LONGFORD
UK, 2006, 90 minutes, Colour,
Jim Broadbent, Samantha Morton, Lindsay Duncan, Andy Serkis, Kika Markham, Robert Pugh.
Directed by Tom Hooper.
Longford is an excellent telemovie focusing on the life of Frank Pakenham, Lord Longford.
Lord Longford was in politics from the 1930s and leader of the Upper House during Harold Wilson’s government. A convert to Catholicism, he took up visiting prisons early in his political career and continued this throughout his political life. He was motivated very strongly by Gospel principles – and the film is interesting in showing Longford explicitly in prayer in his home as well as in church. It also has him discussing religious themes, spirituality and theological issues, especially forgiveness.
Longford became famous because he was invited by moors murderer, Myra Hindley, to visit her in prison. He did so, took up her cause, hoping to get her paroled. However, he was warned by fellow moors murderer, Ian Brady, that she was not to be trusted. Ultimately, this proved to be true.
Jim Broadbent gives a marvellous performance as Longford, looking and sounding like him. Broadbent is a versatile actor and won his Oscar for his performance as John Bailey in Iris. That same year, 2001, he appeared as the master of ceremonies in Moulin Rouge. Samantha Morton is excellent also as Myra Hindley. In her short career, she had several Oscar nominations including for Woody Allen’s Sweet and Lowdown and for Jim Sheridan’s In America. Andy Serkis (Gollum (?) in The Lord of the Rings, the model for King Kong) is sinister as Ian Brady. Lindsay Duncan has a very good role as Lady Longford, also a convert to Catholicism, who supported her husband – though was hostile to his friendship with Myra Hindley until she started to read documentation and took up her cause.
The film has a number of political characters in it including Harold Wilson, played by Robert Pugh, who dismissed Longford as leader of the Upper House. Anton Rodgers also appears as Home Secretary William Whitelaw whom Longford consulted about Myra Hindley.
The film is directed by Tom Hooper who directed the miniseries, Elizabeth I, with Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons (which won a number of Emmy awards). The screenplay was written by Peter Morgan who had written quite a number of films but made an impact with his political drama, The Deal, directed by Stephen Freers, which dealt with the arrangements between Tony Blair and Gordon Brown about the succession. However, he came into more prominence, winning the screenplay at Venice 2006 with his screenplay of The Queen for which Helen Mirren won Best Actress. Morgan has the abilities to take current events and prominent people, make serious drama out of episodes (drawn on research but created by him) without seeming sensational or exploiting characters or situations.
1. The impact of the telemovie? A portrait of Lord Longford, a study of his life, campaigns? The blending of fiction and fact? The issues, especially prisons, Myra Hindley, Lord Longford’s campaign against pornography?
2. The work of Peter Morgan, his ability to take actual characters, be creative, dramatise characters and situations – the effect, not exploiting them? More effectively than docu-drama?
3. The structure of the film: 1987, the DJ, interviewing Lord Longford about his book on saints, the exclusion of calls on Myra Hindley, the listeners still calling in and making demands on Longford? The challenge to him? Yes or no about his regrets or not? The flashback to Lord Longford’s life, campaigns? His confronting the truth? The aftermath ten years later, Myra Hindley seeing Longford and apologising, his question about forgiving her?
4. The information about Lord Longford, the radio announcer supplying information, the visit to Ian Brady giving more information, Longford’s conversations with his wife and reminiscences? Early life, conversions, causes, politics, prisons, issues, the church?
5. Longford’s political life, his conversion to Labour, his role in the House of Lords, the visits to Harold Wilson, the threats, Wilson asking him to do the report on youth, his dismissing him and forgetting about the report? His later career, visits to the House of Lords, the campaign against pornography, his visits to the sleazier parts of Soho, his report? The letter from Myra Hindley, his going to visit her despite public opinion, the issues of visiting her? How he was regarded – considered crazy? The various debates, Lord Hailsham, the interview by David Frost? The insertion of actual television footage? His interview at his daughter’s launch, the press conferences? Outside Downing Street with the report?
6. How much did the drama depend on audience knowledge about the moors murders and their reaction to them? The 1960s, the serial killings? The clips from actual television footage, the interviews with the police? Popular anger? The arrest of Brady and Hindley, the trial, the photos – especially of Myra Hindley and her later changing the colour of her hair? The judgment, that Hindley was less guilty, that she was led by Brady? The various appeals? The parents’ anger, the parent with the knife, the later walk on the heath and the journalists taking photos of her with the prison warden? Her confession about the moors murders, despite what she had promised to Longford? Her going up to the moors, the search for the bodies? Audience reaction to Ian Brady, his reputation, psychopathic? Sinister, his attitude towards Myra Hindley, loving her, dominating her? The truth about her? Myra Hindley’s death?
7. The character of Myra, the issue of whether she was a hysteric or not, absorbing other people’s personalities or not, adapting to the people she was with? The background to her early life, her Catholicism? The meeting with Brady, the killings – and Lord Longford later playing the tape which he had ignored? Her saying she accepted her guilt? Her age, her smoking – and the later emphysema? Her asking for the visit, the books? Her studies in prison? Her model behaviour? Asking about writing to Brady, her letters – and Brady reading them to Longford? Her double standards? The build-up to her instruction, the church, the priest, confession, receiving the Eucharist? Her behaviour in prison, her attachment to prison guards, the lesbian aspects? The escape attempt with Trisha? The further trial and the judge’s comment? Her being transferred to Durham, the excrement on the wall, the treatment for the other prisoners? Her being drugged? Lady Longford’s visit with her husband, her change of heart? Her promises to Longford, her lies, her dismissing him casually, her listening to the radio interview about the book on saints and the questions? The final visit and her apology?
8. Ian Brady, his psychological condition, asking for Longford to visit, his sinister behaviour, denouncing Myra (and the audience believing him or her)? His psychological condition yet his telling the truth? His threats? His treatment of Longford, his insights into Longford’s attachment to Myra?
9. The quality of Jim Broadbent’s performance, his age, appearance, changing throughout his career? Lord Longford’s personality, a good man, the prison visits, his concern, diligence, his listening to Myra Hindley, his being moved, attached? At home, his devotion to his wife? The interviews, the media? Rachel’s launch and his wife being angry with him? The visits to Harold Wilson? The visits to Brady? The cumulative effect of the letters from Myra, his visits? His moving away after promising his wife, his involvement in the pornography campaign, his visits, encounters, observations? The interrogation about the effect on him? His returning to Myra? The importance of his faith, prayer, night prayers at home, in the church, communion at mass? The integrity of his life? His being shattered, his writing the book on the saints, the interrogation by the listeners, being asked yes or no about his helping Myra Hindley? The final visit? The importance of understanding forgiveness, his saying that he was doing so much for himself, with her betrayal of him, his having to search his heart about forgiving her?
10. Lady Longford, her character, support, the scenes with her husband, the ordinary scenes, her anger at his behaviour at Rachel’s launch, the meal table sequences, her reading Myra’s letters, her research, her change of heart, the visit with her husband and finding Myra drugged? Her talking with her husband, telling her family at the dinner table? Her feeling bereft when the truth was revealed?
11. The Longford family, Rachel Billington as the focus for the drama between parents and children, her being symbolic of the other family?
12. Prison life, the warders, the sympathetic Governor Wing, Trisha and the escape?
13. The cumulative effect of this kind of drama about actual characters, situations, political and social issues? Moral and religious issues?
