I saw this documentary on the aborted I, Claudius (The Epic that Never Was) a long time ago and just watched it again. Much has been said on IMDb about the obvious ego of Herr von Sternberg and I agree, he didn't seem well liked, and he wasn't happy with how the production was going. I also agree that Merle Oberon's accident was used as an excuse to close down the production.
I do disagree with one thing. One of the problems, supposedly, was that Charles Laughton was having difficulty with the part. Despite some disbelief on this board, that is true. He used to put his head in the lap of his wife, Elsa Lanchester, and sob that he couldn't get it. And, as someone whose father was connected with the production states, there is footage of Laughton having temper tantrums. I'm sure that was out of frustration.
Nevertheless, I'm sure that Laughton would have gotten the essence of the role, and some of his Claudius on film is brilliant. There are some wonderful scenes in this documentary with him, Flora Robson, and Emlyn Williams.
Dirk Bogarde narrates this documentary, which includes interviews with the aforementioned von Sternberg, Emlyn Williams, Merle Oberon, Robert Graves, who wrote I, Claudius, and Flora Robson. The liveliest interview came from Williams, who was hilarious. He reports that von Sternberg told him that his character, Caligula, was a little bit of a "sissy." "I was happy to hear that," he said, "because I'd seen my costumes - two hostess gowns and a couple of cocktail numbers with false fringe." As far as I'm concerned, his interview made the whole documentary worth it.
I do disagree with one thing. One of the problems, supposedly, was that Charles Laughton was having difficulty with the part. Despite some disbelief on this board, that is true. He used to put his head in the lap of his wife, Elsa Lanchester, and sob that he couldn't get it. And, as someone whose father was connected with the production states, there is footage of Laughton having temper tantrums. I'm sure that was out of frustration.
Nevertheless, I'm sure that Laughton would have gotten the essence of the role, and some of his Claudius on film is brilliant. There are some wonderful scenes in this documentary with him, Flora Robson, and Emlyn Williams.
Dirk Bogarde narrates this documentary, which includes interviews with the aforementioned von Sternberg, Emlyn Williams, Merle Oberon, Robert Graves, who wrote I, Claudius, and Flora Robson. The liveliest interview came from Williams, who was hilarious. He reports that von Sternberg told him that his character, Caligula, was a little bit of a "sissy." "I was happy to hear that," he said, "because I'd seen my costumes - two hostess gowns and a couple of cocktail numbers with false fringe." As far as I'm concerned, his interview made the whole documentary worth it.