“British Empire” on Sunday

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33453, 7 February 1974, Page 4

“British Empire” on Sunday

Filming j n .30 countries, travelling 790,000 miles and shooting 75 miles of colour film. These are some of the statistics of the new 8.8. C. series, “The British Empire” which begins screening on Sunday evening.

The editor of the 13-part ! documentary series (Mr Max ! Morgan-Witts) says: “In searching for the Empire, and putting it on film, we did not set ourselves the task of pass, ing judgment on it. We jbelieve the Empire was not all bad. not all good. We hope we have captured something of both, honestly and impartially.” “Preliminary work on the series began early in 1969 and by the end of 1969, the series editor was joined by a large production team, led by five producers and their ; assistants, each with their; ;own areas of the world and programmes to concentrate on. Later came the writers — among them Stuart Hood, [Corelli Barnett, James Cameron, Rene Cutforth and Patrick O’Donovan, as well as the consultant historians such as A. J. P. Taylor, Arnold Toynbee and Trevor Reese. “We did not think it wise to confine ourselves to filming etchings and prints, and paintings — important and| I often beautiful as this j (documentary evidence is,” the! editor says. “We must also show what' the Empire looked like on; . i he ground. Had not the child been right, back in 1908, when ■ she said our Empire “is. places”? "And Lord Clark, when he! said in his opening statementl in the ‘Civilisation’ series: ‘lf I had to say which was telling the truth about society. a speech by a Minister I of Housing or the actual buildings put up in his time,

t I should believe the buildings’. ; “While historical and picture research continued at ‘ home in collaboration with t'Time-Life Books, the pro.iducers and their production ,! assistants set off. aimed with 'rather better maps than L Imperial travellers of old. si "They returned, somewhat ;; subdued, full of admiration ■I for earlier travellers who had not had the benefit of i aeroplanes and hotels — conivinced they had found the L material for the series they f had been searching for. 1 “In late 1970. five pro- • ducers and their assistants, •;each accompanied by film 1 crews of usually four and : sometimes more, retraced i their own steps. It took them •[well into 1971. ,' “A large number of Commonwealth countries and •[other former Imperial terri- ; tories, though not all. proi vided invaluable help. Before I allowing filming, some under- . standably required reassur- ; ance — wanting to know ■ whether, in their terms, the ! series was to be a ‘whitel|wash job." i “When convinced the only ;! aim was to tell the history as impartially but truthfully as ‘our combined talents allowed, ;we were generally given all the assistance and advice we [could have expected.” says iMr Morgan-Witts.. “Without it, we would have foundered.” Programme one of the series is entitled, “Oh! The Jubilee!” and is a prelude to the series, a mosaic of Empire at one moment in i time — 1897. the year of | Queen Victoria’s Diamond; Jubilee.