When director David Batty got behind the camera for the lively ‘60s pop culture documentary My Generation, he undertook a conscious storytelling decision: Show, don’t tell.
Batty, along with 84-year-old narrator Michael Caine, took viewers through an era of rebellion in the UK, including current-day interviews with the likes of Paul McCartney, Roger Daltrey and Twiggy. Batty used only their voices over old, archival footage, refusing to take viewers out of the era being portrayed.
“When you think of the 1950s in the UK, it’s very black-and-white. It’s very dull. It’s very grey. We’d just had a war, and a lot of the buildings were destroyed. The food was rubbish. We were also ruled by men in suits and bowler hats,” he said.
“Suddenly the ‘60s come along and all of that goes out of the window. A younger generation, mostly working class, take over. Michael Caine is really the father of that generation.”
The film premiered at Venice earlier this year, and it brought out a different side in Caine.
“Beforehand, Michael was particularly nervous. I thought this feels out of character. Surely he’s done hundreds of these premieres before, why was he nervous?” said Batty.
“At the end of it, we had an extraordinary eight-minute standing ovation. I looked over at Michael and he was actually shaking. It was because this was the first time a film was actually about him. It wasn’t about a role he was doing. He had nowhere to hide. He was totally vulnerable. It was like his life was laid bare.”
Batty showed the film for one night only at the 14th Dubai International Film Festival. For those who missed it, there have been talks of securing a distribution deal in the Middle East to bring My Generation to a wider audience. Batty also plans to release unused interview footage as part of a follow-up series.
