Going Out

Stephen Poliakoff on Glorious 39

In the middle ages they called the Milky Way the Walsingham Way because the galaxy of stars seemed to lead to Norfolk's medieval pilgrim village. More recently the stars were actors in Stephen Poliakoff's latest film Glorious 39. ROWAN MANTELL spoke to the director.

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He can still remember the moment he decided to set his next film in Norfolk. Driving along a country lane near Walsingham Stephen Poliakoff glimpsed a huge arch, obviously the ruined remains of a once-mighty church.

He knew he wanted to film there, even before he saw the grand house nearby, built into more of the ruins of Walsingham Priory.

His thriller, Glorious 39, opens in Norwich and London today.

It's Poliakoff's return to the cinema after a decade of wildly successful television dramas. It's his return to Norfolk too, where his sister is a Norwich GP and one of Norfolk's most active and prominent school governors, and where he came to tell the true story of Sandringham's “lost” Prince John.

This latest film has drawn in a stellar cast - Julie Christie, Christopher Lee, Corin Redgrave, Jenny Agutter, Bill Nighy and Romola Garai are just some of the stars who shine in Glorious 39.

Stephen Poliakoff directs on the set of Glorious 39

The story begins as the Second World War looms and the upper-class Keyes clan are battling to preserve the privileged lifestyle of power, leisure and wealth that they fear a war will destroy.

It's a “what if?” film, partly written around the beautiful houses and countryside Stephen Poliakoff fell for as he toured Norfolk. What if England had not joined the war? What if there really were people prepared to kill to keep the country out of a potentially ruinous conflict?

Poliakoff's research revealed it could have happened. And he was acutely aware that had those in power in the late 1930s decided not to oppose Hitler, then his, Jewish, family would not have survived.

“I realised what a close run thing it was that I'm here at all and indeed any Jew in Britain is here,” he said.

So, as cinema audiences around the world are treated to another taste of our sumptuous countryside, historic halls and quaint village churches, all with a patina of 70-year-old history, they are also drawn into a world where war is good and peace is bad.

“We are talking about standing up to some of the greatest evil the world has ever seen,” said Poliakoff.

“I've tried to combine history and suspense and an emotionally charged story. In the space of a handful of weeks in 1939, British society was completely transformed. A golden summer dominated by some of the greatest parties the aristocracy had ever held turned into an autumn where the survival of democracy was hanging by a thread.”

Walsingham Abbey

Glorious 39 explores adoption, appeasement, loyalty and love. And the glorious summer in idyllic Norfolk countryside takes on a brooding atmosphere of betrayal and terror as secrets are uncovered and evil unleashed.

It is the first time Walsingham Abbey has been used as a film location and Stephen's instinct that it would be ideal for his next film proved even more prescient than he could have imagined. Because inside he found the house had barely been altered since the 1920s.

As well as Walsingham Abbey, Glorious 39 is also filmed at Castle Acre Priory, on the Holkham estate, at Salthouse and in London. “Castle Acre I really fell in love with, because it's such a surprise. You can't see it from the road and then you come upon this extraordinary place,” he said. “That's my current favourite place. Before that it was the house. When I saw that house, with the magical arch, for 25 seconds, I was so drawn to it.

“I thought it would be great to make a really suspenseful film.”

Stephen grew up in London and only discovered Norfolk when his sister, Lucinda, moved to Norwich.

“I only discovered Norfolk in my adulthood,” he said. “I was led to Norfolk by Prince John too, because Sandringham is one of the few places he is still remembered.”

John was the epileptic youngest son of King George V, uncle to our present Queen, who died at Sandringham, aged just 13.

“When I started looking for locations I met a lot of people in Norfolk and everybody was very helpful.

I like the sparseness of the population in north Norfolk, the incredible sense of history, the ruins, the skyscapes and a lot of it hasn't been filmed,” said Stephen.

“The image of Walsingham Abbey stayed with me for several years. I was so haunted by that house with its arch.”

And, with although the story of Glorious 39 was already formed, he wrote the final script around the Abbey.

He had hoped to film in the early autumn of last year, but ended up recreating seaside picnics and balmy evenings, in November. Helped by shooting on a specialist film, and by the evergreen oaks fortuitously in place at Holkham, the chill winds on screen are those of impending war, rather than of a 21st century winter.

Producer Barney Reisz confirmed: “The biggest challenge cast and crew faced was filming the gorgeous summer picnic scene in freezing November. The poor actors were just shivering with freezing cold breath clouding around them. The costume department were always just off-camera, clutching hot water bottles and duffel coats. That day was also incredibly difficult for the sound guys as we had 40 mph gales howling round us. We also had a summer evening outdoor dinner party and all the actors were sitting on hot water bottles with huge heaters blasting hot air at them from every angle!”

Eddie Redmayne, who has recently worked alongside Scarlett Johanson in The Other Boleyn Girl, added: “Getting to live up in Norfolk for a month was great, it's such a beautiful part of the country, although in November it was pretty cold and the poor girls especially were constantly shivering. We could at least wear lots of layers, but they always had short sleeved dresses on so the costume department were armed with hot water bottles and blankets at all times just to keep them alive between takes!”

The stars read like a Who's Who of British acting talent - Bill Nighy, Julie Christie, David Tennant, Jenny Agutter, Christopher Lee and Romola Garai, who plays the lead role.

“Julie Christie was one of the greatest stars from my youth and Jenny Agutter made an indelible impression on my adolescent self,” said Poliakoff. “They seemed to be keen to take part. It all came together in a nice sort of whoosh!”

David Tennant plays Hector, a close friend of the Keyes family - but an opponent of appeasement. He has admired Stephen Poliakoff for many years and said: “Stephen has become something of a national institution - a sort of British treasure. When you get the call asking you to work with Stephen it's sort of what the Royal Command would have been like I suppose - so you'd be a fool not to come along! To be surrounded by all the greatest actors in the land, who are there entirely thanks to Stephen and the quality of his script. is a wonderful feeling.”

Bill Nighy was delighted to get the chance to work with Stephen again. He plays Alexander, a grandee Tory MP and head of the central family.

“Usually Stephen rings me up and I have to really restrain myself from just saying 'whatever you're thinking of it's a yes!'” said Bill. “This will be my third time of working with him and what a treat it's been! People in the industry actually describe something that they can't put their finger on or that they find a bit haunting as being 'a bit Poliakoff'.”

Legendary screen actor Christopher Lee has worked in the film industry for more than 60 years, appeared in more than 250 film and television productions, been directed by Orson Welles, Steven Spielberg and Tim Burton and was knighted this year. His credits include the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars, Charlie and Chocolate Factory, The Mummy, Dracula and the Wicker Man. He said “My agent told me this film was being made and that Stephen Poliakoff would like me to play one of two brothers, the other being Corin Redgrave. I read the script and thought well, yes!”

Oscar winner Julie Christie said: “You must respect each and every word as everything Stephen has written has a weight and a rhythm.”

Jenny Agutter plays the mother of the family, who loses herself in gardening to avoid confronting the real world. “You suddenly get this presence of evil and then all these awful things begin to happen - it is just a perfectly written thriller,” she said.

Stephen, 66, was born in London, his father an immigrant from Russia, his mother an actress. His brother Martyn is a chemistry professor, his sister Lucinda (known as Polly,) a GP in Norwich, his youngest sister Miranda a museum curator.

Stephen's wife, Sandy Welch, is the script-writer who adapted Emma for television, and her lead actress, Romola Garai, is now Glorious 39's heroine.

So is the conversation unremittingly intellectual when the Poliakoff clan get together?

“No!” chuckles Poliakoff. “It's a mixture of practicalities and battiness!”

And despite the recurring theme of family divisions and dark secrets in his work, he said: “I speak to my siblings at least once a week.”

This summer he and brother Martyn were awarded honorary degrees by the University of East Anglia in the same ceremony. Stephen has also become something of a regular at the City of Norwich School fete on Eaton Raod, where his sister chairs the governors. “That's my summer visit to Norfolk,” he said.

Stephen began writing and directing at school and his films and plays have won numerous awards including Baftas, Emmys, Film of the Year awards, Royal Television Society awards and the Prix Italia.

But although he specialises in drama, the television he most loves watching involves animals rather than humans. “I'm greatly addicted to natural history. I wanted to be Gerald Durrell as a child!” he said.

So what is he proudest of? “Apart from the obvious, my family and children, it's trying to stick to my guns and do original work all the time; resisting Hollywood. It hasn't made me a multi-millionaire though!” he said.

And, although he is determined to resist the lure of Hollywood, he has no plans to resist the lure of Walsingham - now he has discovered it.

“I haven't finished with Walsingham yet,” he said. “I might well return, perhaps to the pilgrimage. I'm fascinated by that area.”

Glorious 39 is out now.