An Orderly Man

Dirk Bogarde

This third volume in Bogarde's life story for the first time includes an extensive look at the situation he'd created for himself at the point of his effective retirement from film. The first two autobiographies had been written at the French farmhouse he'd purchased and had mentioned briefly in the books, but now he tells the story about how he cut the cord from both Britain and film at the same time. Acting was not completely to be abandoned at this point; not long after the controversial lead part in "Death In Venice" (dir. Visconti), he, director Cavani and co-actress Charlotte Rampling faced obscenity charges from Italian authorities for "The Night Porter", another art film that had been in line with risks he began taking with "Victim" years earlier. Also covered are the "Providence" and "Despair" films, "Providence" involving the irrepressible John Gielgud (with whom Bogarde had worked in "Sebastian" in 1967.