IMDb plot summary: Everyman is successful, popular and riding high when Death comes calling. He is forced to abandon the life he has built and embark on a last, frantic search to recruit a friend.
Directed by Rufus Norris and Nick Wickham. Starring Chiwetel Ejiofor, Philip Martin Brown, and Paul Bullion.
Everyman is the National Theatre Live filmed production of the 15th-century morality play, starring Chiwetel Ejiofor as the titular Everyman who is summoned to death, where he will have to account for himself and how he spent his life. He is allowed to look for someone to make the journey with him and vouch for him, but all the people and things he counted on in life reject him. This production is a fun updated adaptation, with interesting use of lights and sound to set the scene; I especially love the extended opening sequence that showcases Everyman's reckless party life before he's suddenly called to defend himself. Ejiofor plays the character with as much depth as the allegory allows for, but the design is really the star of the show here. It's never going to be my favorite play, but if you're looking for a fairly accessible version, this one captures its essence while mostly successfully modernizing it.
How it entered my Flickchart:
National Theatre Live: Everyman < Le voyage au Groenland
National Theatre Live: Everyman > One 2 Ka 4
National Theatre Live: Everyman > In & Out
National Theatre Live: Everyman < The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe (2005)
National Theatre Live: Everyman < Camelot
National Theatre Live: Everyman > House of Flying Daggers
National Theatre Live: Everyman > Hang 'Em High
National Theatre Live: Everyman > Don Jon
National Theatre Live: Everyman > Isadora
National Theatre Live: Everyman > Till the Stars Come Down
National Theatre Live: Everyman > Ladies of Leisure
National Theatre Live: Everyman < Funny Girl
Final spot: #2359 out of 3969, or 41%.
