 Anthony Simmons' lengthy filmography may at first appear a bizarre assortment of subjects and genres: he has made feature films and fictional
shorts, independent and sponsored documentaries, prime-time dramas and 30-second
commercials. Such variety reflects the reality in which most British filmmakers
have always operated: sometimes able to initiate projects, but more often
bringing their craft, and sometimes a distinctive voice, to the work available
to them. In Simmons' case, certain recognisable threads do recur across the
diverse output. Perhaps the most consistent strength of his work is an
'impressionist-realist' feeling for atmosphere and location - a corresponding
weakness being an at times slapdash inattention to structure and narrative.
From a working-class East London Jewish background, he trained as a lawyer.
He was diverted into film partly via political connections with left-wing
sections of the film industry. His first semi-professional effort, Bulgarian
Village (1947) was an ambitious 35mm evocation of rural Bulgarian life that was
never completed (its soundtrack was never recorded) or released. His first two
completed films, however, received cinema release. Produced by Leon Clore, the
award-winning Sunday By the Sea (1953) and Bow Bells (1954) are unassuming but
not unimportant films: they suggest an alternate path for British documentary
that it never took. Respectively about Southend and the East End, and set to
cockney music hall songs, they are non-sponsored pieces that unusually fuse the
personal with the populist.
Most of the director's other shorts were made for Clore's various low-budget
companies. The Gentle Corsican (1956) is again strong on ambience, though
anchored to a more conventional (and more heavily fictionalised) exotic
travelogue. Blood Is Life (1957), No Short Cut (1964) and Greenwich - A People's
Heritage (1976) are each very different, but all unassertive and likeable COI
public information films. From First to Last (1962), Simmons' promotional film
about the making of Ford cars, is a fine addition to the 'industrial process'
genre. Under the aegis of Clore's firm Film Contracts, Simmons also helmed
numerous short television advertisements for brands as diverse as Players,
Findus, Shell, Persil and Ryvita.
His three major feature films are distinctive pieces that, despite minor
faults, deserve to be better known. All are imbued with a feeling for London as
a setting and virtually as a character in its own right. Four In the Morning
(1965) weaves documentary location coverage into a multi-stranded fictional
storyline (some of the stories are more gripping than others). The Optimists of
Nine Elms (1973) is only slightly let down by a rushed ending: Simmons'
sensitive script and direction of child actors, and one of Peter Sellers' most
disciplined performances, blend with cherishable footage of pre-gentrified South
London. Black Joy (1977) evokes immigrant life in Brixton. Though uneven, it's
an impressive, singular film: even when gauche, it is for its period an
unusually honest, unsentimental treatment of race.
Most of his later work has been for television: one-off plays, and episodes
of popular series, from The Professionals (ITV, 1978-83) to Inspector Morse
(ITV, 1987-2000) by way of Supergran (ITV, 1983-87). A refreshingly
unfashionable aspect of his work in both media is that for all its bittersweet
or sad touches, it seems to reflect a view of life which is basically generous
and mostly cheerful.
Patrick Russell
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FILM & TV CREDITS
