The Last Impresario

THE LAST IMPRESARIO has potential as a documentary exploring a figure who has been crucial to the theatre scene in the last fifty or so years, but what could have been an incisive and revealing exploration of the said centrally unknown figure turns out to be something of a luvvie-fest.

The appearance of a typically full-of-it Alan Yentob at the documentary's outset is enough to set alarm bells ringing and it's all downhill from there. This is merely a collection of talking head footage as various figures praise the central character of Michael White and explain just how great he is and how much they love working with him.

While there is enjoyment value from seeing the likes of Richard O'Brien, John Cleese, and Bill Oddie up on the screen, others like Naomi Watts just embarrassingly gush with endless praise. White remains a mystery by the end of the thing, although by reading between the lines you can figure out he's awful with finances and seems to live on the charity of others these days. Sorry, but with THE LAST IMPRESARIO director Gracie Otto reveals that she's nowhere near in the same league as the leading documentary filmmakers of our time and this is nothing more than an insubstantial fluff piece - an extended version of the footage that always accompanies those "lifetime award" wins at awards shows.

The career of Michael White, theater and film impresario, is a potentially fascinating subject for a documentary. Born in Glasgow, he spent much of his childhood abroad - first in a Swiss boarding school (where he learned several languages), then in France, and eventually fetched up in New York. He became interested in the theater, and brought over Jack Gelber's troupe for a limited season in London in 1960, at a time when popular theater had not yet impinged itself on West End audiences.

Thereafter he carved out a career for himself as a radical producer always willing to take a punt on contentious material, so long as he believed in it. He brought John Cleese, Bill Oddie, and Tim Brooke- Taylor to the West End in a Cambridge University revue, and launched their careers in different media. He produced LOOT by Joe Orton, despite a disastrous opening production that toured the United Kingdom with Kenneth Williams in the lead, and died the proverbial living death. He really made his name with OH! CALCUTTa (1970), a nude revue created by theater critic Kenneth Tynan, which caused an outcry in London and on Broadway on its first performance, yet settled into lengthy runs in both cities.

Thereafter followed an illustrious career, with major theater hits such as THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW and A CHORUS LINE, interspersed with film successes such as MONTY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL (1974).

There was so much to find out about a socialite who enjoyed parties and collecting celebrities, yet remains fundamentally a shy person; a producer who has made huge fortunes yet has had to sell his archive recently in order to survive; and a much-married person who inspires both love and respect amongst his women.

Unfortunately Gracie Otto's film failed to explore these psychological areas in any depth. She preferred to include a succession of gushing tributes from oldsters such as John Cleese, and relative youngsters such as Naomi Watts, interspersed with the kind of anecdotes usually reserved for talk shows. Theater critic Michael Billington tried to provide some context for the profile, but even he could not redeem a film that employed all the wearyingly hackneyed historical clichés beloved of filmmakers with little or no real understanding of the period they are working on: the Sixties was a time of hedonism; there was a new freedom in the theater; and so on and so forth.

White remains a fascinating subject for analysis, but maybe a filmmaker needs to rely less on testimony from celebs (both minor and major) or has-beens, and adopt a more critical stance toward their material.

Greetings again from the darkness. In the biographical documentary genre, a stream of talking heads is ordinarily my least favorite approach. However, director Gracie Otto (sister of actress Miranda) understands that when your subject is "the most famous person you've never heard of", it's pretty impressive and effective to line-up 50+ celebrities to offer their thoughts and memories of the man.

Michael White. Maybe you know the name, maybe you don't. Even before the opening credits, we get rapid-fire celebrity descriptions of Mr. White and his impact on theatre, film and the creative society of the 1960's and 70's. Director Otto explains how she first noticed Mr. White at the Cannes Film Festival as a slew of celebrities paid their respects. She then began her research into this most interesting man whose 50 year career has left quite a personal stamp.

We hear descriptions such as "he likes people" and he "likes being where the action is". This about a man who grew up in Scotland, was educated in Switzerland, and worked in New York … before making a real mark in London's West End Theatre district. His infamous dinner parties allowed paths to cross between the brightest in stage, art, film, and publishing. He had an eye for talent outside the mainstream – experimental and avant garde appealed to him … those who pushed the envelope (or ignored it completely). Because of this, his sphere of influence included such diverse personalities as Pina Bausch, Yoko Ono, John Waters and Kate Moss. His stage production of "Oh! Calcutta" was a major cultural breakthrough and led to others such as the original "Rocky Horror Show", and the iconic comedy film Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

When Ms. Otto asks him why he has so many friends, Mr. White replies that "you never lose a friend". This comes after we have learned that powerful music producer Lou Adler took advantage of him during negotiations for the Rocky Horror rights in the U.S. White does acknowledge that he has been "cheated" a few times over the years. Another apt description is that he is "drawn to excitement more than money". It's then that we learn of his incredible archive of 30,000 photographs – from a time before the paparazzi ruled the world.

The odd font style makes some of the on screen graphics difficult to read, but the music reminds us that Michael White's legacy from the swinging 60's as a playboy and gambling Producer is quite secure Today Mr. White lives a modest life, and periodically has to auction his collections to raise funds. He has had a couple of strokes, walks with the aid of two canes, and is sometimes difficult to understand. He still has regular dinners with friends … after all, with this attitude in life, one never loses a friend.