Diana Hawkins

Richard Attenborough made his screen debut in 1942 and now, well into his 80s, he is still a vital part of British cinema although for the past few decades he has been more noted as a director and producer than an actor.

His small but pivotal role in two of the hugely popular Jurassic Park films has introduced his gentle owlish face to a new generation, but film fundis will best remember him for directing the epic Gandhi.

Possibly his most famous role was as Squadron Leader Roger ‘big X’ Bartlett in The Great Escape [with Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, Donald Pleasance and a host of other big names] but that was just one of the over 60 films in which he has acted.

‘Dickie’ wrote the book in conjunction with Diana Hawkins, his colleague, friend and professional partner for nearly 50 years: together or apart they have worked in the movie industry since the Second World War, and knew everyone from David Lean to Charlie Chaplin to Princess Diana.

Lawrence Olivier, Lord Snowden, Pierce Brosnan, Steven Spielberg, Winnie Mandela, Michael Douglas, Alec Guiness, Noel Coward, Ben Kinglsey, John Mills, Dirk Bogarde and Agatha Christie are just a few of the famous people whom one meets within these pages.

Any account covering over 60 years of showbiz should indeed be – as the blurb promises – ‘frank and funny’ but alas, this is not. Considering the majority of people mentioned are long dead, one would hope a little indiscretion would be in order.

For an avowed agnostic, Dickie has a remarkably Christian attitude to his fellow man an no matter how grievous their betrayal of him he mentions them in terms of sorrow rather than anger, never indulging in cross words any more than he lets loose the funny irreverent observations that one hopes for from an insider.

Self-deprecating he certainly is but while his initial references to his brother, TV animal guru David Attenborough, as the ‘thin brainy one’ might elicit a smile, it all gets a bit much in the end and one wishes he would acknowledge some sibling rivalry like any other normal person.

Another complaint is with the format of the book which plays chronological hopscotch over his 85 years, beginning in 1982 with the Oscar ceremony in which Gandhi took the honours with eight Oscars, then back tracking and fast forwarding in a seemingly arbitrary fashion.

Inspired and motivated by Diana Hawkins, Dickie directed and produced Chaplin in 1992, taking a chance by casting the brilliant but then unknown maverick Robert Downey Jr as his lead.

The film was not a critical success, which Attenborough blames mainly on the narrative structure: instead of telling the story as a straightforward narrative of the life of Charlie Chaplin, they were forced to present it as a series of flashbacks.

It is ironic that he makes the same mistake in his autobiography, starting with the Oscars in 1982, and then hopping hither and yon from the 1930s to the 21st century. Stream of consciousness is all very well on occasions but it is not used to best effect in biography.

It would seem that the making of the film Gandhi, which took 20 long years, was the highlight of Attenborough’s life and much of the book is devoted to descriptions of his efforts to bring his vision to the big screen.

Of interest to South Africans is his second notable achievement: the filming of ‘Cry Freedom’ based on the story of East London Daily Dispatch Editor Donald Woods’s friendship with Black Consciousness leader Steve Biko.

Before making the film Dickie visited South Africa to meet the real people whom he planned to portray and to get their permission: he was introduced to a host of South African liberal political luminaries – Helen Suzman, Winnie Mandela, Frederick van Zyl and Beyers Naude amongst others.

For most of his visit he was followed by BOSS operatives and ultimately, at the urging of his white activist host, he and his wife took an early flight out of the country.

Unfortunately for fans of Attenborough the actor the book gives a lot of detail about his work as a director but barely mentions the films he stared in: Dr Doolittle, The Great Escape, Loot, Elizabeth, Jurassic Park – glossed over or ignored entirely. No mention of Rex Harrison, David Hemmings, Cate Blanchett or many of the other great stars with whom he performed.

There are good points about the book – lots of pictures, for a start and some personal insights – but they are outweighed by the negative points and a horrendous index. In a word, disappointing and yet, for every serious student of cinema, a worthwhile read.

Happily married to his childhood sweetheart for over 60 years, and with a close, happy family, Richard Attenborough serves as an inspiration for our times: if you want scandal and insider gossip this is not the book for you, but as a source of hope for the future and simple belief in following one’s own heart, ‘Entirely Up to You’ is just the thing.… (altro)