The Unofficial Peter O'Toole Pages!

Pygmalion: accents are disappearing

It's a pity that Professor Henry Higgins wouldn't identify accents in London today

Melanie McDonagh

Pygmalion is returning to the London stage in a production for the Old Vic by Peter O'Toole. I can't wait. The play is, as George Bernard Shaw triumphantly observed, “so intensely didactic... that I delight in throwing it at the heads of the wiseacres who repeat the parrot cry that art should never be didactic. It goes to prove my contention that art should never be anything else.”

Shaw's Pygmalion is, however, a melancholy reminder that phonetically, England is not the place it once was. The first Act has a brilliant scene in which Henry Higgins is surrounded by an angry crowd and identifies in turn exactly where the people who address him come from. Eliza, he says decisively, comes from Lisson Grove, a bystander from Hoxton. But it is not only the lower orders he can place phonetically as exactly as a botanist might some exotic bloom - Freddy Eynsford Hill's sister is Earl's Court; his mother from Epsom; Colonel Pickering is Cheltenham, Harrow, Cambridge and India.

Is there any place where such a feat would still be possible? Certainly not London, where the accents of Hoxton, Earl's Court and Lisson Grove are indistinguishable, at least in terms of the white English. It's partly because few people in the capital actually live where their parents grew up, partly because London is now divided phonetically on generational, not local, grounds. Freddy's great-granddaughters almost certainly have the Australian uplift at the end of their sentences - you know?

His great-grandsons will sound a bit like Prince Harry, with a deliberately downbeat take on the vernacular. In fact, a really successful contemporary Sloane will sound a bit Rasta. It's a kind of survival mechanism - the phonetic equivalent of dressing from Gap - and with luck will stop you getting beaten up when you open your mouth in mixed company. The one place where, until recently, Professor Higgins's skills survived was Northern Ireland during the Troubles. There you could identify not just someone's religion but the part of town they came from as soon as they opened their mouth: you had to.

The other aspect of changing diction is something that Shaw would have disliked intensely - a diminution in articulacy. The one person I know who maintains the standard of elocution of the generation before last is the art critic Brian Sewell. But he insists he does not have an accent at all.

Of course, the old bores in linguistics departments will maintain that English is a vibrant, ever-changing language. So it is. But the fact that the multifarious accents of Shaw's time - including his own Protestant Irish diction - have disappeared as utterly as Nineveh and Tyre is a change for the worse.

Here's an article from 1987 on Peter and Amanda Plummer's Pygmalion production in New York.

Posted by Hamish at 09:22 AM | Permalink

http://www.contactmusic.com/news.nsf/article/otoole%20blasts%20west%20end%20dross_1064269

"(April 1, 2008) PETER O'TOOLE has slammed London theatre because artistic directors have turned the West End into "dross". The outspoken 75-year-old thespian is unimpressed with modern musicals and plays in the capital, accusing directors of ruining the art of acting. He rages, "Acting today is s**t. London theatre is a graveyard and it's all because of this whole invention of the director. The power of the actor has been taken away. "There are only three indispensable things: the audience, the actor and the author. The rest is dross.""

O'Toole's sentiments echo those of actor Kevin Spacey, owner of the Old Vic theatre in London, who most recently railed against the BBC's penchant for reality-show-style talent competitions, saying they express a bias for big-money musicals of the sort produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Posted by Hamish at 11:58 AM | Permalink

Peter appeared on Charlie Rose this week - whenever he's in New York he always takes time to sit down with Charlie for a decent interview.

( link: http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2008/03/24/1/a-conversation-with-actor-peter-otoole )

blog comments about the interview: here.

Posted by Hamish at 09:30 AM | Permalink

*Ahem* ... been a little busy what with kids and Easter and all. Finally got around to posting about this. As of Monday, the Unofficial Peter O'Toole Pages have been in operation for 10 years! A whole decade. WTF!

This board has never had banner advertising, never will - it's all about Peter and that's all it's about and I hope you like it and continue to use it.

On that note - I'll repeat my infrequent request for anecdotes, stories, photos, scans, etc. of your experiences with Peter O'Toole. It's nice to have a repository of reference material about the man but he is such a charmer it's always fun to read and publish how he interacts with people in real life.

Looking ahead, Peter's still busy with film and television work and the ever possible third volume of his memoirs, "Loitering with Intent" will hopefully be published in the next couple of years. All good!

Thanks for reading this site and thank you again to the many contributors who have made it the best place on the web for everything Peter O'Toole!

Cheers,
Hamish

Posted by Hamish at 04:17 PM | Permalink

Peter will be appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to promote his role as Pope Paul III in the March 30th episode of "The Tudors". I'll tape the appearance and post it here.

Update: Here's the interview in Quicktime .mov and .m4v formats.

Posted by Hamish at 08:39 AM | Permalink

Bertolucci's masterpiece biopic, "The Last Emperor", in which Peter O'Toole starred as the young emperor Pu Yi's tutor, is due to be re-released in a 4-disc Criterion Collection edition at the end of February. This is one of my favourite of O'Toole's many roles, I'll definitely be picking this one up!

See http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/95/26195.php for more details.

Posted by Hamish at 08:55 AM | Permalink

(from the New Zealand Herald)
Following on from 2006's critically acclaimed film No. 2, local director Toa Fraser has turned his hand to another high-profile project, Dean Spanley.

Based on the 1936 novel by Lord Dusanay, the film will star eight-time Oscar nominee Peter O'Toole and New Zealand's own Sam Neill.

Cast and crew are in New Zealand filming the final portion of the picture, after spending six weeks filming in Norfolk, England.

Set in the Edwardian era, the comedy looks at the relationship between master and dog, father and son.

Mark Vette, of TV One's The Funny Farm fame, is helping with the shoot, wrangling the film's furry stars. The New Zealand-British co-production is set for release later this year.

Posted by Hamish at 02:46 PM | Permalink

Marie-Noelle informs us that "Hellraisers: The Inebriated Life and Times of Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris and Oliver Reed" is due to be released. (from amazon:)

"This highly entertaining biography of four charismatic and much loved actors follows them through five decades of boozing, brawling and braggadocio.

At their career peaks, these four controversial actors had the whole world at their feet and lived through some of the wildest exploits Hollywood has ever seen. But all that fame had a price; Richard Burton’s liver was shot by the time he was 50, Richard Harris’s film career stalled for over a decade. Peter O’Toole’s drinking almost put him in the grave before his 43rd birthday, and Oliver Reed ended up dying prematurely.

This is the story of four of the greatest thespian boozers who ever walked — or staggered — off a film set into a pub. It’s a story of drunken binges of near biblical proportions, parties and orgies, broken marriages, drugs, riots and wanton sexual conquests. And yet these piss-artists were seemingly immune from the law. They got away with it because of their extraordinary acting talent and because the public loved them. They were truly the last of a breed, the last of the movie hellraisers.

About the Author
Robert Sellers is a former stand-up comedian and the author of biographies of Sting, Tom Cruise, two appreciations of the work of Sean Connery, and the definitive book on the Pythons: Always Look on the Bright Side of Life."

Thanks, Marie-Noelle!

Posted by Hamish at 11:29 AM | Permalink

Reader Malcolm informs me that Peter is shooting a new film this November called "My Talks with Dean Spanley"... produced by Alan Harris and Matthew Metcalfe, and directed by Toa Fraser. Not much in the way of details yet - I'll update as I get them.

Peter's got a busy year coming up! According to imdb.com he's involved in at least 5 films that are slated for 2007-2008 release.

Update: Accoridng to the Hollywood Reporter, The castlist for Spanley includes Jeremy Northam and Sam Neill... The film will be set in Edwardian England, "where upper lips are always stiff and men from the Colonies are not entirely to be trusted, [the film] reveals just how deep an Englishman's love for his dog can go."

Posted by Hamish at 02:32 PM | Permalink

Peter O'Toole - Hellraiser - The Biography is due to be released soon in the UK. Written by Carolyn Soutar, who has also penned bios of comedian Dave Allen, ballet star Rudolph Nureyev, this is an unofficial account of O'Toole's life - no doubt because O'Toole himself isn't finished with living and is apparently spending part of this year completing the long-awaited third volume of his memoirs, "Loitering with Intent". I've ordered a copy of Hellraiser and I'll post a review when it comes in.

* side note I wonder if they will change the title of the book for the North American release (if any) due to the title being the same as the successful horror film series "Hellraiser".

Posted by Hamish at 09:04 AM | Permalink

September 18th will see the re-release of MASADA, the epic mini-series, in which Peter starred Silva, a Roman general.

Posted by Hamish at 08:08 PM | Permalink

O'Toole Handed the Baton
(from this article at filmstew)

Back in the 1960’s in Abington, Pennsylvania, the local high school relay team was celebrated for having won a prestigious relay championship. Doesn’t really sound like the kind of material that might overlap with the talents of eight-time Oscar nominee Peter O’Toole, does it? Be that as it may, O’Toole is indeed on board as one of the co-stars of Baton, a fictitious tale taking its cue from that time period; it begins filming in Abington next week and is being associate produced by local boy Jay Staats, a 1963 graduate of Abington High. The drama leaves the Pennsylvania locales when its young protagonist Sean (Thomas Easley) travels to Montreal to live with the leader of the World Peace Organization, played by O’Toole. All against the backdrop of the Vietnam War. The now 75-year-old actor (his birthday was last week, August 2nd) has remained extremely busy since he was in the running for Best Actor with Venus. In addition to voicing the food critic in Ratatouille and playing a king in this week’s new fantasy film release Stardust, he’s got close to half a dozen things in the works or in the can, including an episode of Showtime's The Tudors and the CBC Canadian miniseries Iron Road. O’Toole’s part is no doubt a small one, but still, it is impressive that this indie production was able to score such a name. The film marks the directorial debut of Jeff January, a veteran First Assistant Director, and also co-stars James Brolin.

Religion a key part of portfolio for actor

(from this article at the Columbus dispatch - reprinted from the New York Times) August 1 2007

By Anita Gates

DUBLIN, Ireland -- On a typically drizzly Irish day, protected by a huge green umbrella, Peter O'Toole crossed a movie-studio lot.

He looked elegant in white papal robes and a red cape, with a characteristic glint in his world-famous eyes.

Spotting a new acquaintance, he called out: "Did you see Page 8 of The Irish Times?"

He proceeded to read aloud a report about Protestant leader Ian Paisley and his criticism of Pope Benedict XVI.

O'Toole, 74, had just finished filming his portrayal of a 16th-century pope, Paul III, in the much-discussed Showtime series The Tudors, to begin a second season in the spring.

Even out of character, he seemed happy to discuss religion.

"I am a retired Christian," he announced playfully, relaxing in his trailer at the end of the day.

His costume had been replaced by pants, a sweater, a jacket and an ascot.

Six decades after his altar-boy childhood and subsequent loss of faith, O'Toole said, he looked elsewhere for guidance.

"I suggest that an education and reading and facts aren't bad things on which to ponder a few notions," he said.

Yet he acknowledged a "very strong and very real" spiritual side.

"No one can take Jesus away from me," he said, having just expressed an affection for the Sermon on the Mount ("Blessed are the meek . . .").

"There's no doubt there was a historical figure of tremendous importance with enormous notions -- such as peace."

The character O'Toole plays will spend most of next season in an epistolary battle with Henry VIII (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) over the king's insistence on a divorce from Catherine of Aragon so he can marry Anne Boleyn.

(Some dramatic license was taken: The real pope at the time was Clement VII, played in last season's brief papal scenes by Ian McElhinney; when O'Toole came aboard, producers made him Clement's successor, Paul III, but by that time, Boleyn was dead.)

Few of The Tudors' actors have scenes with O'Toole because the pope is in Rome, but they were on the set to be photographed with him or simply shake his hand.

"He's the only poster I've ever had on my wall," said Meyers, recalling his youthful adulation after seeing Lawrence of Arabia for the first time. "I just hope that I can hold up against him."

Michael Hirst, who has written every episode of the series so far, said he was delighted to have O'Toole speaking his dialogue.

"The pope was extremely cynical, so what I wanted was to hear the character of a man who is spiritual but also worldly," Hirst said. "He says something about, 'The French king has guns and soldiers, whereas we must make do with truth and beauty.' "

Over a glass of wine, O'Toole chatted about past roles, which have included a cardinal in the TV production Joan of Arc, angels in The Bible and a British lord who thinks he is Jesus in The Ruling Class.

He recalled also having played a pope before, onstage when he was 24, filling in at the last minute for an older actor.

Although he reluctantly accepted an honorary Oscar in 2003, O'Toole has never won a competitive Academy Award despite eight nominations.

O'Toole smiled, got up to retrieve a small spiral notebook and revealed inside a tiny, Oscar-shaped piece of golden paper: a bit of confetti, he said, from a party after this year's ceremony.

"So," he said pleasantly, "I've got my own, thank you very much indeed."

Posted by Hamish at 11:55 AM | Permalink

Today (August 2nd) is Peter O'Toole's 75th birthday! Happy Birthday, Peter!

I have to wonder what he's doing with himself today... 75 is a nice number - one of those birthdays they get the Queen to send a card for.

Posted by Hamish at 09:01 AM | Permalink

(from the July 26th New York Times)

Papal Robes, and Deference, Fit O’Toole Snugly
By ANITA GATES

DUBLIN — On a typically drizzly Irish day Peter O’Toole crossed a movie studio lot, protected by a huge green umbrella. He was elegant in white papal robes and red cape, with a characteristic glint in his world-famous eyes.

Spotting a new acquaintance, he called out, “Did you see Page 8 of The Irish Times?” He proceeded to read aloud the report about the Protestant leader Ian Paisley’s criticism of Pope Benedict XVI for the “excommunication of all Christendom” by endorsing a Vatican declaration that Roman Catholicism was the only true church.

Mr. O’Toole, 74, had just completed filming his portrayal of the 16th-century pope Paul III in Showtime’s much-talked-about series “The Tudors,” which returns for its second season next spring. Even out of character he seemed happy to discuss religion.

“I am a retired Christian,” he announced playfully, relaxing in his trailer at the end of a hard workday. His costume had been replaced by sweater, jacket, pants and an ascot.

Six decades after his altar-boy childhood and subsequent loss of faith, Mr. O’Toole said he looked elsewhere for life guidance. “I suggest that an education and reading and facts aren’t bad things on which to ponder a few notions,” he said. But he acknowledged a “very strong and very real” spiritual side to his nature.

“No one can take Jesus away from me,” he said, having just expressed an affection for the Sermon on the Mount (“Blessed are the meek,” etc.). “There’s no doubt there was a historical figure of tremendous importance, with enormous notions. Such as peace.”

Mr. O’Toole’s character will spend most of next season in an epistolary battle with Henry VIII (the equally blue-eyed Jonathan Rhys Meyers) over the king’s insistence on a divorce from Catherine of Aragon so he can marry Anne Boleyn. The real pope at the time was Clement VII, but in last season’s brief papal scenes Clement was played by Ian McElhinney. So when Mr. O’Toole came on board, the series made him Clement’s successor, Paul III, instead. (Actually, by Paul III’s time, Anne was already in her grave. But what’s a little dramatic license among friends?

The “Tudors” set can look a bit like the Island of Lost Handsome British Actors. Besides Mr. Rhys Meyers (who turns 30 on July 27 and plays a particularly young, fit Henry), there are, among others, Jeremy Northam as Thomas More, James Frain as Thomas Cromwell and the newcomer Henry Cavill as Henry’s hunky brother-in-law Charles Brandon.

But the presence of Mr. O’Toole caused a stir. Few of the actors have scenes with him because the pope is in Rome, but several managed to be on the set to be photographed with him or simply shake his hand.

“He’s the only poster I’ve ever had on my wall,” Mr. Rhys Meyers said, recalling his youthful adulation after seeing “Lawrence of Arabia” for the first time. “I just hope that I can hold up against him.”

But Mr. Rhys Meyers quickly regained his kingly attitude. “I’d love to have had a scene with Peter,” he said over tea in his own trailer. “It would have been war. It’s war anyway.”

Michael Hirst, who has written every episode of the series so far, said he was delighted to have Mr. O’Toole speaking his dialogue. “The pope was extremely cynical, so what I wanted was to hear the character of a man who is spiritual but also worldly,” Mr. Hirst said. “He says something about, ‘The French king has guns and soldiers, whereas we must make do with truth and beauty.’ ”

Mr. Hirst mentioned another cherished line. It was part of a discussion of Henry’s infatuation with the cunning Anne Boleyn, and it reflected the past of Paul III, who had mistresses and children.

“You and I have done well to escape the craft of women,” the pope tells Cardinal Campeggio (John Kavanagh). “Celibacy is an immense relief.”

Mr. O’Toole, who was married to the British actress Sian Phillips for 20 years (they divorced in 1979), recited the same line during his interview, which ended with a couple of glasses of red wine (a Margaux), one of his current drinks of choice. (The other is whisky.)

He chatted about other subjects: his lifelong avoidance of physical exercise but enjoyment of sports (he professed to be taking up archery), his background (born in Connemara, reared in Leeds, England, the son of a racetrack bookmaker), training (the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London) and past roles, which have included a cardinal in a television “Joan of Arc,” angels in “The Bible” and a British lord convinced he is Jesus in “The Ruling Class.”

He recalled having played a pope before, onstage when he was 24 and filled in at the last minute for an older actor. (In “Becket” he was on the other side, playing a king, Henry II, who ordered the murder of the archbishop.)

Ultimately the subject of the Oscar was broached. Although he reluctantly accepted an honorary one in 2003, Mr. O’Toole has never won an American Academy Award and has surpassed the record of his old friend Richard Burton as the actor nominated most often (eight times, most recently for the 2006 film “Venus”) without ever winning.

Mr. O’Toole smiled, got up to retrieve a small spiral notebook and revealed inside a tiny, Oscar-shaped piece of golden paper: a bit of confetti, he said, from a party after this year’s ceremony.

“So,” he said pleasantly, “I’ve got my own, thank you very much indeed.”

Posted by Hamish at 10:02 AM | Permalink

Hamish's Note: Lorcan has worked with Joan Plowright before, as Desmond in last year's "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont"

Hickox thriller rolls in England
By ARCHIE THOMAS (Variety)
LONDON — Brit thesp Nathalie Press will take the lead in psychological thriller "Knife Edge." Anthony Hickox's pic is about a Wall Street trader whose efforts to settle in a rural English idyll with her young son are wrecked by nightmarish visions.

Hugh Bonneville plays a family lawyer whose involvement with Press's character goes beyond the professional.

Also appearing are Joan Plowright, Matthieu Boujenah, Tamsin Egerton, Jamie Harris, Lorcan O'Toole and newcomer Miles Ronayne.

Press came to the fore in 2004's "My Summer of Love" and turned heads last year in Andrea Arnold's critically acclaimed drama "Red Road."

Pippa Cross ("Shooting Dogs") is producing alongside Janette Day and Fee Combe. Exec producing is Shelagh Miller, Peter Graham and Stephen Hays.

The chiller is from an original screenplay by Hickox, Robin Squire and Combe.

"Knife Edge" is a Seven Arts presentation in association with 120dB Films of a Knife Edge Films production. Seven Arts is handling worldwide sales, including the German, Russian and Eastern European rights, acquired by Telepool.

Posted by Hamish at 01:19 PM | Permalink

Peter O'Toole will join the cast of Showtime's 'The Tudors' in the second season of the cable television drama. He's booked for seven(!) episodes, filming in Ireland later this year and airing next spring. He will play Pope Paul III in a recounting of the 16th century showdown with Henry VIII, played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers - PPIII excommunicated the King over his divorce from first wife Catherine of Aragon, resulting in the historic break between England and the Roman Catholic Church. This should be interesting viewing, not just because of the talent Peter will no doubt bring to the role, but also because of his history of negativity toward the Catholic school system he was brought up in.

(Post Chronicle) (cinematical)

Posted by Hamish at 09:37 AM | Permalink

Longtime reader Jeff Swindoll has provided a nice review of the (US) DVD release of Venus over at dvd.monstersandcritics.com:

I'm impotent, of course, but I can still take a theoretical interest.

Continue reading "Venus arrives on DVD; Review by Jeff Swindoll" »

Posted by Hamish at 01:20 PM | Permalink

(from this story)

"Ultimately, the surprise nominee did not turn out to be the surprise winner – The Last King of Scotland's Forest Whitaker took home the golden statuette instead, beating Gosling, Peter O'Toole, Leonardo DiCaprio and Will Smith.

But Gosling got his golden memory.

"I had a great moment with Peter O'Toole, though it's not like he mentioned my film or anything," Gosling says.

"We were both waiting for our cars in the parking lot. He bent down and picked up a piece of Oscar confetti, gave it to me and said, 'I'd like to present you with your Academy Award'," Gosling laughs.

"Then he said 'I have mine' and shook his little Oscar confetti piece in his hand.

"And I thought that was probably the best thing. If that's my only experience of the Oscars, it's the greatest. There's nothing better than losing with Peter O'Toole. I can't think of anything cooler than that.""

Posted by Hamish at 03:58 PM | Permalink

Peter will star as King of Stormhold in the fantasy film, "Stardust", due to be released this August. Michelle Pfeiffer and Robert DeNiro also star.

Posted by Hamish at 01:31 PM | Permalink

Posted by Hamish at 09:43 AM | Permalink