Tony Palmer's Classic Film of John Osborne and the Gift of Friendship

Osborne saw himself as a lone voice screaming protest against successive governments destroying England. But this protest was maintained at a terrible cost. He made an epic journey from the most successful playwright of his generation to a forlorn and almost forgotten figure. A unique aspect of this film is the recent discovery of extracts from some of the original stage performances of Osborne?s most famous plays - material of great historical importance not seen for almost 40 years. This documentary features footage of Laurence Olivier in The Entertainer; Albert Finney in Luther; Nicol Williamson in Inadmissible Evidence; and Jill Bennett in A Patriot for Me featuring a young John Osborne as Reid.