Edward Johnson writes… This week, BBC Four re-transmitted a first-class documentary from 1965 in which Dirk Bogarde detailed Alexander Korda’s ill-fated attempt to make a film of Robert Graves’s book I, Claudius in 1937. The story is fascinating and features interviews with the then surviving stars, including Emlyn Williams, who played Caligula, Flora Robson as the Empress Livia and Merle Oberon as Messalina. Charles Laughton was cast in the title role but he had great difficulty in getting into his part. Indeed, there are ‘takes’ where he forgets his lines or simply storms off the set. The film’s director Josef von Sternberg also reminisces, along with other contributors to the movie. However, it is Laughton who provides the most interesting moments, though in a scene towards the end he shows that if he could have mastered Claudius, he would have contributed to his other great screen roles, such as Henry VIII, Captain Bligh and Quasimodo. Unhappily, it was not to be, due to an unfortunate accident to Merle Oberon which caused the complete shut-down of the movie. It’s good to note that the surviving print of the documentary is in excellent condition and is viewable via the BBC iPlayer for the next 28 days from December 5. Highly recommended viewing!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0025pqq/the-epic-that-never-was