Joseph Andrews

n 1963, director Tony Richard- Peter Brook’s Marat/Sade, Mike day Night Fever, Smokey and the son struck gold with his film Nichols’ Catch-22, Ken Russell’s Bandit, Annie Hall, The Goodbye Iadaptation of Henry Fielding’s The Boy Friend and The Devils, Girl, The Spy Who Loved Me and Tom Jones. Beloved by critics and Chariots of Fire and Yentl. He also Looking for Mr. Goodbar. Con- audiences, Jones was a huge hit, worked with Richardson on Made- temporary audiences just didn’t the fourth most successful film moiselle, The Charge of the Light seem to want to see a ribald and of that year and a winner of four Brigade, A Delicate Balance and risqué period piece. But, years Academy Awards – including Best The Hotel New Hampshire. The later, it’s easy to appreciate the Picture, Best Director and Best cast included Peter Firth as the film away from its time – it is a pe- Score. Fourteen years and many eponymous Joseph (Firth made riod film that has never dated. It’s films later, Richardson decided to his stage debut in Equus, a role very entertaining, with wonderful pay Henry Fielding another visit, he repeated on film the same year performances (Ann-Margret was hoping the same formula would as Joseph Andrews), Ann-Margret nominated for a Golden Globe), result in another box-office win- as Lady Booby, Michael Hordern, beautiful photography, and a cap- ner. This time the source was Jim Dale, Beryl Reid and Penelope tivating musical score from John Fielding’s Joseph Andrews, the Wilton (of Downton Abbey), along Addison. author’s first full-length published with cameos by John Gielgud, novel and, indeed, one of the earli- Hugh Griffith (repeating his role of Addison’s score is wonderful and est novels written in English. Field- Squire Western from Tom Jones) melodious music – it’s pastoral, ing described the book (published and Peggy Ashcroft. Also along jaunty and often quirky in its instru- in 1742) as a “comic epic poem for the ride was composer John mentation, conjuring up the world in prose.” A stage adaptation by Addison, who’d won the Oscar for of Fielding and all of the film’s col- Samuel Jackson Pratt followed in Best Score for Richardson’s Tom orful characters. Addison was a 1778 at the Theatre Royal, Drury Jones, and who had an amaz- master at this kind of score and Lane – and, two centuries later, Jo- ingly long and fruitful composer/ Joseph Andrews is prime John seph Andrews came to the screen. director collaboration with Rich- Addison. ardson, resulting in great scores For the film, Richardson assem- for films such as The Entertainer, This world-premiere release of bled a stellar team, both behind A Taste of Honey, The Loneliness Addison’s music for the film was and in front of the camera. The of the Long Distance Runner, The taken from the mono mixdown freewheeling screenplay was Charge of the Light Brigade, The tapes, which were in great condi- by Allan Scott and Chris Bryant. Loved One, Dead Cert and The tion in the Paramount vaults. The director of photography was Phantom of the Opera. the brilliant David Watkin, whose — Bruce Kimmel credits include many of Richard Alas, the film did not repeat the Lester’s films (The Knack, Help!, success of Tom Jones. It probably How I Won the War, The Bed-Sit- was a case of bad timing – 1977 ting Room, The Three Musketeers, also gave us Star Wars, Close En- The Four Musketeers and Cuba), counters of the Third Kind, Satur-