A new documentary, “Into the Breach,” directed by Freddie Fox, explores the history of British theater and its impact on art, culture, and politics over the last century. The film features interviews with acting legends including Judi Dench, Anthony Hopkins, Gary Oldman, and Kenneth Branagh, who also co-produced the project.
The documentary catalogues major figures who shaped British theater, beginning in the early 1900s with Lilian Baylis, a producer and manager who pioneered Shakespeare at the Old Vic theatre in Waterloo, which later became London’s National Theatre. Performers who gained prominence on its stage included John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Michael Redgrave, and Ralph Richardson. Later figures highlighted include theater director Peter Hall and impresario Andrew Lloyd Webber, alongside performers such as Peter O’Toole, Helen Mirren, and Stephen Rea.
The film details both professional and personal connections between these theatrical figures, including anecdotes about rivalries and relationships. One story recounts how John Gielgud, an eventual EGOT winner, feared his 1953 arrest for homosexuality would ruin his career. He received a standing ovation after his costar, Sybil Thorndike, supported him in performing that night, demonstrating the affection some performers generated from fans.
Olivier, despite showing early kindness to Hopkins, developed a reputation for cruelty. The documentary also touches on the rivalry between the National Theatre, founded by Olivier and focused on classic material, and the Royal Shakespeare Company, created by Peter Hall, which embraced contemporary and avant-garde works. Hall’s appointment as director of the National Theatre in 1973 was a blow to Olivier, though the film moves quickly past this to cover its extensive subject matter.
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