Q & A with Barbara Roisman Cooper -- Author of the "Great Britons of Stage and Screen" Series:
- As native Californian, what drew your interest to British film and stage notables?
I was taking ballet at the time, and my parents took me to see my first British film, The Red Shoes. After that, there was nothing I wanted more than a pair of red pointe shoes. My parents indulged me, and I was hooked on British film. Then there was The Man in the White Suit, with Alec Guinness. Was there, I asked myself, something different about British film? Was it the acting, the production design, the directing? I couldn’t decide, but I knew that there was something. Maybe even that British accent!
I made my first visit to the UK in 1965, and I attended the theatre every day, sometimes twice a day. I found that the actors were, well, different from American actors. It was obvious that their training was not in the Hollywood style; they seemed to be interested in technique rather than celebrity.
Yes, it was the acting, but it was much more: the cinematographer, the production design, the music, the costume design, even the editing. And the pacing was on a different level.
Every aspect of these films and theatre productions said something to me. I’m still seeking an answer.
- You taught film studies in Los Angeles high school for more than two decades. How did that lead you to interviewing for your series of books?
During my teaching career, I used film as a tool to teach students writing. If they were introduced to a book or play, saw the film taken from that medium, and then discussed the film which someone from the production, they would have considerable background to write about. The students enjoyed the opportunity to make connections within the various media and put their thoughts on paper.
- Who were some of the filmmakers who spoke to your class?
The first guest was author/film director Michael Crichton, who was at the height of his fame with the publication of The Andromeda Strain. Within the next years, there were more than 50 guests, including cinematographers Hal Mohr (The Jazz Singer) and Lee Garmes (Shanghai Express); actors Richard Arlen (Wings), Evelyn Venable (Death Takes a Holiday), Larry Fine of the Three Stooges, Patric Knowles (The Adventures of Robin Hood) and Lee J. Cobb (12 Angry Men); directors George Marshall (Destry Rides Again) and Raoul Walsh (They Died with Their Boots On) ; editor and president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Robert Wise (Citizen Kane) and Frank Keller (Bullitt); critic/TCM Host Robert Osborne; writers Nicholas Meyer (The Seven-Per-Cent Solution) and Lawrence Kasdan (Raiders of the Lost Ark), ; composer David Raksin (Laura); special effects innovator Linwood Dunn (King Kong), and the list goes on.
- That’s quite a list, but once you retired from teaching, but what led you to writing, especially interviewing British theatre and film luminaries?
After I retired, I wanted to continue to broaden my interest in film and theatre. Using the contacts I had made during my teaching career; I was able to begin writing.
- Who was your first interview? Was it in person?
The first of the more than 100 interviews I’ve conducted was with actor Patrick Stewart, now Sir Patrick Stewart. He was still on his Star Trek voyage, but he was well-known in the UK for his Shakespearean roles and other work on the stage. He was personable, charming, had wonderful stories about his early years on the British stage, and yes, it was in person at a hotel restaurant in Beverly Hills.
The interview was the cover story in British Heritage magazine.
And so began my interviews with those on the British stage and in film.
- What is your preparation process? How much time do you spend preparing for the interviews?
I want to know everything I can about the interviewee before we meet. That means hours of research, much of it held at the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and, of course, online. I want to know about their early life, family, and the process of preparing each of their projects. The key is to know more about them than they do themselves.
When the interviewee asks me, “How did you find that out?” or “No one has asked me that question before,” I know that I have done my research well.
- What is the most important aspect of your interview?
The most essential element of the interview is not, repeat not, to focus on what questions I have prepared, but to let the interviewee take the lead. If they want to speak about something that sparks a thought, let them do the talking. Too often interviewers are focused on the questions that they have prepared and miss some of the best information and insight the interviewee might offer.
I have to remember that my interview with them is not the first interview they’ve done. They’ve heard the same questions, given the same answers, so I want my questions to be different, to elicit new information. That’s a crucial aspect in the preparation for the interview.
- Where are the interviews held? How long do your interviews usually last?
Most of the interviews take place during a two-hour period, sometimes in a theatre dressing room or a restaurant or, occasionally, at the interviewee’s home, which is a special atmosphere, and even a canal boat.
- How do you find the interviewees?
Referrals are the most important method in which to contact someone I want to interview. Once I’ve completed an interview, I ask if there is someone whom they would suggest I interview. I always mention the title of the project I’m working on. With a name they give me, I use them as a referral.
- Are your interviews in person, on the phone, a Zoom? What was the most unusual venue for an interview? And how to you “record” the interview?
My interviews have always been in person. The lack of person-to-person communication via phone or Zoom is lost. Looking directly into the interviewee’s eyes or watching their reaction to a question – whether they pause or laugh – can only be while I’m “there” with them. I try not to let technology get in the way of my personal relationship with the interviewee.
I use some method of recording as well as taking notes, and then I transcribe the notes and begin the work of writing the interview.
- How often do you travel for the purpose of the interviews?
As often as I can! I live in Los Angeles and am fortunate to know that many Brits live and work in Los Angeles, but I also have traveled to New York and, of course, to the UK. Most of the interviews have taken place in London. I’ve also traveled by train to the various reaches of the UK for an interview. For example, I traveled well over two hours north in the UK to interview actor Richard Todd. It was definitely worth it. On the other hand, after lunch with Stephen Fry at his club in London, I took the Underground to interview Sir Ken Adam, whose home was just opposite the famous Harrods department store.
- You are drawn to the “behind the scenes” people. What is the attraction and importance of these artists and craftspeople?
Without them, there would be no film, nor would there be anything on the stage. First, the script: without the writer, there would be a blank screen or a bare stage once the curtain on is raised. Without a producer, nothing at all, as they are responsible for the project, from script to production team to financing and marketing.
The director “creates” the production on stage. It’s his/her vision, along with the casting that makes the play come to life. He/she casts the play, works on the blocking of the characters and generally creates the story.
Like the stage director, the director of a film interprets the script, has a vision through camera, cast, and various other cinematic creative colleagues.
Both are challenging, creative opportunities, and for me to listen to various directors – whether an old-timer like Pat Jackson discussing his war-time work, Western Approaches, or a younger director such as Sir Matthew Bourne and his selection for the dancers in his gender-switching Swan Lake, is a short “how to” course.
Without the cinematographer, there would be nothing on the screen. Speaking with early filmmakers Bryan Langley who recounts his work with the young Alfred Hitchcock and cinematographer Oswald Morris, who laughs when reminiscing about the often-irritating director John Huston, is akin to standing on a set with them and watching what they do.
And without the production designer, there would be nothing for the cinematographer to photograph. The theatre lighting designer shows the audience the time, place, even emotional content of a scene, otherwise darkness; and without the makeup and hair artists, the character wouldn’t exist. The editor can tell the audience about the character, the story, even how the story is presented.
Without these artists, without these craftspeople, the audience would see nothing. The actors rely on all these artists, these craftspeople to create a world that the audience experiences.
- Who was your most interesting interview subject?
There have been so many.
Script Supervisor Angela Allen, who worked on 14 John Huston films, has become a personal friend. After the first interview, more than ten years ago, we knew we had a connection. The first interview was at her flat in the Little Venice area, where houseboats of all kinds heave in the water. Her flat, on the ground floor of a building, features a small garden, and inside, is awash in memorabilia from her seven decades in the film business. From that first meeting, Allen has never been at a loss for words, insight into her work and colleagues. As she tells it, when there was something amiss on a set or location, she spoke up. Whether it was about Katharine Hepburn’s hat or the length of Robert DeNiro’s cigarette, she won the battle. What I learned from my lengthy and varied interviews was that filmmaking is not a walk in the park; it’s a taxing profession; one can learn a great deal about people, especially those behind the camera. Allen is another of the countless people behind the scenes who contribute to making a film.
It was through Script Supervisor Angela Allen that I met Costume Designer Julie Harris. She became a personal friend after several interviews. The first visit was an invitation to tea. Her flat in Kensington was the quintessential British flat, flowered sofa and chairs, painting of her mother, and an easel with a half-finished oil painting of a rose. She brought out boxes of her work as well as well as photographs of those she had worked with, including The Beatles, whom she called “the boys.” I am flattered that she continued to issue invitations to visit, even hosting a luncheon at her home for me with friends of hers. With each visit she further expanded on her career. How lucky was I to be just a handshake away from The Beatles!
Production Designer Sir Ken Adam invited me to his flat, where his Rolls Royce was parked so he could see it from his studio. I was ushered into his studio. There were his multiple awards, his work desk with his favorite lamp, and a pencil holder with every conceivable colored pencil. Recollections of his work were told in an accent from his Viennese past. His cigar smoking also affected the timbre of his voice. The studio oozed his work, especially when he pulled out from the drawers old drawings, the paper crinkling. He blew the dust off each one. I heard about the harrowing experiences he had with Stanley Kubrick and the details about bringing 007 to life. Readers will appreciate his work on both ends of the work spectrum: from collaborating with a challenging director to the task of creating a world.
Director Pat Jackson was referred to me by Kevin Brownlow, the world-renowned silent film authority. Once Jackson accepted the invitation to be interviewed, he invited me to meet him at his club, the famous Saville Club. After a champagne lunch, we moved to a quiet room where he regaled me with his stories about his career, when he began as an assistant on Night Mail through his first feature directorial effort, Western Approaches. This harrowing experience of shooting on the water – no CGI or studio tank here – during the war was, indeed, harrowing even decades later as he recalled the production. He was arguable the last of the great documentary filmmakers in England, and his stay in Hollywood was not a happy one because as he said, “They didn’t know what to do with me.” But how lucky to meet this historical figure in British film, a true “behind the scenes” historical figure.
Composer Rachel Portman won an Oscar for Emma; she was the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Music, Musical or Comedy Score. She welcomed me into her home and down the stairs to her studio, which was awash with composing paraphernalia and a grand piano. When asked about whether composing is an art or craft, she paused while she thought about the question. Her answer: “It’s a blend of both because a composer has to be a good craftsman, but the music also has to have a life.” Interestingly, not only did she not learn to conduct, she never took a class in composing for film, but she did take classes in composition, classical music, and orchestration at Worcester College, Oxford, where students who were studying composition, were expected to write “difficult” rather than “tuneful” music. Whatever her process or whatever directors with whom she worked, her compositions for such films as Chocolat and The Cider House Rules (both receiving Oscar nominations), she has broken the glass ceiling for women in composing for film.
After a lunch at a local restaurant near his home, Red Hill Cottage, Production Manager/Producer Norman Spencer, who died recently at 110 years, recounted his meeting with Director David Lean, which changed the course of his life. Beginning with his work on the acclaimed World War II film, In Which We Serve, where not only did he work with the strict Noël Coward but also tells the tale of the deadly accident on the film, where there was an explosion and one of the crew was killed; there were other Lean productions: This Happy Breed, Blithe Spirit, Great Expectations, Great Expectations, Passionate Friends, and Bridge on the River Kwai. And there were more: for casting Hobson’s Choice, Spencer convinced Lean to cast Charles Laughton; and then he almost shudders and then laughs at the recollection when tells the daunting tale about having to find 800 camels and their riders for the one of the major scenes in Lawrence of Arabia. And those are just a few of his stories.
- What would you like your readers to come away with after reading one of the Great Britons series?
After reading any one of the interviews in the series, readers would find that it’s not just what they see on the screen or on stage, but what makes a film or stage production come to life. If they enjoy what they see, they will recognize the importance of these “behind the scenes” artists and craftspeople. And, hopefully, they will recognize that going to the cinema or theatre is a learning experience along with an entertaining one.
I ask that after a film has screened, that audience members remain through all the credits. In a theatrical venue, audiences should read the programme, not just to see the names of the actors, but those who bring the production to life on the stage.