Michael White is “the most famous man you’ve never heard of”.
Gracie Otto met this enigmatic octogenarian by chance at Cannes one year. He wrote his phone number down on a coaster and gave it to her. This feature documentary is the result.
White was the theatre and film producer who brought the Cambridge Footlights revue into the west-end. Without him we might not have Monty Python, The Goodies or any number of other comics. He produced Oh Calcutta!, The Rocky Horror Show, A Chorus Line and a hundred more pieces of theatre. He brought Merce Cunningham and Pina Bausch to a wider audience, and he produced 27 films, including Monty Python and the Holy Grail.
This gorgeous, galloping documentary paints a portrait not just of a fascinating man, but of an amazing era in British theatre and film: an era which he helped shape. It is also a very human portrait of a man with deep sadness who, well into his eighties and having had three strokes, still wants to go out partying till 2 am.
The film consists of interviews with myriad celebrities, some lovely photo montages and contemporary footage of White. It is beautifully edited with the only jarring note being the odd scene when Otto asks White a direct question. These don’t seem to fit with the rest of the film and certainly don’t add anything. Why they were left in is a mystery.
The most telling interview is just near the end. It is not with a celebrity. It is just a voice-over. Otto is interviewing White’s sister, and remarks that White is very optimistic: only dwelling on the positive, and not wishing to even speak about the negative, especially of his traumatic childhood. White’s sister responds quietly: “Yes. It’s not a complete life.”
Reviewed by Tracey Korsten
Twitter: @spectaction
Rating out of 10: 7
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