Jim Broadbent – The Duke #Venezia77

September 15, 2020

Jim Broadbent - The Duke #Venezia77 fredfilmradio

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PODCAST | Chiara Nicoletti interviews Jim Broadbent, actor of the film The Duke.

“The Duke, in the great tradition of Ealing Comedies, shows a small man speaking truth to power. It is a serious story not to be taken too seriously”: these are the words of director Roger Michell when talking about his new film The Duke starring Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren. The film is in competition at the 77th Venice Film Festival and sees Jim Broadbent in the role of Kempton Bunton, a 60-year old taxi driver, who, in 1961, stole Francisco Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. Broadbent describes his character’s contradiction and comments on how the film can make us reflect about the importance of connecting to people.

The Duke: In 1961, Kempton Bunton, a 60-year old taxi driver, stole Francisco Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. It was the first (and remains the only) theft in the Gallery’s history. Kempton sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government invested more in care for the elderly – he had long campaigned for pensioners to receive free television. What happened next became the stuff of legend. Only fifty years later did the full story emerge – Kempton had spun a web of lies. The only truth was that he was a good man, determined to change the world and save his marriage – how and why he used the Duke to achieve that is a wonderfully uplifting tale.

To watch FRED video interview, click here.

Written by: fredfilmradio

Chiara Nicoletti Jim Broadbent The Duke venezia 77