old Vic. Unquestionably, an electric presence on stage but also generous to his fellow actors. The English-speaking theatre will not see his like again.
@Adam Brown Not greater than Thespis or Richard Burbage, surely...🤔
Lord Olivier. The title of this clip is wrong.
Ralph Richardson for me.
Gielgud was remarkable as well. Check out their supporting roles in Brideshead
The only time I've actually clapped watching a video.
Lord! His eloquence!
One of the greatest actors ever.
Number 1 Emily...:)
Even through informal conversation Olivier could bring such eloquence to the English language.
I am happy, and quite a bit proud, that growing up I was exposed to and to some degree witnessed the likes of Olivier, Gielgud, Richard Burton, Ralph Richardson, Paul Scofield, Peter O'Toole, Brando, Peter Ustinov etc. Those were indeed glory days. Today's generation is so much poorer and uninspired for its lack of such legends.
Well put. Well put indeed.
Well put. Thanks for the namedropping. I will dive into those.
I sure hope someone will post a list of somewhat equivalent names of today's generation here.
@@pada5992 Brando’s Napoleon shook people to their boots. Greatest single stage performance before and since. Up there with greatest.
Day Lewis, Brad Pitt, Timothee Chalamet, Russell Crowe, James Gandolfini, Christian Bale, Ed Norton, Denzel Washington, Ben Affleck, Mel Gibson, Gary Oldman would all like a word
Imagine the whooping and hollering on a modern USA talk show RIGHT in the middle of that oration!!
Uurrgh!
Paddy Pup - That's so true!
Damn, he's smooth!
The Lord of the Stage himself, the legendary and great SIR LAURENCE OLIVIER. What a great blessing to see and hear him recite a Shakespeare Sonnet with such class and grace. A true master of Shakespearean Art.
I could listen to Sir Laurence Olivier all day. What a talented man he was.
He just... says it! There's no 'performance', he just breathes the stuff out as if he's just sitting having an ordinary conversation. How the heck does he do it???
upper class upbringing
His delivery is incredible, the best actor. And the presenter is showcasing the person they're interviewing. It's not about the interviewer at all! So different nowadays
So glad this is preserved. Just hearing the sound of his voice and seeing face again, well...
You can tell he loved that recital the tears were scarcely hidden.
Sir Olivier was without doubt, the greatest actor of the 20th century. I cannot listen to him speak without getting chills. A master of the spoken English word, I doubt there will ever be another. Richard the III is truly dead. I have heard no man speak to Act I, Scene I as well as he.
The coolest man ever. That was lovely.
No one can say "years" like Sir Laurence...what a genius....
Olivier just presented the most impassioned and eloquent case for theatre in culture off the cuff I have ever heard. And tops it off with an impromptu sonnet. Incredibly difficult to even read out a sonnet and make it sound natural - I always stumble at least twice and he just made it look easy.
Oh Lord, my heart melted when he recited the sonnet. To be spoken to, in these words, in this manner!
Bravo Bea! in just twenty words you have given here a beautiful heart-warming comment so worthy of both men.
The most charming, eloquent, something aritocratic about him, the greatest actor that has ever lived
Gosh, those were the days when conversations were calm, polite, with words well-spoken. It's a delight to hear this again. I remember radio conversations, interviews, in the years of my childhood, where the use of common sense and respect was honoured. The fifties.
Yes, Marian - I grew up in England in the fifties. Only a small 9inch TV screen black & white , only one station BBC and no commercial breaks. Heaven !
From leading man to character actor no one was better
It would be hard for me to say; "we'll be right back after this message", with a straight face, after such an iconic delivery, but the world was already then so commercialized that it probably didn't seem strange.
3:33 Wow this is a great quote! He’s incredibly well spoken
I don't know what to say. Amazing. His recitation is amazing. He brings to life a language that is often difficult for most people to understand. Bravo.
The 21st Love is the preschool century. Words like culture, education, courtesy and university have become unknown or meaningless❤️
The consummate gentleman. Such soft-spoken humility, too.
"The theatre is the initial glamoriser of thought." Who else can talk so smoothly and eloquently! I enjoyed how beautifully he explained the importance of theatre in society.
The way he described the role and importance of art had me spellbound. Couldn't agree more. The great Sir Laurence Olivier...
actally it was lord olivier
With three films as actor/director - “Henry V,” “Hamlet,” and “Richard III” - Lord Olivier helped make Shakespeare accessible to a wide audience. So just to hear him do it off-the-cuff is a real treat! Truly a man of great talent, stature, and humility. A class act, as others have said here. And thank you, Dick Cavett, for bringing us such great interviews!
I saw Lord Olivier on stage several times, including his Othello, but what astounded me was when he played a very minor part in an obscure Restoration comedy, and still seemed to dominate the whole stage with his charismatic presence.
I could listen to Sir Laurence Olivier for hours
For a second he was repulsed by the applause. What a humble actor.
Love how near the beginning of the recital (5:02) the lights dim so all focus in on Olivier ...
There is much to appreciated in the written words, spoken well. And who better to speak them, than Lawrence Olivier, that Prince of the dramatic art. You hear him once and keep beghing for more....
He recited my favourite sonnet. I love sir Lawrence Olivier. I'm an ardent admirer of his. And I adore Dick Cavett as well
Damn, what a man.
A man of brillance. And very dignified.
The greatest classical actor to ever tread the boards. A genius.
Olivier his the soul of Shakespeare
We have the talking heads and in your face actors in love with themselves today. This was an actor dedicated to his trade. I don't have to say anymore....
One of my best friend's weddings is coming up next year and if I am to speak I have now found the perfect way to convey in words what their love projects to all around them. A marriage of true minds.
Olivier does not have the oratory voice of Gielgud.. but there is something about his articulation that captures you attention like a hostage while sending you imagination somewhere far away and beautiful.. A True star in every sense of the word
Wow. I knew not this sonnet, and could not claim to follow all of the allegories and nuances, yet upon its close I am left weeping. What magic.
Lord Olivier is superbly eloquent about the importance of the theatre.
Mere mortal words could not even begin to attempt to describe the absolute brilliance of Sir Laurence Olivier...I shall not even try......"If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger." -
I first saw Olivier in Spartacus when I was 15. Even in competition with Peter Ustinov and Charles Laughton, I was knocked out by his grandeur, his grace, his sheer brilliance. When he says in one scene, "No, I will not violate Rome at the moment of possessing her," it was for me the apex of film acting. I've admired him ever since.
This man, Brando, Burton, Gielgud, the young Welles......what incredible talents.
The greatest actor of the Century; Olivier could play everything from The Entertainer, to Hamlet, to Long Day's Journey Into Night, to Richard III, to Henry V to Sleuth brilliantly.
That gave me chills, so beautifully spoken. The greatest of actors, not just inhabiting a character's shell in a performance but actually illuminating the words with meaning. Beautifully done. We have nothing like this now.
Who is 'we'??? In England, WE still have actors and non actors that speak like him.
@@adoculos4521 We is Hollywood in general. Maybe you have those still in Britain but we don't have people like this anymore in the US.
@@mehitablestorm8877 Maybe you should have mentioned that on an international site?🤔
@@adoculos4521 Maybe you should stop being an ahole about an innocuous remark.
@@mehitablestorm8877 Maybe you should try educating yourself and travelling.
Them you might be able to widen your social circles you poor, pathetic, childish thing.🤦
Thanks for the laugh at your expense! 🤡😆😂🤣😆
The greatest actor who ever walked this earth. A brilliant performer with a legendary voice.
Recites a sonnet at the drop of a hat 🎩 His favorite no less!! ❤🎉
Dear Lord....I need more of this.....😍!!!!
@tintinesk5 I would appreciate...I guess...😄
He gave an unbelievable speech at the Academy awards
What a beautiful voice, such a talent!!!!!!!😁🇬🇧
SIr Lawrence was the greatest actor of all time in the world. From an Indian
How love was embraced in such a eloquent use of the English language by Olivier Shakespeare was indeed a genius whose words will live on until the earth itself expires
Truly a genius of unparrelled proportion. The words roll of his tounge like silk.
63 years old and this is the first time I have every understood Shakespeare
This was the GREATEST Actor of his Generation. THIS. Also his "Othello" on stage.... Wow. Plus all those other performances non of us ever saw Live on stage.... It doesn't get better than this.
Hypnotic in its resonance and quietly powerful in his delivery...i could listen to his voice all day and never tire of it..
It’s the eyes as much as the voice!
The English language is truly beautiful especially when spoken by such a craftsman .
That was a brilliant. How Olivier transitioned from chatting with Dick, to reciting Shakespeare, without a seam showing, was truly remarkable.
This is the English language beautifully spoken. I could listen to him all day long 😊