Photographs from the Lindsay Anderson Collection

Lindsay Anderson and Richard Harris rehearsing a scene from This Sporting Life
© Lindsay Anderson Collection, University of Stirling

The Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London has just finished screenings of Lindsay Anderson's 1963 classic This Sporting Life, starring Richard Harris and Rachel Roberts. In addition to this they showed three of his short films, Wakefield Express, The White Bus and O Dreamland. Hmmn, I think this post may have been more useful at the beginning of the month but anyway I thought I would use it as a chance to show some of the wonderful on-set photographs we've got here in the Lindsay Anderson Collection.

Of the short films being shown my favourite would be The White Bus - I love the feel of the film, the loneliness of Patricia Healey's character even when surrounded by people, the funny and surreal elements to the film, and the beautiful camerawork by Miroslav Ondricek (the Czechoslovakian cinematographer who would go on to work with Anderson on If... and O Lucky Man!).

Lindsay Anderson directing a scene on the set of The White Bus
© Lindsay Anderson Collection, University of Stirling

Lindsay Anderson, Miroslav Ondricek and interpreter on set of The White Bus
© Lindsay Anderson Collection, University of Stirling

The film was originally supposed to be part of a trilogy of films called Red, White and Zero, the other parts being directed by Tony Richardson and Peter Brook. The trilogy was never released and we've got some wonderful correspondence where the reasons behind this are discussed. Lindsay Anderson felt the other two films had deviated far too far from the original remit of a short film based on a story by Shelagh Delaney. I love this film and I wish someone would release it on DVD as it is an essential part of Anderson's film output.