Lord Richard Attenborough - Actor - Director - There Was A Man Dept.

Lord Richard Attenborough - Actor - Director - There Was A Man Dept.
He was riding high, when I met him. 55th Academy Awards, in 1983. He and his picture (Gandhi) had just won eight Oscars, and he'd made a fine speech about it, and he was positively giddy with triumph.

It was my first Academy Award ceremony, and I really wanted to talk to the Best Picture's Best Director, Sir Richard Attenborough.

It's a funny thing about the Ceremonies, It's nothing like you see onscreen.

There are boos and screams and funny noises, and weird things happening all the time, but such brilliant Camerawork and Floor Direction, you never see any of that. Anything out of the ordinary, switch to stock shots, or remote cameras, or an Ad.

In this particular instance, once Best Picture was announced, much of the Audience arose and swarmed the exits, heading home from the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, to beat traffic, although you would never know that, at home on TV.

Sir Richard spoke of "Gandhi," his film, and Gandhi the man, and what Gandhi means to our times. He was quite moved, and he delivered his message, even though he spoke to a mostly (and increasingly) empty room.

Then the show was over, and he gathered his thoughts on his lectern. I approached, with my program and pen. He gave me a warm, white movie star smile. I only had a moment, so I was somewhat direct.

"I loved 'Gandhi,' it was wonderful!"

"Thank you."

"And you were in one of my favorite pictures."

"Which one?"

"The Flight of the Phoenix."

His smile got brighter and wider.

"Oh! With James Stewart! That is one of my favorites, too!"

We chatted about it, and I asked for his autograph. He took my pen, with a flourish.

"How shall I sign it? Shall I sign it 'Sir Dickie?'"

And he did. "To Sam, Sir Dickie."

I wrote him after that, when he made the wonderful "Chaplin," and when he became a Lord, (my salutation then was "Dear Lord," and I hope it made him smile).

I think his last picture I saw was "Jurassic Park." His grace and his decency always came through, in his pictures.

I was distressed to hear last year, he was in ill health. And today, he's gone. I love his great movies, and his talent, and his charm.

I'm going to see "The Flight of the Phoenix" again soon. Such a great picture.

I love what it says - do your best, make the best of a bad situation, and be decent, even though things are catastrophic. That focused effort in the right direction is worth taking. Stout heart, and courage, my fellows.

Rest in Peace, Lord Richard Attenborough. Lord Dickie.

Gandhi

Chaplin

Jurassic Park

Sam Longoria

James Stewart

The Magic Christian

Richard Attenborough

The Flight Of The Phoenix

Nancy Beiman Reviews Elliot Cowan's "The Stressful Adventures of Boxhead and Roundhead"

Nancy Beiman Reviews Elliot Cowan's "The Stressful Adventures of Boxhead and Roundhead"

A delightful and revealing review of Elliot Cowan's new Animated Feature "The Stressful Adventures of Boxhead and Roundhead," by the great and renowned and greatly renowned Animation Guru, Nancy Beiman.

Nancy tells how exactly Elliot created his feature film, using only two years, talented hard work, and a tiny budget. Actually, Elliot's entire film cost less to make than many Animated television commercials!

Nancy's conclusions are especially interesting to me, because of her thorough grounding in Feature and Television Animation. It is quite good to get a glimpse of Elliot's film, through Nancy's trained and Professional eyes.

Nancy herself is a most interesting person, quite witty and intelligent, with a long and excellent Animation career, and is the Author of several books on Professional Animation.  I enjoyed her review, and look forward to seeing Elliot's film.


UPDATE
Elliot Cowan tells of his film and its difficult journey.


Nancy Beiman
Prepare to Board
Animated Performance
Elliot Cowan
"The Stressful Adventures of Boxhead and Roundhead"
Sam Longoria