Synopsis of MICHAEL CLARKE Interview. 20th. October 1993. File 299

SIDE ONE.

Born 1919 in a suburb of Warrington. Father rose to a senior position with Jo Lyons which he joined after leaving the army at the end of the First World War. Michael was educated at Dulwich College Prep, and then went on to Dulwich College where he studied classics, achieving a "cheap" scholarship to Magdalen College, Cambridge in 1938. Discusses life at Cambridge. Influenced by world politics at the time, he became involved With Socialism and the Student Communist Party. Appeared with his wife in the film A Fragment of Memory, about university days before the war- a picture was that made 40 years after the events. Talks about the influence of film in the thirties. One Hundred Men and a Girl, (H. Koster,1937). created for him a new dimension in music which the combined power of sound and editing helped to create. Dulwich was a very musical school - he played the trombone, oboe and tympany. He goes on to enthuse about the Regal, West Norwood “a wonderful cinema which had amazing decor". He also became familiar with French films before the war. He talks about visiting the cinema once a week as a boy and recalls some early movies. He also talks about his interest in a friend's 9.5mm. Pathescope system and of the materials shot at University – possibly the beginning of thoughts on documentary: He had seen Night Mail and Coalface by then. He volunteered for the Army in tanks because he liked motor cars, and resigned from the Communist Party because he was told that he should not put academic work before his political duty. Whilst waiting for call-up he worked as an usher at the Gaumont, Lewisham, for 2 pounds, 14 shillings and twopence a week. - Some interesting details on performances affected by air raids. Eventually he was called up to train as a Trooper, He mentions Richard Greene, the Brylcream Boy, and Peter Wills, later head of drama at Associated-Rediffusion, who were also in the barracks at that time. Details of army life in the social round. Eventually he became a gunnery instructor, to which he attributes his deafness, and in later years required others to make judgements for sound balance and levels for him. He served in the Middle East and trained on U.S. designed and built Grant tanks in 1942. When the Germans broke through near Tobruk, his unit was sent to repel them. These tanks were powered by modified aero engines, using high octane aviation spirit! His tank received a direct hit and he was lucky to escape. Moments later the tank blew up - a graphic description follows. He was blown out of a tank a second time a month later and received injuries. After convalescence, he was sent to India to teach tank gunnery and wireless. He then took an intelligence course and served in Palestine as an Intelligence Officer in MI5, 1943-1946. He enjoyed the work which lasted for two and a half years - details. After demob he joined Paul Rotha where he learned the nuts and bolts of film making. There are comments on some of the great documentary people of the day and the way they worked. As an assistant film librarian in 1946, he received six pounds, ten shillings a week, having received clearance from George Elvin. Film handling was much enjoyed – it was tactile.

SIDE TWO.

After The World is Rich he acted as assistant director on two films for the RNLI: Night Launch and A Fisherman’s Yarn, both made at Hastings. Details and technical crew. When Films of Fact packed up, he was offered a job at Data as assistant editor or director based in Soho Square. Data was a true co-operative, tied up with various manufacturers- inclined to be left-wing, with members of the Communist Party amongst its staff. Michael briefly rejoined the party but life was too hectic to become involved: Political details, talk of setting up a commune in the Cotswolds etc. Grierson arrived back, on the scene from the US in 1948 to give a pep talk. "God is here", they used to say. He accused them of suffering the carpet-slipper mentality! More details of how Grierson worked. Data an excellent group to work for – plenty of work and experience. Discussion about cameramen, cameras, lenses and the way they were used in documentary. After Data, he was offered a job by Edgar Anstey in the newly formed British Transport as a staff director. There follows a lengthy discussion about aspects of the documentary movement: the rise and fall etc. Details of the film Work in Progress which Michael directed, 1950. He also filmed the first sequences about marine radar aboard the Maid or Orleans, and details the technical problems. There were other sequences such as a timed lorry service in Scotland and radio-controlled shunting. On one occasion, the assistant director Jim Garret, nearIy lost a £150 wad of notes down the train lavatory when it fell out of his pocket, but fortunately it didn’t disappear down the hole!! After that, Michael was put on Permanent Way Maintenance, Part 2, Mainline and Part 5, Switches &. Crossings.

SIDE THREE

More details about Mainline shooting Permanent Way Maintenance near Darlington in the depths of Winter. When the weather was bad, they went ferreting! The cameraman was Michael Currer-Briggs who later became a TV producer/director with Associated Rediffusion. The techniques required for producing instructional films are discussed. Anstey at this time was resolved to make films that would create an appetite for travel. Michael was therefore asked to make a film about the Cotswolds and explains his thoughts on the subject. He met the author an early conservationist, who shared his same feelings about the countryside. In 1952, Arthur Elton asked him to do a film in Iraq about building the world’s longest pipeline. He discusses music for documentary films - never uses pre-recorded material. He also made a Cine-Gazette on two principle themes: Taking a tube train to pieces and rebuilding it and a piece about a sausage machine in action. Improvised music – cool jazz – was used. British Transport films he made were:  The Heart of England and a film about East Anglia called East Anglian Holiday which was well reviewed but which Michael disliked because he had no control over editing - always a problem associated with Anstey. He talks about the film Every Valley and the differences of opinion with Anstey over its treatment. Linkspan was a film about train ferries which Michael enjoyed making. Yet, once again, he was disappointed in the way in which it was edited. With Film Centre, he started to deal with international organisations and agencies. More production and organisational details of the shooting in Iraq of the pipeline film The Third River, mentioned earlier. For example, he found that he was working with an Iraqi cameraman of considerable pornographic distinction!

SIDE FOUR

Continues with The Third River. In 1955 he was asked to return to Iraq to make a film about the nature of the oil economy. Cameraman was Billy Williams. Shot on 35mm. Eastmancolor. Details of how the film was made and the politics involved. The film was called Nahnuw ' Al' Alam - The World and Ourselves. The film was re-edited after the revolution to exclude photographs of the King on the walls etc. After this he was asked to join the Shell Film Unit to investigate the possibility of doing a film for the UN Technical Assistance Programme. It involved travelling to many continents; it covered many themes and was concerned with development in the widest sense. His next assignment for Shell was the possibility of a film for the World Health Organisation. The investigation lasted about five months and involved much travelling. The film was called Unseen Enemies. A great deal of the film was done in well-known tourist spots and concerned communicable diseases. The Spanish government were particularly worried about the possibility of adverse publicity. He directed and edited in the Shell tradition. Production and technical details. The period was c 1957/58. The film took about eighteen months to complete. He talks about Stuart Legg’s treatment - a minor art form – and quotes an example. He describes it as “slightly heightened language". His next work was connected with the evolution of the Royal Society. But he was accused of being too interested in the subject! The treatment he wrote did not impress and so he was asked to rewrite it. Eventually he was taken off it. Michael also talks about the market testing versus PR views held by Shell with regard to their expensive productions. Fortunately, the PR view was accepted at the time. In 1959 he became involved in the development of a school’s programme series to be produced jointly between Shell and Associated- Rediffusion, which proved unacceptable to the ITA for obscure advertising reasons.  He and Arthur Elton also planned to do a series of one-minute potted documentaries on the great inventors of the electrical and electronic age, and these, too, were banned by the ITA for similar reasons. After this he became producer of the AEI Film Unit, and the first film he made was The AEI 1010 Computer- about a huge valve operated device the first of its kind in Britain. Production details. He goes on to describe some of the many engineering films he made for AEI, subjects he greatly approved of.

SIDE FIVE

Continues with the list and description of the AEI documentaries. He also lists the Shell Film Unit personnel from the 1939 period onwards when they were making films about scientific and technical processes. Elton felt uncomfortable with real scientists. In 1963, he felt like a change and heard about a job at the Royal College of Art in the department of film and TV. Beginnings of the department: His initial job was head of production. Everyone at the film school had received art training - it was a post graduate institution. No equipment available to begin with except for wooden models of studio TV cameras and communications equipment used for teaching. There was also an Arriflex and a pic sync. He talks about the courses, the student successes and the gradual evolution and expansion.

Eventually, he took up an appointment with the University of London to start a film unit, and explains how it grew to encompass all 'forms of production, including videotape, photography, slide sequences etc., for whoever wanted it. As equipment was gradually updated, they used their own studio for production purposes, including drama. All this occurred between 1971 and 1983. Income from renting the product[production facility?] was used to keep pace with technology, colour etc. In 1984 when Michael retired, Thatcherism in its most virulent form, was becoming apparent, and work had to be justified by profit alone. Eventually the unit was closed down and the material was deposited in the National Film Archive. In 1985 he worked for the World Health Organisation to write a report on how they should improve their audio/video services. All his recommendations were eventually implemented by a clever Director General.

END.

Editor’s note: In my view, an extremely dedicated and talented academic in documentary whose views were often at variance with the establishment. I enjoyed every minute of it – and I make the usual disclaimer about the correct spelling of some names and places which need to be verified.

 David M. Robson.