THE TICHBORNE CLAIMANT
UK, 1998, 98 minutes, Colour.
Robert Pugh, John Kani, Stephen Fry, John Gielgud, Robert Hardy, Rachel Dowling, Charles Gray, James Villiers, Dudley Sutton.
Directed by David Yates.
The Tichborne Claimant is a story from the 19th century – about the disappearance of an estate heir and the claim of a butcher from Wagga to be the real Roger. Robert Pugh, the father of the girl in Priest, gives a strong performance as the Tichborne claimant.
There is a very strong supporting cast including African actor John Kani and violent English performers like Stephen Fry and John Gielgud.
The film follows the real case in some detail though there were several trials which have been compressed into one. The claimant performed on the stage – and was something of an actor – in order to get support for his claim. Various members of the family do not believe him while the mother of the original Roger Tichborne does. John Gielgud plays a judge and Stephen Fry the lawyer.
The film is fairly straightforward in its presentation, a picture of 19th century aristocracy, the differences in class, the legal claims and counter-claims of the period.
The film was directed by David Yates who directed a number of television films including the award-winning The Girl in the Café. However, he went quite upmarket with the direction of two of the Harry Potter films.
1.The appeal of the film: costume drama? History, comedy, satire? Class divisions and distinctions?
2.The visual presentation of 19th century England, London, the countryside, Australia? The aristocracy? The poor? The courts? The musical score?
3.The film based on a true story – how credible? The material of 19th century novels?
4.The technique of the voice-over and the information for the story? The poorhouse and the cow? The perspective of Andrew Bogle, an African in England? The background of the slave trade? Service? His being dishonoured by the family? In Australia, the search? His auditions? The choice of the claimant? The skills in training, the patience? The shared experience? The promise, the wife? The nature of the claim, coping with people’s reactions, Bogle and his support of the claimant, guiding him? Shamed, in court, the testimony? The loss? The lavish ending?
5.The personality of the claimant, his background, the audition, the lawyers and the interrogations, the wife and children? The real heir and the sale? Reactions and action? The decision, the training, strengths and failures, his wife? His arrival, his skills, meeting the members of the family, knowing what had happened – but gaps in his knowledge? His tricks? The mother – belief, spite? His being ousted? In poverty? The lawyers, the advice, the plans? The denunciations, his theatre performances, financial support? Going into the court, his testimony? Pros and cons about his claim? The end, jail? The hotel?
6.The character of his wife, her agreement, differences, pleasant, boarding, hunger, in the court? The testimony? The finale?
7.The Tichborne family, Arundell, Uncle Henry? Snobs? Their angers, disdain, trickery? The brothels and other behaviour? In the courts? The victory? The parody of the aristocracy?
8.The various supporting cast, as a group, society, Lord Rivers and the fish? The court and Rio? The testimony? Being discredited? Sense of honour?
9.John Gielgud as the judge? Keneally and his Irish background? Stephen Fry as the lawyer?
10.The dynamics of the court, the hearing, the testimony, evidence and counter-evidence?
11.The background of the theatre, social life? A different world?
12.A 19th century fable for a 20th century audience – and the continued history of financial fraud and deception?
