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Home , David Hare (playwright), Vanessa Redgrave

BAFTA HERITAGE SCREENING Sunday 5 March 2017 BAFTA 195 Piccadilly WETHERBY W1J 9LN In honour of SIMON RELPH cbe With special guests CBE, SIR and DUNCAN KENWORTHY OBE

inner of the Golden emotionally affected by the casual, even Bear at the 1985 defiant hopelessness of the sixth-form Berlinale, the enigmatic teenagers of her classroom, confronting and complex mystery a bleak, jobless future in Thatcherite Wfilm Wetherby (1985) marked David Britain. The doomed choices facing her Hare’s first foray into the big screen and hormonal students force memories to consummated Simon Relph’s reputation resurface of her own youth and sexual as a major force in the revival of British awakening in a repressive 1950s northern film production. Vanessa Redgrave’s suburb, where, as a wilful teenager, she portrait of the haunted protagonist Jean fell in love with a dashing RAF recruit Travers is viewed by many as one of her (the young Travers played brilliantly finest performances (the National Society by Vanessa Redgrave’s daughter Joely of Film Critics awarded her Best Actress Richardson in her on-screen debut). for the role). In a bravura portrayal Redgrave’s mature Travers exudes serenity and stoicism at the intrusion of devastating Release year: 1985 horror; others are unaware she has a Runtime: 102 mins reservoir of personal pain from which Director/Screenwriter: to draw, giving her the inner strength David Hare to accept a violent incident beyond the PRODUCER: Simon Relph experience of those around her. They in turn become baffled she is not distraught, and hint she is somehow culpable. At first Wetherby appears a standard Reverberating throughout is police procedural about a shocking, but the troubled figure of 25 year old ultimately random, tragedy that follows PhD student John Morgan (Tim a drunken, middle-class dinner party; McInnerny), a Nietzsche-obsessed but appearances can be deceptive. The loner who subtly manipulates the bedsitter window. But he is described by idyllic, rustic home of English teacher other characters, often against their others as “a central disfiguring blankness” Jean Travers becomes the focal point for better judgement. His unexpected himself. Morgan’s acquaintance from an unusual investigation; initially echoing arrival at Travers’ front door, carrying university Karen Creasy (Suzanna the style of Inspector Goole’s enquiry (in a brace of dead pheasants, underscores Hamilton) then insinuates herself into Priestley’s An Inspector Calls), policeman the pervading theme of mortality, Travers’ home; dressed in diaphanous Mike Langdon (Stuart Wilson) queries and his impassioned speech about the white she is like a malevolent invading the hidden motives of the respective authenticity of primal emotion betrays spirit. Creasy’s self-centred, grasping and dinner party guests. But Langdon is his unstable personality and unspoken increasingly empty personality distresses not immune from the forces that have Travers as much as that of Morgan. conspired to strip the participants of their “…it turns out I was Together Morgan and Creasy calm exteriors; he develops a compulsion personify the new principles of nihilism, to investigate an event he is forced to a sub-plot, the real casual greed and selfishness that have concede is not even a crime. Langdon’s story was happening arrived uninvited in Travers’ life. investigation gradually costs him his Confronting the ghosts stirred up happiness, his self-belief and his job. elsewhere…” by renewed tragedy, Travers comes to As nihilistic impulses swirl around challenge to middle-class sexual mores. terms with her repressed memories and her, and doubts are placed in her Disgusted with what he sees as the with the intrusions a morally bankrupt mind about the loyalty of her closest emotional void beneath the facade society is making into the cultured life friends (outstandingly realised by Judi of a British market town Morgan she defiantly chose for herself as a Dench and Ian Holm), Jean Travers is contemplates shooting at it from his young woman. That Wetherby subtly addresses genuine “…at British Screen we simply reliability that prompted increasingly destructive social and psychological couldn’t support everyone, and it was bigger names to seek him out, Bryan currents at play in mid-1980s Britain torture to Simon to have to say no to Forbes (Séance on a Wet Afternoon [1964]), was to be appallingly verified by the a project… he really stood out as Ralph Thomas (Deadlier than the Male Hungerford massacre (1987), then later someone special, because he was a [1967]), Charles Jarrott (Anne of a by major City scandals. classic independent producer himself, Thousand Days [1969]) and knew what the applicants for funds (Sunday Bloody Sunday [1971]) and John were going through…” Boorman (Zardoz [1974]). SIMON RELPH cbe (1940 Ð 2016) Simon came from a family deeply It was Simon’s ability to work with “…it is no exaggeration to say that immersed in theatrical and cinematic some of the most perfectionist auteurs, Simon was in the vanguard of the revival traditions. Simon’s mother Doris was notably with Polanski on Macbeth (1971), of British cinema after its nadir in the a set-designer and his father Michael made in the aftermath of the Manson …” (Stephen Woolley). was a film producer making politically murders, that convinced directors they Without Simon Relph the rebirth committed and creative features; an could not afford to ignore Simon’s of an indigenous British film industry important example being Victim (1961), dedication, sensitivity and sleeves-rolled during the 1980s and 1990s, in a credited with having advanced the up approach to getting things done. marketplace dominated by American liberalisation of homosexuality laws. But it was collaboration with Warren imports, would arguably not have Michael Relph’s idealism left a lasting Beatty on his epic Reds (1981) that happened; if it had, it would have impression on his son Simon. launched Simon into his main career lacked the dedication to quality and the Commenting on this in the Times his as a film producer. nurturing of new talent Simon placed daughter Bella says: With numerous credits to his name at the heart of his principled approach. “…a big motivation for Simon (Enchanted April [1991], Damage [1992], Simon’s professional influence in films was to be making a political Land Girls [1998], Hideous Kinky [1998]) was immense; a much-loved, larger- statement and to have an impact on it was provocative films like Ploughman’s than-life presence around Soho’s film people’s views… as a producer who Lunch (1983) and Wetherby (1985) that company headquarters, Simon was also followed the same creative path as his reflected the political critique Simon an inspirational and generous confidante father’s generation at Ealing studios, believed film should be there to make. to up and coming young British film- Simon was troubled by the change in the He is fondly remembered for having makers. His five year reign as head of relationship between money and art that risked government ire by backing the government investment body British occurred over the course of his career…” Stephen Woolley’s anti-establishment Screen (1985 – 1990) is rightly celebrated Simon’s first job was as a runner and Scandal (1989) whilst at British Screen. as a period of risk-taking innovation that third assistant director on Carry On Simon’s landmark Relph Report successfully resuscitated the British film Cruising (1962), and it was as an assistant (2002), described by the Film Council’s industry. As his colleague director during the he developed then chair, Sir , as “the best recalls in the Times: the calm professionalism and affable industry report I’ve ever read”, has caused academic opinion to re-evaluate Simon, recognising him now as one of the leading shapers of British film policy over the last 30 years (see for example Spicer’s essay in McKenna and Meir’s book Beyond the Bottom Line: The Producer in Film and Television Studies [2014]). Simon’s proud legacy is to have helped create a sustainable home-grown film industry and to have carried the flame for politically committed and culturally relevant film production in Britain.

BAFTA HERITAGE SCREENINGS BAFTA Heritage Screenings are a series of quarterly screenings and on-stage interviews which celebrate British Left: Simon Relph and on location in Helsinki with Reds film and television classics and the Right: In production on Sunday Bloody Sunday professionals who make them.