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Just who is Ken Annakin? That was the question that flashed across my mind as I pulled Annakin's autobiography free from the padded envelope in which it arrived. True, I was more than a little impressed by the fact that his book has forewords by both Sir Richard Attenborough and Mike Leigh and yes, I was surprised to hear that George Lucas had been so enamoured with the Yorkshire-born filmmaker that he named Anakin Skywalker after him as a tribute. But as a twenty something movie buff with three film degrees to his name I was ashamed to admit that I'd never heard of Annakin and was sure that I'd never seen any of his films. Yet, 290 pages and six hours later I was ready to admit I had been wrong, because as it turns out, I had in fact seen quite a few of Annakin's films and, what's more, I found myself wanting to see a few more. A prolific director, writer and producer, Annakin's 57 year career is one of the longest in British cinema. No artistic great, Annakin prided himself on his ability to make commercial entertainment that appealed to the whole family and as such you'll find very few of his 50 feature films on any greatest 100 list. But his filmography is still impressive and, like me, you may be surprised at just how many of his films you've already seen. Some of the better known ones include: Miranda (1948), Swiss Family Robinson (1960), The Longest Day (1962), Battle of the Bulge (1965), Monte Carlo or Bust (1969) and Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines (1965), for which he shared an Oscar nomination for Best Screenplay. Recognised by his peers as one of the great British filmmakers of the post war era, Annakin recently received an OBE for his services to the film industry and was made a 'Disney Legend' in 2002, one of only two live action film directors to be so honoured. And although his career effectively came to an end in the 1970s, Annakin is still working hard today and currently he is developing a film about aviator Amelia Earhart. Honest, candid and witty, So You Wanna Be a Director? pulls no punches as it traces Annakin's life from his upbringing in the small East Yorkshire town of Beverly, through his varied careers as a trainee tax inspector, salesman, journalist and theatre director, to the dizzy heights of Hollywood. Packed full of amusing and insightful anecdotes, Annakin's entertaining, often humorous, book takes the reader on a rollercoaster ride of discovery as Annakin gives a frank account of his frustrations with producer's girlfriends, drug-addicted actors and union bosses. More practical in his approach than most film autobiographers, Annakin offers an array of hints and tips to the wannabe director, and is refreshingly forthright in his analysis of some of his less successful efforts. So You Wanna Be a Director? is an important addition to the library of anyone who loves film. It gives a fascinating insight into the life of a successful filmmaker and provides a fresh perspective into the lives of a pantheon of cinematic giants such as David Niven, Rod Steiger, Henry Ford, Julie Christie, Charles Bronson, Charlton Heston and Peter Sellers to name but a few. Ken Annakin is definitely a man worth knowing.
Reviewed by Simon Jones
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