Reviews @ Cheddar Arts

An Audience with Barry Norman – “My Favourite Films”

Friday, 19th March, 2010, by Jude Owens

Last Friday a packed audience of Cheddar Arts film aficionados booked their seat for a night at the movies with Barry Norman star film critic who has shone brightly with the stars of the silver screen over his extensive journalistic career, and best remembered for his BBC1 'Film' programme - now hosted by Jonathan Ross.

Our host for the evening made an understated stage side entrance introduced by the familiar music of 'Film', before he quickly engaged the audience, talking animatedly about the stars and studios as if his friends, with intimacy and insight, and Hollywood name-dropping aplenty.

But, the big question - is there such a thing as a favourite film? He recalled a Premiere magazine list of the best 10 films to see before you die. Famously, Martin Scorsese had to be stopped at his number 127… Similarly our famous film critic admitted he had no favourite film of all time. It was difficult to name just 10. Especially when he had seen over 12,000 movies. Yes, that’s what he said. And we were to be impressed by his marvellous memory. A favourite film is one he can watch again and again – in whatever mood. This evening would screen some of his classic favourites.

So now, sit back - and enjoy the show.

Commencing with “Casablanca” – “the best romantic adventure movie of all time”, fulfilling the ingredients of a good movie. With his quick-paced commentary and mock American accents Barry Norman proceeded to indulge the audience – and no doubt himself – in some of the intriguing gossip, casting and studio politics - with a near miss of Ronald Regan originally set to play “Bogie’s” part in this “abiding classic”. And to think that leading stars Both Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman had wanted to leave the film they feared to be a “turkey”.

Next up was the all time great - “Gone with the Wind” based on Margaret Mitchell’s first novel - thankfully without a sequel. This “glorified chick flick” was to be the biggest, most expensive, hyped film of its time. Winning eight Oscars – and a big Box Office hit for 25 years. The leading ladies of Hollywood were so keen to play the part of Scarlett - “they would have provided their own casting couch”. Would the part have been so coveted if Mrs Mitchell had gone with her original name for the feisty heroine – Pansy O’Hara, teased Barry. Impishly, we thought not.

Two years of screen testing and photography and protracted re-writing before this “wonderful romantic wallow” hit the screens. Such was his inside knowledge – Barry Norman even tantalized about the significance of the leading ladies wearing (unseen) silk knickers.

Still in the same era of the movie greats was his next favourite - “The Adventures of Robin Hood”. Another Warner Bros. coup, and another few £million budget. Loved by Barry Norman for its “eternal summer of chivalry and honour”. Again, miscasting was ducked with the first choice of gangster actor James Cagney for the Sherwood Forest hero, and the revelation the location was 6,000 miles away from the lush and leafy green of England - in a ranch in California.

Providing his expert opinion into film ingredients - notably the use of bad language, sex and violence, Barry Norman confessed he’d been penned a letter from the Queen of the Censors Mary Whitehouse. Cue his next film - “Dirty Harry”, starring a youthful Clint Eastwood, and marking the début of the tough maverick cop. By this stage it was clear his chosen clips for the evening were anything but glam and glossy.

During the interval in the absence of any pop corn we all trundled over to Kings Fitness and Leisure for a drink at the bar. I have to confess to being secretly relieved when I overheard fellow audience members admitting that they had also not seen some of these so-called classics... I made a note on my Movies Wish List.

The second half was questions from the audience, prefaced by Barry Norman remembering his last visit to Cheddar on a quest for a cheese reminiscent of a Christmas gift from Jeffrey Archer - prompting a gentle tickle about his branded Barry Norman pickled onions. A helpful audience member spoke with cheese authority about a certain shop in Ilminster… Back to his beginnings as a film critic, it was fascinating as he remembered being “riveted” as a youngster visiting his film director father at Ealing Studios. Although enthralled by the stars he confessed he would never have the patience himself.

Quick and knowledgeable, he confessed himself not a fan of re-makes, but favoured the second “Cape Fear” and “Oceans 11” as better than the originals. Sequels were a “lazy way of making films” prey to “the law of diminishing returns”. But, “Godfather II” was better than the first, as was “Toy Story II” - to warm applause from the audience. And he agreed about the “Star Wars” trilogy when nudged. Pondering about latest screen hit “Avatar” he did not foresee we would be inundated by 3D films (phew!). Marvelling rather about actors and actresses who carried a film – not least the recent “A Single Man” with the superb performance by Colin Firth; and similarly Carey Mulligan in “An Education”. He agreed a music score has a very important effect on a film. Consider – the James Bond theme, “The Third Man”, “Indiana Jones” and “Chariots of Fire”.

Although no favourite actors and actresses – he professed himself a huge fan of Westerns and Erroll Flynn, along with Johnny Depp, Al Pacino, Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Tom Hanks, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Cate Blanchett - and yes, when prompted the early Marlon Brandon.

Oui, he liked foreign language films – notably “A bout de souffle”; and revelled in his film critic role of allegedly accelerating the UK distribution of France’s favourite big nose eponymous film, “Cyrano de Bergerac” following his favourable review. On the flip side, he boldly hoped his reviews had inspired fear in some directors. Oh yes, we were reminded of the power of the film critic.

Whilst “not a movie anorak”, Barry Norman admitted that these days he watched about five, six, seven, eight films a week – but enjoyed “sampling the rest of life”. He had fallen asleep in a film (zzzzzzz…). But it was not his fault. It was the film’s.

With the eternal transmutation of books into films, he believed it best to read the book before seeing the film and to judge as two separate entities – or beware competing images in our mind with those on the screen.

Finally, did he think the stars of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s were the Golden Age of Hollywood? Despite his real reverence, he acknowledged those were the days when the studios “system” publicity people protected their stars - and kept the journalists sweet.

This was a nostalgic evening of film past and present with a time-honoured professional with clear views about The Business. Asked whether he was optimistic about the British film industry, Barry Norman regretted its ups and downs, and despite increased investment concluded it could not rival Hollywood. The subject matter of British films was often too parochial and we can neglect to nurture our screen directors.

Our thanks to the Cheddar Arts Team for hosting this event and we will all be looking out for the Coming Soon film nights – as we all tick off 100 films you must see before you die…

That’s all folks!