Last Impresario, The

Synopsis: An account of the career of producer Michael White from his early days bringing John Cleese and Bill Oddie to the West End to his controversial turns with musicals like Oh’Calcutta and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Through the use of archival footage and White’s own photography collection as well as interviews with more than 70 celebrities including Kate Moss, Yoko Ono, Naomi Watts, Anna Wintour and Barry Humphries, Otto weaves together many strands in the life of “the most famous person you never heard of”.

At the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Australian filmmaker Gracie Otto (daughter to Barry, sister to Miranda) was intrigued by an enigmatic older man who seemed to have both feet firmly planted in the inner world of celebrity.  She approached the gentleman who happened to be prolific English theatre and film producer Michael White and the seed of a documentary was born.

In The Last Impresario we learn more about White from his nearest and dearest than the man himself. Which is fitting since more than a life examined White’s apparent raison d’etre abides in his relationships with actors, directors, producers, celebrity friends, ex-wives and former lovers and, more importantly, his love of a good party

It is made clear from the beginning that White is not able to tell his own story because, as we later learn, his speech (and possibly his memory) has been impaired after suffering a number of strokes. Still, we gain great insight into his character in the few scenes that see him shrug off or actively dodge the director’s more probing questions (despite being a willing participant from the outset).

Otto shows great respect for her subject whilst simultaneously pushing him beyond his comfort zone to reveal intimate details of his life, such as his drug-taking and related ill-health, his financial woes, and his womanising. But testament to Otto’s talent, despite hours spent with her subject and what appears to be tireless research, the enigmatic quality of the man credited with discovering the likes of Yoko Ono, Kate Moss and even Barry Humphries pre-Dame Edna, remains intact at the film’s conclusion

The Last Impresario delivers a peek into the life of an extraordinary man. And it is only a peek because, even after the interviews, viewing White’s collection of tens of thousands of photographs of his celebrity friends, the extensive use of artefacts and archival footage, one can’t help but feel that we will never really know Michael White.

It seems that is the film’s paradoxical purpose: to let us in, but at the same time keep us out. It’s a parable for our modern era when the famous are plastered all over the internet and in the media but the average punter never truly knows the reality of their existence.

 

 

Want more about this film?

    

Want something different?