| Level | Item |
| Ref No | GUA/9/4/1/4/2/5 |
| Title | Richard Lester |
| Date | 5 November 1999 |
| Extent | 1 audio cassette tape, 2 WAV files (653.7 MB and 382.5 MB) |
| Creator Name | British Film Institute (BFI), 1933- |
| Guardian News & Media Ltd, 1967- |
| Description | Audio recording of an interview with film director Richard Lester in front of a live audience undertaken as part of the Guardian sponsored National Film Theatre Guardian interview series.
The recording begins with the introduction by Adrian Wooton following which Lesters 1964 film A Hard Days Night and a selection of other film clips are shown. Questions are then put to Lester by host Steven Sodebergh. The recording comprises a question and answer session with members of the audience from 23.46 on track 2.
A summary of the topics discussed is included below.
Track 1:
00.00 Introductions and film clips
11:56 Experiences in American Television in the fifties
15:15 Difficulties of working with The Beatles due to their popularity
16:30 His beginnings on British TV
19:23 The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film
21:01 Working on Its Trad, Dad!
22:45 Directing commercials
24:41 Working on Mouse on the Moon
26:37 Working on A Hard Days Night
34:16 On working with The Beatles
36:57 Working on The Knack ...and How to Get It
38:55 Being on the Cannes film festival jury in 1966
41:32 Working on Help and how it differed from A Hard Days Night
43:18 Jack Nicholson babysitting his son
45:13 His views on farce in cinema and in A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
47:41 Script and budget issues in A Funny Thing Happened...
49:30 Opinions on How I Won the War
55:54 The non-linear composition of Petulia
58:55 Problems with The Bed-Sitting Room
59:54 Working on The Three Musketeers
Track 2:
00:00 Working on Juggernaut
03:10 Desire to complete films on time
05:11 Discussing Luis Bunuel
05:39 Feeling alienated from his audience
06:55 Working on Robin and Marian
08:22 Discussing Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
09:40 Verisimilitude of swordfighting in films set in the past
12:30 Shooting fighting scenes with Oliver Reed in Royal Flash
14:24 Keeping verisimilitude in Butch and Sundanc
15:30 Working on The Superman films
16:46 How he became involved in Finders Keepers
17:34 Problems with The Return of the Musketeers
18:35 Feelings about making films and the cinema in general
20:23 How he works with his actors
24:34 Press conference in A Hard Days Night
25:18 On being the founder of Music Videos
26:11 Filming the audience in A Hard Days Night
29:23 Discussing George McDonald Fraser
30:50 Potential of working with the Rolling Stones
31:50 French New Wave as an influence
33:08 On casting John Lennon in How I Won the War
34:02 A Hard Days Night as a fantasy
Films mentioned in the course of the interview include: A Hard Days Night; Help; The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film; Its Trad, Dad!; The Knack ...and How to Get It; Robin and Marian; The Mouse on the Moon; A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum; How I Won the War; Petulia; The Bed-Sitting Room; Juggernaut; Butch and Sundance: The Early Days; Royal Flash; Superman II; Superman III; Finders Keepers and The Return of the Musketeers. |
| Access Status | Open |
| Access Conditions | Access to recording via GNM Digital Repository |
| Format | Electronic record |
| Tape recording |