Richard Lester

[GRAEME]

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - some very funny lines and set pieces. My favourite is Michael Hordern, Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford and Phil Silvers singing Everybody Ought to have a Maid! Excellent Lester/surreal visuals there... I think it's his most delightful musical sequence after the Beatles runabout segment in A Hard Days Night.

[rjd0309]

I notice that The Bed Sitting room is being released on R2 DVD, May 25th. Looking forward to that. As I say, I've never seen it.

In connection with the release of TBSR on DVD by BFI Video, the BFI is also planning a screening of TBSR on 21 May.



Rita Tushingham has agreed to do a Q&A session following the screening. Richard Lester has also been invited, but no word yet on whether he will attend.



Cheers,

Robert

[vincenzo]

I notice that The Bed Sitting room is being released on R2 DVD, May 25th. Looking forward to that. As I say, I've never seen it.

It's a totally insane film but great fun all the way.



"God save Mrs Ethel Shroake

Long live Mrs Ethel Shroake

God save Mrs Ethel Shroake of 393A High Street, Leytonstone"

[Rick C]

Advance notice of a forthcoming radio programme interview with Richard Lester, on "The Film Programme" BBC Radio 4, this Friday 29 May at 4.30 pm. (Repeated the following Sunday). Quite likely in connection with the aforesaid Bed Sitting Room DVD release. As its a bit of a rarity, i have a larger size advert for the film if anyone wants me to post it. Additional 1960's photos also.

[Gerby]

I love The Knack & The Bed Sitting Room but as far as Superman 2 goes...horrible compared to the Richard Donner cut but i guess that is partly the studios fault.

[dremble wedge]

Advance notice of a forthcoming radio programme interview with Richard Lester, on "The Film Programme" BBC Radio 4, this Friday 29 May at 4.30 pm. (Repeated the following Sunday). Quite likely in connection with the aforesaid Bed Sitting Room DVD release.

Listened to this earlier, excellent value as Lester usually is, but half an hour doesn't even begin to do justice to him...



It concentrates on Petulia and The Bed Sitting Room and the mauling his reputation took after both of them. Interesting to hear that he still keeps an office at Twickenham despite not making a film for 20 years!



More please

[Windthrop]

Listened to it myself - fascinating but sad that it didn't encompass the rest of his career.

[James Fox]

Robin and Marian , the only (interesting) Robin Hood story !!
.....adding great performances from Robert Shaw and Nicol Williamson

Moon. (who is too much romantic)

Terrific film. My favorite from Lester.

[dremble wedge]

Slightly late to mark it, but Richard Lester turned 80 on 19 January. Hopefully he's enjoying his retirement.

[Windthrop]

Slightly late to mark it, but Richard Lester turned 80 on 19 January. Hopefully he's enjoying his retirement.

Unlike, very sadly, Roy Kinnear

[Shelley Court]

According to the BFI booklet for March, Richard Lester will be at the National Film Theatre (as I intend to persist in calling it!) on Thursday 22nd March to be interviewed and to receive the BFI Fellowship Award following a screening of Robin and Marian.

[Geoffers]

According to the BFI booklet for March, Richard Lester will be at the National Film Theatre (as I intend to persist in calling it!) on Thursday 22nd March to be interviewed and to receive the BFI Fellowship Award following a screening of Robin and Marian.

It's interesting that Robin & Marian is the chosen film. Lester once told somebody that he felt John Barry's score was totally inappropriate. Barry's score replaced one by Michel Legrand, who was Lester's choice.

[MikeB]

Geoffers - I didn't know that Barry wasn't the original composer, so thanks for the information. A quick google brings up why Legrand's score was rejected - Ray Stark (the producer) didn't like it! Apparently, they then asked Jarre to write it, who turned it down. Barry had just three weeks to score it, which he managed to do very well (someone did add some additional music as well). The music does fit the film fairly well, and the central theme is very effective.

I'm now interested in how the Legrand score turned out. After a bit of research, it seems it was released in France on a CD in 2009, as an extra with the Three Musketeers score. Les Trois Mousquetaires (Bof) : Amazon.fr : Michel Legrand : Musique. Unfortunately, I might have to get it from France! Temptation...

[icetorch]

deleted deleted

[dremble wedge]

Geoffers - I didn't know that Barry wasn't the original composer, so thanks for the information. A quick google brings up why Legrand's score was rejected - Ray Stark (the producer) didn't like it! Apparently, they then asked Jarre to write it, who turned it down. Barry had just three weeks to score it, which he managed to do very well (someone did add some additional music as well). The music does fit the film fairly well, and the central theme is very effective.

I'm now interested in how the Legrand score turned out. After a bit of research, it seems it was released in France on a CD in 2009, as an extra with the Three Musketeers score. Les Trois Mousquetaires (Bof) : Amazon.fr : Michel Legrand : Musique. Unfortunately, I might have to get it from France! Temptation...

Ray Stark also insisted the title of the film be changed from The Death of Robin Hood to Robin and Marian.

Lester wanted the film's music to be inspired by Michael Tippett's early string compositions. Legrand duly delivered but when Stark heard it he hated it and staged a 'competition' amongst other leading composers to come up with a new main theme. Whoever came up with the best would get the gig. John Barry 'won' and set about writing the new score. Lester tried to persuade him to do something in the Tippett style but Barry refused, saying that wasn't 'film music' to which Lester replied he didn't want typical film music... Lester hated Barry's score and tried to persuade Stark to combine it with Legrand's but was unsuccessful.

All the above paraphrased from Andrew Yule's biography of Lester.

[MikeB]

Ray Stark seems to have had something of a reputation - Machiavellian is the word that occurs quite a lot when he's mentioned. I remember from Indecent Exposure that he was seen a a bit of a dark influence, and I think he appears in 'The Kids Stays in the Picture', and not positively either. LA Weekly has a very entertaining article about him Stark Naked - Page 1 - News - Los Angeles - LA Weekly.

Of course he might have been right about the music and the title. 'The Death of Robin Hood' is a bit of a downer, and even directors don't always get everything right. It would be interesting to hear Legrand's score though....