Richard Attenborough

I've just listened to a very interesting interview with Richard Attenborough on Radio 3's Night Waves. Obviously he's had a long, full and fascinating life (he's 84), but what interested me was the light and shade in his life. He didn't go into much detail but acknowledged the interesting contrasts between many of the characters he's played in his career, and the rather avuncular image he presents. He admitted he possessed a ruthless streak, which is hardly surprising for a film director, and he revealed a vulnerable, sensitive core to him, which manifested itself in feelings of inferiority to his parents, who sounded almost too good to be true, and of course to his illustrious brother, Sir David Attenborough, who has achieved virtually god-like status in British television history, culture and is seen as a national treasure, with good reason. In spite of Richard being granted a lordship and David being a mere knight of the realm, one gets the impression that Richard has always felt inadequte. Unlike his younger brothers he went to drama school instead of university, and it may stem from that - who knows?
A few years ago I visited the glorious BBC Written Archives at Caversham as part of my postgraduate studies in TV history during the 60s and 70s, and saw many of the memos handwritten by Sir David, who was then Controller of BBC-2 and later Director of Television. They revealed a steely side to his character, was clearly made of extremely stern stuff, and was an inspirational character to work for. His older brother has also achieved a great deal, but there is evidence of a thinner skin, which I found endearing.
Until middle age he was renowned for playing either spivs, psychopaths or cowards, such as Pinky in Brighton Rock; in fact his first screen appearance was a small part in In Which We Serve, as a humble stoker who is terrified by the bombardment, eventually drowning (if my memory serves me correctly) . The film critic Gavin Lambert once memorably described the film as perfectly representing the class stratification of Britain during World War II, with Noel Coward at the pinnacle, as the saintly ship's captain, right down to 'little Richard Attenborough cowering in the stokehold'.
Looking at his CV on the IMDB, I'm struck by the number of memorable films in which he's featured - Private's Progress, The League of Gentlemen, I'm All Right, Jack and many, many others - all illustrious examples of British cinema in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. His place in the pantheon of cinema history would be assured, but he ventured into direction in the 1960s, starting with The Angry Silence in 1960, and carved out a remarkable career, directing Oh, What a Lovely War, Cry Freedom, Gandhi, A Bridge Too Far and Shadowlands. His work has been dismissed by the snobbier branch of the critical industry as safe and middlebrow, but they are all films that have stood the test of time, and remain highly watchable.
However, I remain very fond of his spiv movies of the 40s and 50s - he really could do psychopathic menace better than nearly everyone, except perhaps Dirk Bogarde before he ventured into the realms of the highbrow.
There remains, however, a sunny side to his character, which is most evident when he talked about the immeasurable loss of his daughter and granddaughter in the Boxing Day tsunami 3 years ago. He has survived, and mentioned the fact that his daughter remains a huge part of his life, leaving him with much of value by which to remember her. I can't imagine the pain he and his wife must have endured, and must continue to suffer, but he maintains there is still much happiness remaining in his life, and much to celebrate. This tragedy seems all of a part to his life, which remains marked by, and defined by, darkness and light.