Never Apologize

Few knew Lindsay Anderson better than McDowell, whose career Anderson launched by giving him his first starring role as the rebellious Mick Travis, in If…., winner of the 1968 Palm D’Or. Their working relationship continued through five additional film and theatre productions spanning several decades, including O Lucky Man! and Britannia Hospital.

Never Apologize combines McDowell’s personal reminiscences with his readings of pieces written by and about his friend and mentor. These are brought to life by the actor's hilarious and moving impressions of not only the provocative Anderson, but also the notables in their circle, including Alan Bates, Bette Davis, John Ford, John Gielgud, Lillian Gish, Richard Harris, Laurence Olivier and Rachel Roberts. Offering a magnetic portrait of a figure who was a stranger to compromise, the film also allows us to witness the cultural, social and political climate of the period.

Directed by Mike Kaplan, whose friendship with McDowell began on Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, Never Apologize is a unique hybrid of film, theatre and literature and presents a gripping and moving insight into the art and imagination of a passionate, tormented and sublimely talented man.