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I set Capriol Films up primarily to make music and arts films for the domestic and international market – which in the present commissioning climate smacks of insanity rather than optimism. Thankfully, the people at Sky Arts are optimists and when I approached Adrian Zak, their Director of Programming and John Cassy, Channel Manager about making a brand new, filmic version of Oliver Goldsmith’s evergreen 1773 comedy "She Stoops to Conquer" they readily came on board as co-producers. "She Stoops" is the first of a projected series of classic stage to screen adaptations for the very good reason that it is one of my favourite plays.
The market Capriol operates in necessitates shooting on high definition on a very low budget, two elements that would seem to be contradictory. I am, however, lucky to have access to a nucleus of highly skilled Norfolk based crew, who are happy to work on projects which may not have the usual financial rewards, but are, I hope, fun and artistically worthwhile. The first person I approached back in May 2007 was Spencer Chapman. Spencer is Mr. Original – production designer on the original "Doctor Who", the original "Forsyte Saga" and, for all I know, the original "She Stoops" (Sorry Spencer!)
I took Spencer to Wiveton Hall, a lovely Jacobean manor House on the North Norfolk coast and he pronounced it perfect for the period. The owner, Desmond MacCarthy had allowed us to film a scene there for my film "Peter Warlock –Some Little Joy" a drama about the eponymous composer and hedonist, a couple of years ago and was happy for us to return. Desmond is clearly an optimist because this time we would literally move in to the hall, with the cast accommodated in rooms the size of houses, catering by an award winning chef and everything shot in or around the building. This is the only way to make a period drama on a low budget – location fees were agreed well in advance and I estimate that we saved at least two and a half hours a day by not moving the unit around. When you are shooting a 140 minute film in sixteen days on single camera, this makes all the difference.
Next to join our happy band was Producer Averil Brennan and DOP Peter Eveson, who have worked on two films with me in the last two years – was this optimism or masochism? Out of our crew of twenty, seventeen were Norfolk based – please note, local screen agency! Mary Lincoln then got busy with casting and, as usual, I was deeply impressed by the depth of young acting talent available. Young bloods Mark Dexter, Susannah Fielding, Joseph Thompson, Holly Gilbert and Miles Jupp combined perfectly with established names Polly Hemingway, Ian Redford and Roy Marsden who completed the principal cast.
The shoot commenced on the 18th September and was beset with the usual aircraft noise, rain and particularly in this instance, livestock. Several sunny mornings became dark aural nightmares of cockerels, pigeons and pigs competing to drown out the American Air Force. I have an enduring memory of a huge Gloucester Old Spot sow becoming peeved at being in the centre of a scene and charging off, with owner Desmond wrapped round her neck in a hopelessly quixotic restraining attempt.
These were minor vicissitudes, however and we finished the shoot on time and, well, nearly on budget. Running parallel to the main filming, Simon Butteriss had made an accompanying documentary about Oliver Goldsmith and "She Stoops" – "A Gooseberry Fool". I ruined one scene in this, by going up to talk to a costumed and bewigged Simon, only to be rather tartly requested to clear the shot: "I am Oliver Goldsmith, watching you ruin my play!"
Editing in North Norfolk with friend, Associate Producer and Editor, Jeremy Brettingham is always a joy. No Pret sandwiches and overpriced coffee for lunch for us – a fresh dressed Cromer crab and glass of Chablis is a civilized way of offsetting the rigours of cutting 192 minutes of material in nine weeks. That completed, it was a wrench to leave Capriol’s converted barn and Jeremy’s media adapted cowshed to go to BSkyB’s Osterley emporium for the online, grade and dub. But the two country bumpkins coped with the culture shock and with the help of the very nice Sky post production team we now have a film, five part serial version and documentary which we are – you guessed it – extremely optimistic about.
Tony Britten, Producer/Adapter/Director.
Oliver Goldsmith’s “She Stoops To Conquer” and the making of the documentary “A Gooseberry Fool: Oliver Goldsmith Stoops To Conquer” shown on Sky Arts channel 267.