This week Chris Deacy is joined in the studio by Ann Duke to discuss the films; The Two Popes, Green Book, Notting Hill, and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
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00:00Hello and welcome to Kent Film Club. I'm Chris Deasey and each week I'll be joined by a guest
00:18to dive deep into the impact certain films have had on their life. Each guest will reflect
00:23on the films which have meant the most to them over the years. And every week there
00:27will be a Kent Film Trivia where we quiz you at home about a film that has a connection
00:32to the county. And now let me introduce you to my guest for this week. She is the current
00:37town mayor of Swanscombe and Greenhive in addition to being the founder and CEO of the
00:42charity Walked All. She is Anne Duke. Great to have you on the show Anne. It's great to
00:49be here Chris, thank you for having me here. Well as ever, I don't know your films in advance,
00:54I most certainly do know out of scene at the cinema, The Two Popes. Ah, wonderful.
01:02It is a film, in fact, that I suppose I was only introduced to over the past year by a
01:08member of my family. And I, oh that's not, okay, yes I'll watch this. And I was astounded
01:16by it. It was so beautiful and impeccably acted. The two main characters of course were
01:25played by Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins and their performances were just amazing and
01:31I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I was blown away because I wasn't sure at first what sort
01:37of genre this was going to be. I think the first scene, you can correct me on this, is
01:41where you have the current Pope, of course, ordering a pizza. Yes. And of course they don't
01:49believe that the Pope would really do such a thing. But it has appropriate gravitas but also
01:55brevity and levity. It has the right sort of combination. It's enthralling and it sort of
02:00punctures the layers of what one might imagine it would be like to be in the papal seat. Indeed,
02:08I think for me, I was shocked by the Vatican having things like power struggles and ego.
02:17And of course in the work that I do, seeing the interplay of people fighting over things and
02:25maybe being insecure or not wanting to push themselves forward and those on the other hand
02:31who actually say, me, me, me, me, me, I've got to do it. It was quite interesting to see that. Now
02:37maybe this is just a perspective that I have and maybe it isn't there at all and I'm imagining it,
02:42but I do think that the previous Pope, Benedict, did want to be Pope very much, as described in
02:50the film anyway. And he went on a campaign in the conclave to actually make sure that he got the
02:56votes in order to be Pope. He was not a reformist, whereas our current Pope Francis is definitely a
03:05reformist. And the difference in temperament we have on the one hand Benedict who perhaps was not
03:11a people person, whereas Pope Francis definitely, definitely is and was beloved by the population
03:20that he served in Argentina. And yet what I remember from watching the film is that Pope
03:26Benedict, despite being hardline, reactionary, all those more conservative forces that you mentioned,
03:32clearly saw how his successor shouldn't be necessarily in his image. And what surprised
03:41me is that he really did think that Francis was the right person to succeed him. And the way we
03:48were taking on that journey, because it went completely against the grain of what we would
03:52imagine might be the power games that go on inside the Vatican. And it was a surprising character
04:01trajectory, which I think took us on board, despite any preconceptions that we might have held.
04:06I would agree. Pope Benedict was very intellectual. Whereas Pope Francis is very person-centered. But
04:21I think because of his intellectual nature, Pope Benedict actually said, well, you know,
04:26what is the best for the church? And it was wonderful to see the developing relationship,
04:33sometimes very funny, sometimes very moving between the two men. And of course, Pope Francis
04:41was trying to resign from the church and retire. And Pope Benedict wouldn't actually support that
04:49at all. And of course, the relationship developed, the relationship developed. And then the surprise
04:56announcement that of course, Pope Benedict intended himself to retire. I thought that was
05:03so moving, so touching. And that's the last thing that our current Pope wanted. I have to say,
05:09can I say that today, I heard on the news this morning, that in fact, this is the anniversary
05:15of Pope Francis's election. Yes, it was 2013. 2013. And that was just that knocked me out. And
05:27I thought this was indeed the right film to choose for today. And I was thinking as well,
05:31because to have two veteran Welsh actors playing the Pope as well, and they did it in their own
05:39very idiosyncratic ways. But there's a very sort of playfulness that you see the titans of the film
05:45industry play against each other. You know that they're giving it their best shot. And they were
05:49both Oscar nominated for this. So you kind of feel that you've got almost like a mirror going on here
05:55with the two actors and who are playing obviously, you know, it's not often you have two current
06:00Popes still living in consultation. So it felt that the drama had seeped from the Vatican into
06:08the film and perhaps in reverse. I think you're right there. And I would be very interested as
06:12well. I haven't seen the new film Conclave, which of course, has the same characters in it. If we
06:17can call two living people characters, I would be very interested. Have you seen that? I have
06:22and Conclave, I would say the best film that I've seen this last year. Wow. In that case,
06:26I definitely will look that out. Watch this space. Yeah. Well, it is time now and to move on to your
06:31second chosen film. And you've gone for this one, the Oscar, didn't it for Best Picture? Green Book.
06:38Yes, Green Book, indeed. Again, this was a very powerful film with humour and that was very,
06:48very moving. And of course, showed the development of a relationship that definitely wasn't there at
06:55the start and growing into, because this is a true story too, and grew into a lifetime friendship.
07:03And it was very interesting that Dr. Don Shirley, whose main character, and of course, Tony Lip,
07:11which is not his surname, that's a nickname, remained friends until again, I think that was
07:162013. I may be wrong on that. But actually they died just months apart. I thought, wow, that is
07:23incredible. Yeah, that is a very powerful film and highlights things which hopefully have changed
07:29now in America. I hope they have. And in this country too. And that's about racism and the way
07:35that there was a separation between African-Americans and the white American people.
07:45Because when this came out, and I saw it, I think it was at the beginning of 2019 thereabouts,
07:52and there were comparisons made to Driving Miss Daisy, despite Lee, who had his film Black Klansman
08:00out at the same time. And he wasn't too keen on this film. I suppose he was making a different
08:05sort of film about race relations. This was a bit more palatable, perhaps, to the Academy.
08:10I think he referred to it as Driving Miss Daisy, but with the roles reversed. But it does take you,
08:14doesn't it, into a different time and place. It does. And it's horrific. There was one scene,
08:21I suppose, maybe nearly towards the end, maybe, where Dr. Don Shirley, who's, of course, a very
08:29acclaimed classical pianist, and who was performing at wonderful soirees for the privileged in America.
08:38And he wanted to use the bathroom. I was horrified that he was standing next to the door to go into
08:46the bathroom. Said, I'll just be a moment or whatever. And he was prevented from going to
08:52use the bathroom and instead was pointed in the direction of a ramshackle old shed in the garden.
08:59I was horrified that that went on in the 1960s. I think it was 1962.
09:05I remember watching Hidden Figures as well, probably only about a year before this,
09:09and that was also very similar from the point of view of women who played that huge role,
09:15albeit behind the scenes, in the race to space. And yet they similarly had to use a bathroom
09:24that the men didn't have to worry about because the men could just go to the nearest bathroom.
09:29And they were virtually late then for their job and ticked off about it when it wasn't their fault.
09:34And I think in the film here, in Green Book, doesn't Dr. Don Shirley then effectively
09:40threaten to walk out or not come back? Indeed, absolutely did. He, I think,
09:45went and said, no, no, no, I'll go to my hotel, which I think was a 45-minute drive or something.
09:50And so, yes, that was exerting power as he should have done. Contract or no contract for the soiree.
09:56It's those personal stories, isn't it? Because in itself, it's a low-key story. It's actually
10:02a very gentle relationship between two people of very different classes, races, but their
10:08backgrounds could be more different. But that coming together, that alignment, that seeing the
10:12world through the lens of someone else. And I think there is a scene, isn't there, or maybe
10:15I'm thinking of Driving Miss Daisy, where they do change positions in the car. I think there is one
10:20point where the backseat driver and the front driver sort of change places. I might be thinking
10:26of Driving Miss Daisy, but that in a way is as good a metaphor as you're going to get, isn't it?
10:30Yeah, no, you're right. I remember that. And it was, again, quite a way into the film when
10:35the relationship had developed. Dr. Don Shirley started out by being very classical, very precise
10:43in his approach, very, I suppose, refined. And Tony Lip, the driver, had a mafia connection,
10:56bouncer, hard man. But Italian, so he also had a very soft heart. Very racist at the start,
11:04but he hid it. As the relationship progressed, the one thing that Dr. Shirley did was to make sure
11:11that he was essentially served. So Tony Lip was his servant, if you like. And then as the
11:17relationship developed, things warmed up, and they were on their way home. And Tony Lip was tired,
11:22and they wanted to get back. And Don Shirley said, OK, I'll drive. And we knew then that the
11:28two guys had such a good friendship. It was wonderful to see. Well, that's about all the
11:34time we have for this first half of the show. However, before we go to the break, we have a
11:38Kent film trivia question for you at home. Which biopic film about Winston Churchill featured
11:45multiple locations around Kent? Was it A, Churchill's Secret, B, Darkest Hour, or was it C,
11:51Churchill? We'll reveal the answer right after this break. Don't go away.
12:05Hello, and welcome back to Kent Film Club. Just before the ad break, we asked you at home a Kent
12:10film trivia question. Which biopic film about Winston Churchill featured multiple locations
12:16around Kent? I asked, was it A, Churchill's Secret, B, Darkest Hour, or C, Churchill? And
12:22now I can reveal to you that the answer was, in fact, B, Darkest Hour. Several scenes from
12:28the production were filmed at Fort Amherst, with other scenes filmed in the grounds of
12:33Chartwell House, Churchill's former home in Sevenoaks. Did you get the answer right?
12:39Well, it is time now, Anne, to move on to your next chosen film. And you've gone for Notting Hill.
12:47I have. It's such a lovely and romantic movie. I'm an incurable romantic. And this really does
12:55describe the relationship between the ordinary person and someone who is a celebrity, a mega
13:03celebrity. And it's how difficult that can be, how precious and how beautiful.
13:12And I saw this, what, summer of 99, I think, of the Elvis Costello song,
13:16she and his version. And it's funny, because at the time, this is what I remember,
13:22people were sort of talking to you, are you a Notting Hill type person, or like a lock,
13:27stock, two smoking barrels, Guy Ritchie person? And then, of course, some years later, Guy Ritchie
13:31directed in a different film, Hugh Grant playing the sort of role that, you know, is a million
13:37miles away from Notting Hill. But isn't it charming? And it showed that the magic that
13:41went into Four Weddings and a Funeral wasn't a fluke. Yes, agreed. I think that was a whole
13:49series of films in that style, following that, wasn't it, which was wonderful, the feel-good
13:54factor. And I think that is, oh, my goodness, that is so needed today. We just need films to
14:00watch that actually make us feel good, that uplift us. And Notting Hill certainly does that.
14:06And are there any particular highlights for you? Because you've got that lovely ensemble,
14:09they're always a little bit, it's the eccentrics, they, you know, they all sort of work together.
14:14The Bridget Jones films have some of the same ingredients as well, obviously, I also have
14:17Hugh Grant. But there is something isn't there out here about the way that they all sort of
14:22come together, and there's some of those priceless lines. Yeah, absolutely. I do find it incongruous,
14:27though, that Hugh Grant's, or should I say, what's the, I can't even remember what his name
14:34is in the film. But it's always a Hugh Grant, isn't it? And his sister, our brother and sister
14:40in the film, but it somehow works. And the whole family support, the friendship support, and the,
14:47is it Reece Ifans? Oh, yes. Who is the flatmate. Oh, my goodness, what a character. And he is
14:55kind of, not a bug in the ointment, but he certainly throws a different dynamic
15:00into the wonderful, supportive, otherwise eccentric family. He's the most eccentric
15:07character of them all. And he's a wonderful contrast to the rather quiet, reserved,
15:15sophisticated Hugh Grant character. And I saw, yeah, and I saw a clip. And I think Hugh Bonneville,
15:22who, of course, we know from Paddington and Downton Abbey, he's in this, as I recall. And
15:27when he meets the Julia Roberts character, because he's never heard of her, and he's this, as I
15:31recall, and you remember better than me, he's like a bubbling sort of banker. And he has no clue. And
15:37he says all the wrong things. But of course, it's a great comedic moment. It is. I absolutely agree.
15:43And just completely dismisses, oh, and, you know, here's this megastar, Anna Scott,
15:49that, talking to him. And he says, oh, yes. And what do you do then? Oh, I make films. Oh,
15:57really? Yeah. Anything we might have heard of? And of course, she's just in the biggest movie,
16:05on all of the billboards and buses and things like that. It is comic.
16:11I wonder if it gives us what we want from movies, because on the, and also perhaps it
16:15matches and meets the expectations of two different demographics. Because there are
16:19those who want the absolute fantasy. You want to be taken to another world. But also those who say,
16:23well, you want a little bit of something that makes you feel, you know, kitchen sink dramas
16:27certainly do that in spades, but something that you feel that you can relate to in your own life.
16:32But this film sort of gives you both. Yvanne's character is one who sort of brings you straight
16:36down to earth. And here you've got Anna Scott, this glamorous movie star. But also, of course,
16:42unpicks that facade as well and sort of suggests that maybe those luminous celebrities are maybe
16:47not that different from us after all. That's one of the really precious things about this film,
16:52is that it does show that it doesn't matter who you are, how high you rise, you're still a person
16:59underneath and you still need another person to relate to. And this, for me, is so beautiful to
17:09see unravel, their relationship develop and the desperate attempt to connect on a genuine level.
17:20I mean, right at the start, I think when Julia Roberts meets with Hugh Grant in the bookshop
17:28and they go out and of course, he spills orange juice down her shirt. She absolutely throws a
17:34strop, goes into his flat, which is just across the road and that's where the whole thing develops.
17:41She sees that he's trying so hard to say the right thing and do the right thing and not
17:49pay attention to her celebrity status. She's very touched by that because that's probably something
17:55that she hasn't encountered before because she must encounter an awful lot of the fawning general
18:01public and it's just a beautiful start to their relationship, which of course ends, no spoilers,
18:07because everybody must have seen the film, with them being married and expecting a child on the
18:13bench, I think, correct me if I'm wrong, but it was actually where they first started their
18:17relationship, which was great. Well, it is time to move on to your final chosen film
18:23and you've gone for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I have, I have. Which I may or may not
18:31have seen. Right, well, you may or may not have noticed, but there's a theme running through my
18:40choices and the theme is relationships and this one, the relationship attached to this film,
18:51is that my son was in it. Really? Yes, and I think, interestingly, because obviously this is KMTV,
18:58so we're talking about Kent here, a lot of young actors from Kent were in the supporting cast
19:06of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. An amazing film. Well, that is incredible. Yeah. And are we
19:11allowed to find out what role he played? Well, he was a support, he was a tiny dot and he was in
19:16Slytherin. I was hoping he was going to be a Hogwarts boy, but he wasn't, he was Slytherin.
19:22You've clearly seen, don't recognise him now, he's got lots of facial hair and he was a tiny
19:27top with buck teeth at the time, but absolutely delightful. No, he didn't have it, he was in
19:32the supporting cast. And I have to ask this, so am I imagining you'd be a very, obviously, proud
19:38mother. Of course. Were you showing this film to everybody? Did you go to the cinema and say,
19:42that's my boy, that's my son? I did. I stood up at the end and everybody had left the cinema,
19:48but the credits rolled. Yes, I did. And he was a fine young actor, my son, not gone on into the
19:55industry. He's working in Cambridge with artificial intelligency things now. But yeah, so it was a
20:02great thrill for me. But the film itself is an absolute delight because it's pure fantasy. I
20:09suppose you can, obviously the first two films were based on true stories. Notting Hill is
20:15something that everybody can relate to, although fiction, this is definitely fantasy and amazing.
20:22And I think the production team, what they have done with special effects and so on in the film
20:28is just amazing. You just can watch it again and again and again and again, as I have. And you see
20:34something different in it every time. And again, it's a feel good factor at the end when they
20:38overcome the challenges of the Death Eaters and goodness knows what. And of course, if you have
20:44seen it, you'll know some of the elements. But of course, if you haven't seen it, and I don't know
20:48whether you have or haven't. In truth, because I've seen a few of the Harry Potter films, but
20:54not necessarily in the right order. I have a feeling that I haven't seen this one. Yeah. It's
20:59the Triwizard Tournament. And actually, I suppose if you get the wrong age group, I cannot remember
21:06whether or not this has got a certificate on it, or it's not a PG. No, so this was the,
21:12this was the, is it the third one? Fourth. The fourth one. So it would have been into the
21:17mid-ish 2000s. Right. Yeah. Yeah. I think it was 2004, 2000, something like that. Yeah. So
21:25it would be quite scary, I think, for some young children. The dragons in it and really
21:34the scary scenes. And it was also a time of growing up for the characters, because of course,
21:40they'd already done a few films and they started off as, you know, fresh, I suppose, year sevens.
21:45And it was the awakening of interest in the opposite sex. And poor Ron Weasley, with no
21:53money in his family, had to wear, I think it was his aunt's or mother's or grandmother's
21:59robe for the prom and was laughed at, couldn't get a girlfriend, et cetera, et cetera. And Harry
22:04Potter left it too late to ask somebody to the ball at the end. So it was all of this kind of
22:10angst and relationships going on as well. And I think in this film, Ron Weasley and Harry,
22:17of course, best buddies and pals actually had a falling out. So it was, it was all about
22:23relationships, which, of course, were repaired and help and support from people in the competition
22:28as well, which was very interesting. I can see the thread with your other films.
22:32Yeah. The Pope's and obviously
22:33Notting Hill with the relationship with the Réservance character and Green Book, which is,
22:38you know, shows two very stark relationships. Do you feel, is this a film that can grow
22:44with you? Have you grown with the film? I don't know what your son makes in the film now that
22:48presumably he, perhaps, does he squirm a little bit when he watches it?
22:52No, he doesn't actually now. He probably did once, but he's got through that now and he sees it as
22:58being part of his journey in life. He was a very talented young actor, but I suppose I would say
23:03that because I was his mum, or I am his mum. No, he loves the whole of the Harry Potter series.
23:09I read him the books from being about the age of seven. I read every single word of those books
23:15beyond, I think it was the book beyond this one. I did all the accents and got the characters quite
23:21right, I think. And so it was great fun. He loves the whole thing.
23:25Brilliant. Well, I'm afraid that's all the time we have for today. But before we go,
23:30if you live in Kent and want the chance to share four films of your choice,
23:34reach out to us at KMTV and you might be invited in to be my next guest. But for now,
23:39many thanks to Anne Duke for joining us and being such a brilliant guest.
23:42Many thanks to you all for tuning in. Until then, that's all from us. Goodbye.