Tom Stoppard, one of the leading playwrights of British and world theater, died at the end of last year. This film was made about five years before his death, and in it he addresses aspects of his life he had avoided discussing for most of his years. His life story is almost unimaginable: a childhood in Czechoslovakia, escape to the Far East with his parents, years in India, the death of his father during the war, the adoption of a new identity and a new religion, and finally a move to England.
Presenter Alan Yentob visits Stoppard at his country home during the COVID-19 pandemic and succeeds in drawing out the witty, brilliant, and reserved man before him, prompting him to speak openly about himself, his past, and his thoughts on life and the approach of death. The film also features conversations with actors, directors, and colleagues, as well as excerpts from Stoppard’s works, including Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead — his first major success — and Leopoldstadt, his final play, in which he addressed his Jewish background for the first time.
Stoppard’s screen adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina will also be screened at the festival.
The film is presented at the Epos Film Festival in memory of Tom Stoppard and as a tribute to Alan Yentob, who also passed away last year. A friend of the festival, Yentob was one of the leading figures of the BBC, where he served, among other roles, as the corporation’s Creative Director and as controller of the television channels BBC One and BBC Two. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in recognition of his contributions to the arts and media. Yentob’s films were screened at the Epos Festival throughout most of its years; in 2017 he was a guest of the festival and presented three of his films here.
After the film
