Now available on DVD for the first time, Ian McKellen's breakthrough performance as Edward II from the 1969 Edinburgh Festival! The BBC broadcast of this critically lauded production caused a sensation with its uncompromised portrayal of Edward's sexuality, including the first kiss between two men on British television.

Christopher Marlowe's play is remarkably modern. It is perhaps surprising to realize that his sensuous and poetic depiction of love between two men is 400 years old. Edward II is a flawed ruler, his reign marred by civil strife and rebellion, but it was his love life that ultimately turned the nobles against the king. The play begins with the return from exile of Edward's favorite courtier, Gaveston (James Laurenson, MI-5, State Of Play). Edward's devotion to Gaveston, and his stubborn refusal to give him up, is at the heart of the play's tragedy.