McKellen: Playing The Part, 2018.
Directed by Joe Stephenson/
Starring Ian McKellen, Milo Parker and Scott Chambers.
SYNOPSIS:
Documentary about the life and times of actor Sir Ian McKellen, tracing his career from his early days in rep to starring on the London stage, his more recent film career and his other role as a campaigner for gay rights.
One of the finest actors of his generation, Sir Ian McKellen, puts his own life firmly in the spotlight for his latest big screen appearance, documentary McKellen: Playing The Part. Based on an extensive interview which, by all accounts, lasted some 14 hours, it shows him reflecting on his childhood and a career that took him from stage to screen, as well as his high-profile involvement in the gay rights movement.
Those 14 hours have been whittled down to just over 90 minutes, immediately prompting questions about what’s been left out. There’s one notable absence. For somebody who talks very frankly about himself, McKellen seems to avoid personal relationships and does so very nimbly. Apart from a couple of mentions of falling in love, they hardly feature and later on, he talks extensively about being by himself, not having any dependents and having to plan how to mark his own demise. Was he always so solitary? We never know for sure.
His childhood in the north west is portrayed almost in black and white through a mixture of his own personal and family photographs – he’s the only one left of the family – and newsreel footage ofthe time. There’s a third element, cinematic re-constructions showing significant moments from his childhood, also filmed in black and white. This time it’s slightly more pristine than the archive material but it’s smoothly consistent with the idea of it being a memory. Playing McKellen as a child is Milo Parker, who was also starred with him in Mr Holmes.
The memory theme continues into his teenage years when he auditions at Cambridge University. Again, it’s filmed in black and white, but McKellen is now played by Scott Chambers, who worked with the film’s director, Joe Stephenson, on Chicken (2015). It’s as if Stephenson is forming his own repertory company, as the documentary’s DP, Eben Bolter, was also the cinematographer on the same film. The reflections on McKellen’s career follow a conventional path, with highlights both theatrical and cinematic. The quirkier moments – his stint on Coronation Street or panto at the Old Vic, both personal ambitions – don’t feature, sadly. Despite the impression created by that scene in Extras, which is included, he’s remarkably down to earth and under no illusions about his chosen profession. He “is in the company of strangers all day long” and his professional life is devoted to them.
Once the film reaches the 60s, it draws on archive footage of his performances, at the RSC and the National, alongside a list of actors that reads like a who’s who of British acting – Smith, Stephens, Finney, Olivier et al. And there’s also the filmed version of the RSC’s Macbeth, which saw him star opposite Judi Dench in what is probably the most terrifying production ever of the play. The latter stages concentrate on his shift into film, while always keeping at least one foot in the theatre, and his involvement with Stonewall and campaigning for gay rights. His film career might have come later but, as he points out, there aren’t that many actors who’ve been in two successful franchises – in his case, X-Men and Lord of the Rings. Although he maintains he’s totally wrong for Magneto.
A sense of mortality prevails throughout and McKellen admits there’s an element of obituary about the film. But, despite some aspects of his life remaining private, the searching camerawork and his apparent honesty mean there’s a definite sense of understanding him a good deal better by the time the final credits roll. If only Peter Gabriel’s score didn’t overdo the moments of triumph: they stand up by themselves and don’t need to be punctuated in such a heavy handed way. Inevitably, this is a documentary that will appeal most of all to theatre and cinema fans and anybody fascinated by acting. But those who aren’t should give it a try. McKellen is accessible and affable and the film is respectful and revealing.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★ ★
McKellen: Playing The Part, followed by a Q and A with Ian McKellen, is screened at selected cinemas on Sunday, May 27th. The film goes on general release on Friday, June 1st.
Freda Cooper. Follow me on Twitter.
