The much-anticipated documentary Peter O’Toole – Along the Sky Road to Aqaba will be broadcast exclusively on BritBox on Tuesday 9 May 2023. The documentary follows the career of British icon Peter O’Toole, who rose to fame with his roles in Shakespeare’s plays and gained worldwide recognition fame for her appearances in films such as Lawrence of Arabia, What’s New Pussycat, and Becket, among others.
Along the Heavenly Road to Aqaba premiered at the Spanish Film Festival in November 2022 and has since received rave reviews from critics. The following is the Times’ review of the documentary:
“An intense, lovingly composed documentary…Kenneth Branagh, Brian Cox, Anthony Hopkins, Derek Jacobi, Stephen Fry and many others, in clips from archive material, talk about what an inspiration he was, he loved to drink but was ultra-disciplined when is the job in question”.
Likewise, The Telegraph’s review states:
“This was a stunning portrait of one of our greatest actors and the prototypical hellraiser.”
The documentary was directed by Jim Sheridan, written by Catriona Rogan, and produced by Brion O’Flaherty, Simon Shire, Liam Beatty and Edwina Forkin.
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The new trailer for Peter O’Toole’s Along the Sky Road to Aqaba includes snippets of interviews with seasoned performers.
The documentary tries to shed light on the actor’s colorful and luxurious life through not only old films about him, but also anecdotes from intimate friends and family that the public is not familiar with. It features interviews with the O’Toole family, as well as famous artists, actors and directors such as Sir Kenneth Branagh, Stephen Fry, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Sir Derek Jacobi and Succession’s Brian Cox.
The director of the documentary, Jim Sheridan, indicated that he knew Peter O’Toole well and that he will do his best to authentically portray the colorful life of the late actor in his documentary. In an interview with the Irish Examiner, he spoke about his relationship with the actor:
“I knew him well; he was a nice guy.” He helped me when I was running the Irish Arts Center in New York. It was featured in Brendan Behan’s The Hostage for us there. This caused quite a stir. Kate, his daughter, was there. One evening we were missing an actor. He was in New York at the time, so he came and did the part.”
Then he said:
“He was very nice, but he was always acting.” Larger than life. His father was a bookie. To be successful, bookmakers need to be flashy. Peter took it from his dad. He was completely out of place.”
It will be fascinating to see how the long-awaited documentary delves into the life of the late actor, but remains honest, believable and true.
The official synopsis says he “brought a touch of danger to his art and a touch of madness to his life.”
According to BritBox, the official synopsis for the planned documentary is as follows:
“Peter O’Toole: Along the Heavenly Road to Aqaba” is a documentary about the great actor Peter O’Toole, who inspired a generation of filmmakers as he brought a touch of danger to his craft and a dash of madness to his life. The film is divided into four acts, each of which opens with a remark about Peter O’Toole that depicts his life at a different point in time.”
It goes on to say:
“Each act develops into an overarching story that deals with issues such as his self-belief, alcoholism, relationships with women, faith in socialism and selective acceptance of Ireland.” While O’Toole’s comments (culled from hundreds of hours of archival interviews) serve as the narrator of his own journey, director Jim Sheridan expands the story with interviews with O’Toole’s relatives, artists, actors and directors who knew him well. “
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education