''Red, White and Zero'' is a 1967 British anthology film made by

Woodfall Film Productions Woodfall Film Productions was a British film production company established in the late 1950s. It was established by Tony Richardson, John Osborne and Harry Saltzman to make a screen adaptation of Osborne's best known play. The film version of ''Lo ...

. It consists of three segments, directed by

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

Lindsay Anderson Lindsay Gordon Anderson (17 April 1923 – 30 August 1994) was a British feature-film, theatre and documentary director, film critic, and leading-light of the Free Cinema movement and of the British New Wave. He is most widely remembered f ...

and

Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio "Tony" Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director and producer whose career spanned five decades. In 1964, he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film '' Tom Jones''. Earl ...

Plot

The film is split into three sections of the following stories.

''Ride of the Valkyrie''

An opera singer (

Zero Mostel Samuel Joel "Zero" Mostel (February 28, 1915 – September 8, 1977) was an American actor, comedian, and singer. He is best known for his portrayal of comic characters such as Tevye on stage in ''Fiddler on the Roof'', Pseudolus on stage and on ...

), dressed in full costume and dress, must navigate through the busy city streets to get to the theater in time for his performance. * Zero Mostel *

Frank Thornton Frank Thornton Ball (15 January 192116 March 2013), professionally known as Frank Thornton, was an English actor. He was known for playing Captain Peacock in '' Are You Being Served?'' and its sequel '' Grace & Favour'' (''Are You Being Serve ...

Julia Foster Julia Foster (born 2 August 1943) is an English stage, screen, and television actress. Life and career Foster was born in Lewes, Sussex. Her first husband was Lionel Morton, once the lead singer with the 1960s pop band The Four Pennies. She is ...

''The White Bus''

The main character, only referred to as 'the girl' (Patricia Healey) leaves London, goes north on a train full of football fans and takes a trip in a white double-decker bus in an unnamed city she is visiting, although it is clearly based on Manchester, Delaney was born and grew up in nearby Salford. The Mayor (

Arthur Lowe Arthur Lowe (22 September 1915 – 15 April 1982) was an English actor. His acting career spanned 36 years, including starring roles in numerous theatre and television productions. He played Captain Mainwaring in the British sitcom ''Dad' ...

), a local businessman, and the council's ceremonial macebearer ( John Sharp) happen also to be taking the trip while they show the city to visiting foreigners. * Patricia Healey as The Girl *

as The Mayor * John Sharp as The Macebearer * Julie Perry as The Conductress * Stephen Moore as Young Man *

Victor Henry Victor Henry (; 17 August 1850 in Colmar, Alsace6 February 1907 in Sceaux) was a French philologist, specializing in Indian languages. Biography Having held appointments at the University of Douai and the University of Lille, Henry was appoint ...

as Transistorite *

John Savident John Savident (born 21 January 1938) is a retired British actor, known for his numerous television roles, including his portrayal of Fred Elliott in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' from 1994-2006. He is also known for his performance as ...

Fanny Carby Fanny Carby (2 February 1925 – 20 September 2002) was a British character actress. She had two different roles on ''Coronation Street'': she played Mary Hornigold in 1965, then in 1987 she took the role of Vera Duckworth's domineering mot ...

, Malcolm Taylor, Alan O'Keeffe as Supporters *

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor, director, and producer. One of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins has received many accolad ...

as Brechtian * Jeanne Watts, Eddie King as Fish Shop Couple * Barry Evans as Boy * Penny Ryder as Girl * Dennis Alaba Peters as Mr. Wombe

''Red and Blue''

An english cabaret singer (

Vanessa Redgrave Dame Vanessa Redgrave (born 30 January 1937) is an English actress and activist. Throughout her career spanning over seven decades, Redgrave has garnered numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Television Award, two ...

) goes to Paris for a nightclub engagement, where the romantic image of her songs is very different from the reality of her solitary life. * Vanessa Redgrave as Jacky * John Bird as Man on Train *

Gary Raymond Gary Barrymore Raymond (born 20 April 1935) is an English film, television and theatre actor. Biography Gary Raymond was born in Brixton, London, to theatrical parents, both of whom were variety artistes. The youngest of three brothers, Gary a ...

as Songwriter *

Michael York Michael York OBE (born Michael Hugh Johnson; 27 March 1942) is an English film, television and stage actor. After performing on-stage with the Royal National Theatre, he had a breakthrough in films by playing Tybalt in Franco Zeffirelli's ''R ...

as Acrobat *

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. Douglas Elton Fairbanks Jr., (December 9, 1909 – May 7, 2000) was an American actor, producer and decorated naval officer of World War II. He is best known for starring in such films as ''The Prisoner of Zenda'' (1937), ''Gunga Din'' (1939) a ...

as Millionaire

History and production

It was originally commissioned by producer

Oscar Lewenstein Silvion Oscar Lewenstein (18 January 1917 – 23 February 1997)Robert Murph"Lewenstein, (Silvion) Oscar (1917–1997)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography''. was a British theatre and film producer, who helped create some of the leadin ...

, then a director of Woodfall, with sections supplied by

and

Karel Reisz Karel Reisz (21 July 1926 – 25 November 2002) was a Czech-born British filmmaker, one of the pioneers of the new realist strain in British cinema during the 1950s and 1960s. Two of the best-known films he directed are '' Saturday Night and S ...

. When Reisz's planned segment evolved into the feature-length '' Morgan: A Suitable Case for Treatment'', it was replaced by

's '' Ride of the Valkyrie''. The two other planned sections of the film developed into what became Richardson's '' Red and Blue'' and Anderson's ''

The White Bus ''The White Bus'' is a 1967 British short drama film directed by Lindsay Anderson. The screenplay was jointly adapted with Shelagh Delaney from a short story in her collection ''Sweetly Sings the Donkey'' (1963). ''The White Bus'' was also the fi ...

''. Of these, only ''The White Bus'' received a theatrical release in the UK. The rediscovered film was eventually released by the

BFI The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

on Blu-ray and DVD in 2018.

References

1967 films British direct-to-video films 1960s rediscovered films Rediscovered British films 1960s English-language films Films directed by Lindsay Anderson {{1960s-UK-film-stub