thumbnail of Face to Face; 2; Dame Edith Sitwell
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Series
Face to Face
Episode Number
2
Episode
Dame Edith Sitwell
Producing Organization
British Broadcasting Corporation
Contributing Organization
Library of Congress (Washington, District of Columbia)
AAPB ID
cpb-aacip/512-7w6736mx8n
NOLA Code
FACE
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Description
Episode Description
I am often asked who has been the most difficult to interview of all the people who have appeared on Face to Face, and I always answer Dame Edith Sitwell. Shes difficult not so much because of what she will say, but because of the highly personal way in which she says it. Her answers, although they sometimes follow a rather odd course, end up on target and often with terrible effect. She is in fact the most exciting and formidable talker Ive ever met. So John Freeman introduces the second program in the series. This is a highly personal, extremely moving self-portrait of a woman who has a reputation for eccentricity, arrogance, and impatience. Actually, what comes through is the picture of a sensitive, brilliant, frequently misunderstood poet and critic whose literary virtuosity sometimes makes her real interest in, and sympathy for, humanity. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Series Description
This series, produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation, consists of interviews with great men and women of our time. Each of the 6 half-hour episodes is devoted to one guest, whose comments, elicited by the skillful interviewing of John Freeman, do much to illumine the scope of his or her achievements. The episodes have an uncommon spontaneity and intimacy. Three of the guests are interviewed in places that have special meaning for them -- Dr. Carl Jung in his home, and sculptor Henry Moore and portrait painter Augustus John in their studios. John Freeman has had considerable experience as an interviewer for the BBC. One reviewer has described him as courteous, firm, and forearmed. Another has called him an exceptionally civilized interviewer. In Face to Face he and producer Hugh Burnett adopt a new interviewing technique. The aim, says Mr. Burnett, is to break through to the face behind the public face. He continues: The problem of the relationship between interviewer and interviewee was finally resolved by concealing the interviewer from the audience and concentrating the cameras exclusively on the subject. The viewer at home can ... indulge his curiosity in an uninterrupted scrutiny of the face of the public figure under pressure. Mr. Burnett has worked in radio and television since the days of World War II. The 6 episodes that comprise this series were originally recorded on film. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)
Broadcast Date
1962-00-00
Asset type
Episode
Genres
Talk Show
Topics
Literature
Biography
Media type
Moving Image
Credits
Guest: Sitwell, Edith
Host: Freeman, John
Producer: Burnett, Hugh
Producing Organization: British Broadcasting Corporation
AAPB Contributor Holdings
Library of Congress
Identifier: 2330578-1 (MAVIS Item ID)
Format: 16mm film
Generation: Copy: Access
Color: B&W
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Citations
Chicago: “Face to Face; 2; Dame Edith Sitwell,” 1962-00-00, Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed May 10, 2025, http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-7w6736mx8n.
MLA: “Face to Face; 2; Dame Edith Sitwell.” 1962-00-00. Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Web. May 10, 2025. <http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-7w6736mx8n>.
APA: Face to Face; 2; Dame Edith Sitwell. Boston, MA: Library of Congress, American Archive of Public Broadcasting (GBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC. Retrieved from http://americanarchive.org/catalog/cpb-aacip-512-7w6736mx8n