Gossip (1982 UK film)
Encyclopedia
Gossip was a 1982 British
independent drama
film directed by Don Boyd
that collapsed early in its production and was never finished.
It is the subject of an essay by Dan North in Sights Unseen: Unfinished British Films, edited by him, and is referenced by Stephen Fry
, employed as a script rewriter for the film, in his book The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography
. About a quarter of the script was shot and it is extensively archived at the Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture
at the University of Exeter
.
The film tells the story of a gossip-columnist Clare who enjoys a privileged life on the fringes of high society. However she gets into trouble over an indiscreet story she writes and falls from favour. She is rescued by William, a Cambridge don.
, who had already starred opposite Lambert in The Draughtsman's Contract
. Simon Callow
and Gary Oldman
were also cast. It was to be Oldman's screen debut though none of his scenes were shot.
It began as a 1979 treatment by Frances Lynn
entitled Frantic: A Story About a Gossip Columnist whose characters included a certain Romo Dolonski, a Polish film director out on bail for abducting a 12 year old girl. This sharp and bitchy treatment formed the basis for subsequent scripts.
By then Boyd was working in America and engaged the Tolkin brothers, Michael Tolkin
and Stephen Tolkin, to take the treatment over and provide a US based script for Universal Studios
. However Universal Studios found the script too 'arty and European' and pulled out, which left Boyd free to take the project elsewhere. By this time he had returned to the UK and decided to reset the script in London as it had begun, eventually hiring Fry to do the rewrite.
in May 1982, Boyd was introduced to Alan Shephard representing the Martini Foundation. This foundation, based in Lichenstein and led by Raymond Lanciault, had allegedly sold up their vermouth interests and wanted to diversify into films.
Boyd struck a deal with the foundation in which the foundation would finance four of his films at $5 million each for a $600,000 introduction fee and a 50% share in the profits. The initial $5 million dollars for Gossip was to be provided in the form of certificates of deposit at a mutually agreed Dutch bank.
The agreement was signed 6 July 1982, the day after Boyd received the final script from Fry.
, financed by a third party £100,000 loan while Boyd awaited the Martini money, and shooting began on 25 October 1982.
In the event the Martini money never arrived and the production was shut down on 14 November 1982.
Cinema of the United Kingdom
The United Kingdom has had a major influence on modern cinema. The first moving pictures developed on celluloid film were made in Hyde Park, London in 1889 by William Friese Greene, a British inventor, who patented the process in 1890. It is generally regarded that the British film industry...
independent drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
film directed by Don Boyd
Don Boyd
Donald William Robertson Boyd Hon D.Litt is a Scottish film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist...
that collapsed early in its production and was never finished.
It is the subject of an essay by Dan North in Sights Unseen: Unfinished British Films, edited by him, and is referenced by Stephen Fry
Stephen Fry
Stephen John Fry is an English actor, screenwriter, author, playwright, journalist, poet, comedian, television presenter and film director, and a director of Norwich City Football Club. He first came to attention in the 1981 Cambridge Footlights Revue presentation "The Cellar Tapes", which also...
, employed as a script rewriter for the film, in his book The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography
The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography
The Fry Chronicles: An Autobiography is the 2010 autobiography of Stephen Fry. The book is a continuation from the end of his 1997 publication of his first autobiography, Moab Is My Washpot: An Autobiography...
. About a quarter of the script was shot and it is extensively archived at the Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture
Bill Douglas Centre
The Bill Douglas Centre for the History of Cinema and Popular Culture contains both a public museum and an academic research centre, housing one of Britain's largest public collections of books, prints, artefacts and ephemera relating to the history and prehistory of cinema...
at the University of Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
.
Plot
Stephen Fry characterises the film asThe film tells the story of a gossip-columnist Clare who enjoys a privileged life on the fringes of high society. However she gets into trouble over an indiscreet story she writes and falls from favour. She is rescued by William, a Cambridge don.
Cast
Clare was to be played by Anne Louise Lambert and William by Anthony HigginsAnthony Higgins
Anthony C. Higgins was a lawyer and politician from Wilmington, in New Castle County, Delaware. He was a veteran of the Civil War and a member of the Republican, who served as United States Senator from Delaware....
, who had already starred opposite Lambert in The Draughtsman's Contract
The Draughtsman's Contract
The Draughtsman's Contract is a 1982 British film written and directed by Peter Greenaway – his first conventional feature film . Originally produced for Channel 4 the film is a form of murder mystery, set in 1694...
. Simon Callow
Simon Callow
Simon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
and Gary Oldman
Gary Oldman
Gary Leonard Oldman is an English actor, voice actor, filmmaker and musician.A member of the 1980s Brit Pack, Oldman came to prominence via starring roles in British films Meantime , Sid and Nancy and Prick Up Your Ears , with his performance in the latter bringing him his first BAFTA Award...
were also cast. It was to be Oldman's screen debut though none of his scenes were shot.
Script
The script went through several incarnations.It began as a 1979 treatment by Frances Lynn
Frances Lynn
-Biography:Lynn was born in St. Mary's Hospital, Paddington in London, and was educated at Malvern Girls' College.In 1977, Lynn started her journalistic career when she became the film editor and gossip columnist for the now defunct Ritz Newspaper, published by David Bailey. Interview subjects...
entitled Frantic: A Story About a Gossip Columnist whose characters included a certain Romo Dolonski, a Polish film director out on bail for abducting a 12 year old girl. This sharp and bitchy treatment formed the basis for subsequent scripts.
By then Boyd was working in America and engaged the Tolkin brothers, Michael Tolkin
Michael Tolkin
Michael L. Tolkin is an American filmmaker and novelist. He has written numerous screenplays, including The Player , which he adapted from his 1988 book by the same name, and for which he received the 1993 Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay...
and Stephen Tolkin, to take the treatment over and provide a US based script for Universal Studios
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
. However Universal Studios found the script too 'arty and European' and pulled out, which left Boyd free to take the project elsewhere. By this time he had returned to the UK and decided to reset the script in London as it had begun, eventually hiring Fry to do the rewrite.
Finance
At the Cannes Film FestivalCannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
in May 1982, Boyd was introduced to Alan Shephard representing the Martini Foundation. This foundation, based in Lichenstein and led by Raymond Lanciault, had allegedly sold up their vermouth interests and wanted to diversify into films.
Boyd struck a deal with the foundation in which the foundation would finance four of his films at $5 million each for a $600,000 introduction fee and a 50% share in the profits. The initial $5 million dollars for Gossip was to be provided in the form of certificates of deposit at a mutually agreed Dutch bank.
The agreement was signed 6 July 1982, the day after Boyd received the final script from Fry.
Production
A huge Andrew McAlpine designed night-club set was constructed at Twickenham StudiosTwickenham Film Studios
Twickenham Film Studios is a film studio located in St Margarets, London, England used by many motion picture and television companies. It was established in 1913 by Dr. Ralph Jupp on the site of a former ice-rink. At the time of its original construction, it was the largest film studio in the...
, financed by a third party £100,000 loan while Boyd awaited the Martini money, and shooting began on 25 October 1982.
In the event the Martini money never arrived and the production was shut down on 14 November 1982.
Aftermath
Most production members didn't get paid. At September 1983 liabilities stood at £1,162,000 and Boyd was effectively blackballed by the unions until these were cleared. Boyd didn't make another film for three years as a result. Boyd's production company, Boyd's Co, went into receivership in 1991.See also
- The Line of BeautyThe Line of BeautyThe Line of Beauty is a 2004 Booker Prize-winning novel by Alan Hollinghurst.-Plot introduction:Set in Britain in the early to mid-1980s, the story surrounds the post-Oxford life of the young gay protagonist, Nick Guest....
, Alan HollinghurstAlan HollinghurstAlan Hollinghurst is a British novelist, and winner of the 2004 Man Booker Prize for The Line of Beauty.-Biography:Hollinghurst was born on 26 May 1954 in Stroud, Gloucestershire, the only child of James Hollinghurst, a bank manager, and his wife, Elizabeth...
's award winning 2004 fictional account of life amongst the privileged governing classes in the early Thatcher years.