New York-based film producer Lilly Hartley grew up with a love of the silver screen and the theatre. In addition to this, her keen interest in more hard-hitting issues was sharpened by her grandfather, Benjamin Epstein, who was President of the Anti-Defamation League, working closely with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy during the Civil Rights Movement.
In 2010, inspired by the concept of ‘Filmanthropy’, Hartley founded Candescent Films. The company produces and finances socially conscious films, raising awareness through fascinating character-driven stories. The results have so far included award-winning productions such as The Queen of Versailles, Sons of the Clouds, Likeness and Gideon’s Army.
Away from the heavyweight themes explored within the aforementioned titles, Hartley enjoys a very different type of character-driven story: the 1970s hotel-based BBC sitcom, Fawlty Towers. Written by John Cleese and Connie Booth, Fawlty Towers has been subsequently broadcast all over the world and is hailed by many for elevating farce to an art form. Here, Lilly tells i-D why its comedic charms never fail to seduce her.
Is there anything about Fawlty Towers that inspires or informs your own work in film?
I have always been drawn to humour in my professional career. When I first graduated college, I worked for a dear family friend and film director. I got to be on set for a few of the comedies that he was piloting for television. As a film producer in social impact space, I primarily work with documentaries. Humour is hard to find in documentaries, because often you are dealing with such serious issues. For example, despite its focus on human rights issues in the Western Sahara, when we made Sons of The Clouds with Javier Bardem, we always tried to find some moments of lightness.
How did you first become aware of the show?
Growing up, my entire family was majorly into film – particularly comedies and old television sitcoms. We were always watching the Marx Brothers movies, Black Adder and old Saturday Night Live skits. Fawlty Towers was my absolute favourite. The show was a fixture in my house; it was a part of our daily evening routine as a family: homework, dinner, Fawlty Towers, bath, bed. One of my earlier memories of the show involved me directing my younger sister and brother to re-enact a scene with Manuel and Basil. In the scene, Manuel is behind the front desk practicing his English. There is a moose head on top of the desk that Basil was supposed to hang. Manuel would say things like, “I speak English well. I learned it from a book.” As he is practicing, The Major – who is partially deaf – walks into the room. He can’t see Manuel, so he thinks the moose head is speaking to him. The skit is absolutely hysterical, and was one of our family favourites. Truly, I think Fawlty Towers introduced me to the fun in film, and helped shaped my eye for good writing in entertainment, specifically comedy.
What qualities does the show have which make it so enduringly popular?
Good comedy requires something of a ‘perfect storm’. You can have a great joke, but to pull it off well you need great delivery – and delivery requires more than one funny guy. When it comes to making people laugh, you need talented writers, performers and directors to orchestrate it all. Fawlty Towers had the perfect mix; the actors were fantastic, and the writers were simply brilliant. The characters had very diverse personalities, and it was a blast to watch them interact with each other. Moreover, the scripted humour was blended perfectly with the physical comedy. For example, in one of my favourite episodes, The Rat, Basil chases Manuel around the tables and Manuel is hiding under the dining room tables. The dialogue and performance work seamlessly together.
Who is your favourite character?
Oh, it’s so hard to pick a favourite character in Fawlty Towers. It is almost like they are inseparable from one another; a “unit”, if you will. One can’t exist without one another, because each of the of the characters work together somehow. For example, Basil without Sybil is simply not Basil. Growing up, Manuel was the household favourite. If I had to pick a favourite today, I suppose I would go with Basil, but again – that is because of the way he plays off of all the other characters.
Which episodes do you most like?
The Psychiatrist is one of my favourite episodes. The paranoia that ensues for Basil is hysterical, and the combination of guests that amplify his ridiculous behaviour is simply priceless. Every time I watch that episode I laugh so hard. The Germans is hilarious, too. Given the history between England and Germany, they really took a risk with that episode, and Basil totally loses his mind in it.
Only twelve episodes and two series were made during the latter half of the 1970s. Should they have made more?
I wish they had made more, but I guess it never went down hill so that is a good thing.
Is your love of the show a solo indulgence, or do you have fellow fans to watch it with?
I watch it with my husband. He never even heard about Fawlty Towers before I introduced him to the show a few years back. Experiencing the show again as an adult is a lot of fun for me. Not only do I get to re-live the jokes and remember the stories, but I also get to watch my husband experience it anew.
Have you ever stayed in a hotel similar to Fawlty Towers?
Ha! No – thank goodness!
Credits
Text James Anderson