Ever, Dirk: The Bogarde Letters
Page 3
Brian McFarlane – Honorary Associate Professor (in film and literature) at Monash University, Melbourne, who interviewed Dirk for Sixty Voices (British Film Institute, 1992), an ‘oral history’ of the British cinema.
Jill Melford – Actress, who met Dirk and Tony in 1962 while on holiday in the South of France with her husband, John Standing, who appeared in Hot Enough for June (1964). By helping Dirk after his return from France, she earned the soubriquet ‘Swiss Army Knife’.
Penelope Mortimer (1918–99) – Novelist, screenwriter and memoirist, who approached Dirk in 1971 about a possible, unrealised, project with Bette Davis. Their intermittent correspondence over the next two decades found Dirk at his most self-revelatory.
John Osborne (1929–94) – Playwright, whose lethal autobiographies won favour with Dirk. The two never worked together, but began a somewhat eccentric correspondence in the 1990s. Osborne’s fifth wife, Helen (née Dawson; 1939– 2004), also wrote to Dirk.
Susan Owens – Cheshire housewife, with whom Dirk corresponded for twenty years.
Dilys Powell (1901–95) – Film critic of The Sunday Times from 1939 to 1976. Her contribution to a 1956 BBC radio profile of Dirk led to an occasional correspondence and a strong relationship rare between actor and critic – especially one involving this actor.
Nerine Selwood (née Cox) (1921–2003) – Friend, and almost exact contemporary, from Dirk’s teenage years in East Sussex. Her father, Lionel Cox, founded the Newick Amateur Dramatic Society, in whose hall Dirk made his theatrical debut in 1938.
Ann Skinner – In charge of Continuity on Darling (1965), Modesty Blaise (1966) and
Sebastian (1968). One of the few film-unit members with whom Dirk pursued a lasting friendship.
Norah Smallwood (1909–84) – Managing Director of Chatto & Windus, whose chance exposure to an edition of The Russell Harty Show in 1974 led to Dirk’s second career, as a writer.
Tom Stoppard – Playwright, adapter of Nabokov’s Despair for Fassbinder’s film, and creator of the text for Dirk as narrator at Glyndebourne Festival Opera’s 1993 concert performances of Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow).
Bertrand Tavernier – Director of Dirk’s final film, Daddy Nostalgie (These Foolish Things), shot in the South of France in 1989.
Kathleen Tynan (1937–95) – Writer, married to the critic, essayist and dramaturg Kenneth Tynan. She met Dirk and Tony in October 1968 while working with the photographer Patrick Lichfield on location for Justine.
Luchino Visconti (1906–76) – Director of La caduta degli dei (The Damned) (1970) and Morte a Venezia (Death in Venice) (1971). For Dirk he was ‘The Emperor’, while Losey was ‘The King’ and Tavernier ‘The Genius’.
Members of Dirk’s family who appear variously as featured players, in walk-on roles, or in passing mentions:
Ulric and Margaret (née Niven) Van den Bogaerde – parents
Elizabeth Goodings (née Van den Bogaerde) – sister
Gareth and Lucilla (née Dilke) Van den Bogaerde – brother and sister-in-law
Mark and Judy (née Roberts) Goodings – nephew and niece-by-marriage
Brock and Kim (née Barker) Van den Bogaerde – nephew and niece-by-marriage
Rupert Van den Bogaerde – nephew
Ulric Van den Bogaerde – nephew
Alice Van den Bogaerde – niece
Forrest McClellan – cousin, nephew to Margaret
NICKNAMES
The Atts – Richard and Sheila Attenborough
Boaty – Alice Lee Boatwright
Coz; Fat Friend – Tony Forwood
Fatso – Richard Burton et al.
Frankenstein – John Frankenheimer
(Mrs) Glum – Eileen Atkins
The Hippo Pool – Dirk’s ‘swimming-pool’ at Clermont
HRH; Millionair – Ian Holm
Lady; Ladie – Successive domestic helps in both France and London
Lally – Ellen Holt (née Searle)
Lordie – Patrick Lichfield
Lu; (Auntie) LuLu; Tide – Elizabeth Goodings (née Van den Bogaerde)
Maud(e) – Jill Melford
Mrs X – Dorothy Gordon
Oscar’s – The Cadogan Hotel, Chelsea
Plank (1); Planche; Mme de la Planche – Hélène Bordes
Plank (2) – Nicholas Shakespeare
Schles – John Schlesinger
Sno, Snowball, Snowflake – Bee Gilbert
Ully – Ulric Van den Bogaerde (Dirk’s father)
SELECTED REFERENCES
BOOKS BY DIRK BOGARDE
A Postillion Struck by Lightning (Chatto & Windus, 1977; Phoenix paperback, 2006)
Snakes and Ladders (Chatto & Windus, 1978; Phoenix paperback, 2006)
A Gentle Occupation* (Chatto & Windus, 1980)
Voices in the Garden* (Chatto & Windus, 1981)
An Orderly Man (Chatto & Windus, 1983)
West of Sunset *(Allen Lane, 1984)
Backcloth (Viking, 1986)
A Particular Friendship (Viking, 1989)
Jericho* (Viking, 1992)
Great Meadow (Viking, 1992)
A Short Walk from Harrods (Viking, 1993)
A Period of Adjustment* (Viking, 1994)
Cleared for Take-Off (Viking, 1995)
Closing Ranks* (Viking, 1997)
For the Time Being: Collected Journalism (Viking, 1998)
*Novels
BOOKS ON DIRK BOGARDE
Dirk Bogarde: The Authorised Biography by John Coldstream (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2004; Phoenix paperback, 2005)
Dirk Bogarde: Rank Outsider by Sheridan Morley (Bloomsbury, 1996; updated paperback, 1999)
Dirk Bogarde: The Complete Career Illustrated by Robert Tanitch (Ebury Press, 1988)
The Films of Dirk Bogarde by Margaret Hinxman and Susan d’Arcy (Literary Services & Production, 1974)
OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE DIRK BOGARDE ESTATE
www.dirkbogarde.co.uk
CHRONOLOGY
1920 7 January – Marriage of Ulric Van den Bogaerde and Margaret Niven
1921 28 March – Born Derek Niven Van den Bogaerde, in West Hampstead
1924 2 April – Elizabeth Van den Bogaerde (sister) born
1931–4 Attends University College School, Hampstead
1931–3 Family rents cottage for holidays at Lullington, East Sussex
1933 19 July – Gareth Van den Bogaerde (brother) born
1934–7 Attends Allan Glen’s School, Glasgow
1938–9 Attends Chelsea School of Art
1938 Makes stage debut in Alf ’s Button for Newick Amateur Dramatic Society
1939 Auditions for Old Vic School; makes screen debut as extra in Come On George!
1940 Makes London stage debut in When We Are Married at Q Theatre; West End debut in Cornelius (Westminster Theatre) June–Dec: member of repertory company at The Playhouse, Amersham Meets Anthony Forwood (b. 3 October 1915)
1941 Diversion No. 2 (Wyndham’s Theatre) Enlisted into Royal Corps of Signals as Signalman 2371461
1943 Commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant into Queen’s Royal Regiment
1944 Appointed Intelligence Officer, 21 Army Group (Army Photographic Interpretation Section); seconded to 39 Wing, Royal Canadian Air Force for liberation of Europe
1945 Appointed Temporary Captain; exhibits paintings and drawings at the Batsford Gallery; posted to India with RAF; posted to Java
1946 Edits forces newspaper, The Fighting Cock; demobilised
1947 Makes television debut in Rope; plays Cliff in Power Without Glory at New Lindsey Theatre and in West End (Fortune Theatre); signs contract with Rank Organisation; first speaking role in Dancing with Crime; makes screen debut ‘above the title’ in Esther Waters (released 1948); rents 44 Chester Row, Belgravia
1948 Makes Quartet (‘The Alien Corn’), Once a Jolly Swagman and Dear Mr Prohack
For Better, For Worse (Q Theatre)
1949 Makes Boys in Brown, The Blue Lamp and So Long at the Fair
Foxhole in the Par
lor (New Lindsey Theatre) and Sleep on My Shoulder (Q)
Buys Bendrose House, Amersham, from Forwood family
1950 The Shaughraun (Bedford Theatre) and Point of Departure (Duke of York’s)
Makes The Woman in Question and Blackmailed
1951 Makes Hunted and Penny Princess
1952 The Vortex (Lyric Hammersmith)
Makes The Gentle Gunman, Appointment in London and Desperate Moment
1953 Makes They Who Dare and Doctor in the House
1954 Buys Beel House, Amersham
Makes The Sleeping Tiger, For Better, For Worse, The Sea Shall Not Have Them and Simba; (26 March) Doctor in the House released
1955 Makes Doctor at Sea and Cast a Dark Shadow
Returns to the stage in Summertime (Apollo)
1956 Makes The Spanish Gardener, Ill Met by Moonlight and Doctor at Large
1957 Makes Campbell’s Kingdom and A Tale of Two Cities
1958 Makes The Wind Cannot Read and The Doctor’s Dilemma
Final stage appearance, in Jezebel (Oxford Playhouse and Theatre Royal Brighton)
1959 Makes Libel, Song Without End and The Angel Wore Red (La sposa bella)
1960 Makes The Singer Not the Song; Lyrics for Lovers (LP) released
Buys Drummer’s Yard, near Beaconsfield
1961 Makes Victim (playing Melville Farr) and HMS Defiant; leaves Rank
1962 Variety Club film actor of the year for 1961
Makes The Password Is Courage, We Joined the Navy (cameo), I Could Go On Singing and The Mind Benders
Buys Nore Farm, near Godalming
1963 Makes The Servant, Doctor in Distress and Hot Enough for June
1964 Variety Club Award for The Servant
Makes King and Country, The High Bright Sun and Darling
1965 Makes Modesty Blaise
1966 Buys Adam’s Farm, near Crowborough
British Film Academy Award for Darling
Makes Accident and Our Mother’s House
1967 Makes Sebastian and The Fixer
1968 Makes Oh! What a Lovely War (cameo), The Damned (La caduta degli dei ) and Justine
1969 1 March – Leaves the UK for Italy; leases Villa Berti, Labaro, near Rome
1970 Buys Le Haut Clermont, Châteauneuf de Grasse Makes Death in Venice (Morte a Venezia)
1971 Fiftieth birthday
1972 Makes The Serpent
1973 Makes The Night Porter (Il portiere di notte)
1975 Makes Permission to Kill
1976 Makes Providence and A Bridge Too Far
1977 24 March A Postillion Struck by Lightning published
Makes Despair
1978 Snakes and Ladders published
1980 A Gentle Occupation published
1981 Makes The Patricia Neal Story
Voices in the Garden published
1982 Appointed Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
1983 An Orderly Man published
1984 West of Sunset published
President of Cannes Film Festival jury
1985 Hon. D.Litt., University of St Andrews
1986 Makes May We Borrow Your Husband? (also debut as scriptwriter)
Backcloth published
Sells Le Haut Clermont
1987 Returns to UK; rents 15 Moore Street, Chelsea
Makes The Vision (BBC TV)
Awarded BFI Fellowship
Buys Queen Anne House, Dukes Lane, Kensington
1988 18 May – Anthony Forwood dies
Honoured by BAFTA
Moves to 2 Cadogan Gardens, Chelsea
1989 A Particular Friendship published
Returns to Provence to make Daddy Nostalgie (These Foolish Things)
1990 Promoted to Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres
1992 Knighthood conferred
Jericho and Great Meadow published
1993 Hon. D.Litt., University of Sussex
A Short Walk from Harrods published
1994 A Period of Adjustment published
1995 Cleared for Take-Off published
1996 Has stroke following operation
1997 Closing Ranks published
1998 For the Time Being published
1999 8 May – Dies suddenly but peacefully at home in Chelsea
EDITOR’S NOTE
As explained in the Introduction, these letters are reproduced faithfully and at length, apart from cuts made for reasons of repetition, unfathomable sense, acute sensibility and actionable defamation. In the main, Dirk’s abuses of syntax and punctuation, and his misspelling – as opposed to patent mistyping – are preserved. One or two ruffles, such as stray full-stops within bracketed asides and the inconsistent use of inverted commas, have been ironed out. Proper names which he has given wrongly are usually corrected either in the footnotes or in the Index. None the less, the reader’s indulgence throughout is craved.
I
THE CONTINENTAL YEARS
In 1961, after fourteen years with the Rank Organisation, Dirk had severed his contractual ties and begun a brief period of challenging and artistically satisfying work, notably with Joseph Losey. By the late 1960s, however, such opportunities were scarce. A call from Luchino Visconti for Dirk to co-star in The Damned helped to convince him that his destiny lay in Europe. So, on 1 March 1969, he and Tony left England for the Continent and an uncertain future. Ten days later they moved into a rented house in the village of Labaro on the outskirts of Rome. They were joined by the Spanish couple who had looked after them latterly in Sussex, Eduardo and Antonia Boluda. From now on, Dirk had no secretarial help.
The following is the only letter from Dirk to Dorothy Gordon that is known to have survived. It was typed on his favourite machine, an Adler. A comparison with the version on pages 170–73 of A Particular Friendship indicates how substantially he edited and revised the ‘Mrs X’ correspondence for publication.
To Dorothy Gordon Villa Berti
18 March 1969
You will have to excuse the paper and all the rest .... I am not nearly sorted out enough to write a letter at all!
Everything is very Italian .... not enough blankets: two pitiful table lamps, a few tin knives and forks and some ashtrays stolen at various times from different Roman resturants .... the matresses covered in pee stains (it was leased for a year to an American family in the Embassy with six children .. maybe that accounts for the muck left behind).
However, it is about twelve kilometers from Rome .. on a hill with lovely views over the city dump and the neighbouring villages which are now really suburbs of Rome .... but the mountains are there still .... and the Pines smell devine, the Mimosa is tossing great golden rain over the violets … real Parm[a]s, with a scent in the rain like nothing on earth .... there is a pool … and I sleep in a small fourposter with Bloomingdales stamped on the back! The Widow who owns the place loved America so much that she bought all her wall paper and curtain stuff from Maceys or Korvett … and the Colonial Furniture from Bloomingdales .... only the matresses alas, come from Rome. Wire frames with a thin straw sack.
Eduardo and Antonia arrived pale and tired from Valencia on Friday, and we all hastened home .... the dog I have adopted from a local peasant, has a broken leg, naturally, and copious worms, naturally … I’d fed him well before leaving for the airport … and the result of my lavishness was apparent in the air the moment the door was opened … and even more apparent underfoot! A good omen? I was scurrying about with shovels and earth and retching all over the garden for an hour … he is still with us, needless to say, but under strict supervision … and later I’ll take him into Rome and have the leg re-set and the worms abated … meanwhile he sits with me constantly .. with great brown eyes .. and a golden coat .. a cross between a Whippet and a hound .... God knows what. Named Labbo .... after the village!
After great heart searching, Candy1 will not arrive in Italy. My sister and her family of kids have tumbled in love .. and no one seems sure enough for me that
she would survive the journey in a crate at her age .. 9 … what is the possible pleasure of killing her off for my benifit? If she is happy and well where she is, and she is, and if she is deeply loved and spoiled, which she is, then it is kinder to her to remain in England … also .. if she did come out here and for some reason or another I had to go back to England, she could not … without six months in quarentine.
So … our minds are all made up and there she stays .... Antonia blanched a little … but has finally understood that it is kinder and wiser. And after all she has Labbo … and he does bark … Antonia is terrified, terrified, of the Mafia. As far as she is concerned they lurk under every cypress … in every oleander … on every balcony … and they wait solely to get HER! .... maybe they do …I’m not that brave myself.
What idiots we are .. not a word of Italian and running a not too small house. The Supermarket is fun … I have never been able to visit one freely before … now I take my list in one hand and a trolly in the other and wander among the rest of the perplexed ‘housewives’ studying prices and the freshness of the artichokes .... astonishing piles of things are bundled into the car … detergents … Tide … Candles … cutting board … brush for hearth … four colored cups … dog biscuits … carrots and black olives … six toilet rolls .... cheese and four dozen eggs … Martell … and a feather duster.
Really crazy, but fun .. except that I am living, for the first time in my life almost, on a limited capital with absolutely no income .... as a British citizen I am not allowed any foreign posessions of any sort .. and anything earned here goes straight to the Bank of E. Bugger it. It was only because the Italian Government ‘froze’ half my salary here that we are sitting up on the hill in Villa Berti … and god knows how long that will last .... Candles burn … Toilet rolls roll … eggs become ommletts … only the four colored cups MAY survive.
Adler is very battered about, poor love … he’s been all over and looks a bit worn and weary … but he is happy at last to be on a desk again … I had to rent the damn thing .. the desk: and side tables and arm chairs, and chests of drawers … what on earth do the Italians do with their knickers and shirts and things I wonder.