One of the great ones

So sad to hear of the death today of Richard Attenborough, a stellar actor, director and producer. He would have been 91 in a few days, and he had been in poor health following a stroke a few years ago.

I suppose a lot of filmgoers know him from the Jurassic Park franchise. Or, God help us, the remake of Miracle on 34^th Street (he was by far the best thing in that turkey). If you’re a purist, you have the image of the sociopath Pinkie Brown from 1947’s Brighton Rock, when he was impossibly beautiful, but completely evil.

For me, he’ll always be Group Captain Bartlett, “Big X” from The Great Escape. The vortex of every escape plan in every POW camp, Bartlett is intense, driven, maybe even a little bit crazy. But there’s one scene where Attenborough lets us see how high the cost has been to him, being locked up in camps for so long; he’s got everything riding on this last, in-your-face breakout plan. It's all in his eyes. Absolutely heartbreaking.

Attenborough was a terrific director—you know Gandhi. I hope to God you know Gandhi. But he also directed Shadowlands, an entirely different story, all restraint and Oxford spires and the opening up of C.S. Lewis to love. And Young Winston, and A Chorus Line—those were Attenborough’s, too.

Here’s one other thing I know about Richard Attenborough. His family took in Helga and Irene Bejach, young Jewish sisters who were part of the Kindertransport that evacuated children to Britain from Germany and Austria just before the Second World War. The Attenborough boys welcomed them as their own sisters. You could see that foundation of generosity and decency in the work he did throughout his life and in interviews he gave.

I have to say that I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone smile quite as joyfully as he.

Sorry to see him go, but what a legacy he’s given us.