Book Launch: Conversations with Jack Cardiff
Sunday 21st September 2003
The Curzon Cinema, Mayfair
Just back from a very nice day out in London.
The launch of the new book Conversations with Jack Cardiff (by Justin Bowyer; B.T. Batsford. ISBN: 0713488557) at the Curzon, Mayfair. They screened AMOLAD and followed that with an interview with Jack on stage and then opened it up for a Q&A with the audience.
I got there a bit early & picked up my complementary ticket (thanks to author Justin Bowyer & Chrysalis books) and sat down with a cup of coffee. A few more people drifted in & I introduced myself to Justin and the publishers. They were trying to sort out the best questions to ask Jack but I said all they had to do was to lead him into any area of his work and he'd have a good anecdote about it.
Lou Volpe turned up with Lynn, they have both been doing some good work on the Roger Livesey biography. After a chat and a bit more mingling we all went into the cinema. A very nice place. It's been divided into two screens but the main one (where we were) is the full sized screen and holds 320 people (there were about 200 there today).
Lou and Lynn led the way and picked the seats and it was just as we sat down that I realised that they'd chosen to sit right behind Lady Ivry Freyberg. So we had a quick chat before the lights went down. For those not up with our hob-nobbing with all of these titled people, Ivry was a good friend of Emeric's and it was Ivry who helped him out by organising for him to live at Shoemaker's cottage. Her family owned it and a lot of other land around Aspall. I'd met Ivry a few times before and Nicky & I took her for tea at the Cathedral tea shop in Canterbury (on one of those few times when it was a tea shop).
They showed the film, people laughed (in the right places), tears were shed, then Jack came out to a round of applause. As I'd suggested, it only needed a bit of prompting from the interviewer for Jack to go into one anecdote after another. As I've been to things like this so often (& read his book) I've heard a lot of these before but they're still always good to hear. A few good questions from the audience and then someone reminded everyone (those who didn't know) that it was his 89th birthday last Thursday so we all sung "Happy Birthday" :)
Back out in the lobby Jack was set up at a desk with a glass of wine for a signing session. I lost sight of Lou & Lynn at that point but joined the queue to get a copy of the book with Ivry & her daughter (I was due to be sent a review copy but that hasn't arrived yet). We got to the front of the queue, I introduced Jack to Ivry and we had a quick chat while he signed our books. I also got Justin, the author, to sign mine.
Ivry & her daughter were going off to the Royal Academy to see an exhibition there so we headed off there for a cup of tea and a longer chat. I passed on the extended press reception at the Curzon, it was getting a bit hot in there and the courtyard at the RA seemed a much nicer place to have a longer chat and to bring them up to date with all the news. I told them I'd put in the application for the English Heritage Blue Plaque for Emeric and she again promised her help if it's needed. I also told them about the work Lou & Lynn had done for Roger's biography.
Then they went off to see the summer exhibition and I headed back home.
A Great Day
The book is very interesting and covers a lot of areas that Jack didn't mention in his autobiography. Lots of pictures and a good filmography. Jack is very complimentary about P&P and Thelma but it's not that he's complimentary about everyone. He hands out a few tough opinions where they're needed.
Steve
Other P&P trips
