I have to admit that I requested Richard Attenborough's autobiography/biography for Christmas. And it was even better than I thought it might be. His descriptions of the British film industry during and after the war are particularly interesting. A large chunk of the book is focused on the making of the movie Gandhi. From when Dickie first met Moti Kothari and read his biography of Gandhi in 1963, through the incredibly difficult process of finding funding, the rejections and double dealing over a period of sixteen years, to the heat of India on location and final unexpected success at the Oscars ("I've always said, technically and emotionally, E.T. was by far the better movie").
What also makes the book a good read is the contribution made his friend and colleague of fifty years Diana Hawkins, who offers her own insight to the Dickie's work. From his first major role as the evil Pinkie Brown in Brighton Rock in 1947 to playing John Hammond in Jurassic Park. But more important are the films he directed from A Bridge Too Far to Cry Freedom and Chaplin. His memories of a young Robert Downey Jr are worth the read alone:
"At the end of a long and dispiriting day, he was the last to stand in front of the camera (screen tests for Chaplin). He gave an excellent reading in a totally believable English accent .......... but the young actor asked if he could be granted a little more time. He left the stage and came back with a stepladder. As the camera turned, he embarked upon an extraordinary silent routine......."
You can guess the rest.
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