'Into the Breach' Review: British Theater Doc Is Too Short — SkimNews
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- Freddie Fox's documentary 'Into the Breach' assembles a roundtable of British theater heavyweights — Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman and co-producer Kenneth Branagh — to chronicle a century of the art form's cultural and political impact.
- Former Prime Minister John Major recounts how a meeting with Ian McKellen over gay rights permanently changed his perspective and led to new legislation, while McKellen jokes he clocked Major as the only straight person in the room.
- John Gielgud was arrested for homosexuality in 1953 and feared career ruin, but received a standing ovation that night with the support of costar Sybil Thorndike — an anecdote the review highlights as emblematic of the audience devotion these performers inspired.
- The National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company rivalry — including Peter Hall's 1973 appointment as National Theatre director that devastated Olivier — is flagged as a thread rich enough for its own film but given short shrift here.
- Paul Robeson found a receptive home in British theater after struggling for work in the U.S., while Stephen Rea's Irish acting troupe used their work to spotlight the complexities of the Troubles.
- The review argues Thatcherism's effect on theater and Olivier's cruelty toward young actors deserve more incisive treatment than the single-sitting runtime allows, and laments that the late Joan Plowright's stories weren't captured at greater length.
Why it matters: The documentary leverages extraordinary star power to dramatize a century of British theater, but the reviewer concludes its single-film format forces it to skim past the richest material — Olivier's bruising treatment of young actors, the NT-RSC rivalry, and the personal memories of figures like the late Joan Plowright — leaving theater enthusiasts with a primer rather than the definitive account the cast list deserves.
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