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HereÕs A How de do Diary: September
Editor’s Note: Lumps,
warts and all, for eight
months Barry Purves
will share his personal
production diary with
us for his current project
with Channel 4,
tentatively titled Here’s
A How de do. This film
will take a look at three
men: Gilbert, Sullivan
and Richard D’Oyly
Carte. D’Oyly Carte
brought Gilbert and Sullivan
together and formed the D’Oyly
Carte Opera Company, which performed
Gilbert and Sullivan operas
for 100 years. While the trio
worked together for roughly 25
years, their relationship was
strained at best. How will the production
of their story go? All we
can do is read along monthly and
find out...
September 1st
A productive start to the
month, if not wildly creative. Sullivan
is still flapping his arms about
furiously. I hope there is a real distinction
between the gestures of
Gilbert and Sullivan. I took the fact
that Sullivan is a conductor as a
starting point for him — his arms
flail all over the place and are quite
floppy and musical. Gilbert, with
his military background, is some-
what stiffer and
tighter — well, that
was the theory anyway.
The odd floppiness
has crept in
with Gilbert, but
that’s me really.
The rows
between the chaps
have started, and I
think it’s clear why.
Money is certainly
playing a part in all
this, as it did with them in reality.
Gilbert was certainly very tight
about money and did not like
wasting it — as the famous carpet
quarrel bears out. This incident, of
Carte and Sullivan buying a carpet
for the Savoy, without consulting
Gilbert, was a major factor in their
break up — sadly, I could not
weave (!) it into the film as there
are not many songs about carpets.
Barry Purves.
This spontaneity comes
from a lot of hard work,
none of which is spontaneous.
There’s been a series of programmes
on the last few nights,
celebrating the “Carry On...” films.
Whilst they are at different ends of
the spectrum, there are similarities
between the “Carry Ons” and
by Barry Purves
Savoy Operas. They both set up
British institutions, had a cozy
repertoire of familiar characters,
are comfortingly predictable,
unequivocally British and don’t
travel too well — the big difference
is where the operas had wit,
rhymes and music, the films had
boobs, bottoms and bodily functions!!!
All this nonsense about
Viagara - honestly!
September 2nd
I was listening to the Chieftain’s
inspiring album, “Santiago,”
on the way home, and all manner
of new films suggested themselves.
That’s the trouble with animation,
it takes so long. That’s films
crowding my already crowded
mind. Someone actually asked me
last week, “Where do you get your
ideas from?” That is not the problem.
I have got so many ideas,
most of which will never see light.
I have such a thirst for knowledge
and cultural experiences of every
kind, and all this usually sets me
off on some idea for a film. But to
see even the shortest of animation
films through takes so much time,
that I’ll never get to direct or write
all the things I’d like. How many
productions has Steven Pimlott
ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE December 1998 34