Episode description

A smouldering gorilla suited man racing through London on a motorbike is one of many striking images from Karel Reisz's 1966 film that starred David Warner (who had just played Hamlet at the RSC) alongside Vanessa Redgrave and Robert Stephens. Matthew Sweet is joined by Stephen Frears who worked as assistant director on the film, the director's son Matthew Reisz and film historian Lucy Bolton to look back at the talents of both Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 - 25 November 2002) and David Warner (29 July 1941 – 24 July 2022).

Producer: Torquil MacLeod

You can find other episodes of Free Thinking focused on key films and TV programmes in a collection called Landmarks on the Free Thinking programme website including discussions of Enter the Dragon and Bruce Lee, Asta Nielsen and a silent Hamlet, Dirk Bogarde and The Servant, Glenda Jackson and Sunday Bloody Sunday https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01jwn44