How Wilkie Discovered England

‘Subtitled A Concise History of How Wilkie Discovered England (and other Legends), this is not a document, but a film about telling. ‘We had just come back from seeing Othello. As we sat in Double History, studying another episode in Europe’s Empire building, the teacher told us that Olivier had given a brilliant performance in the film (despite leaving bootblack all over Maggie Smith’s Desdemona who lay on her death bed), not because he had been compelling as a man consumed by jealousy, but because he had been able to play a black man. And that was a tremendously difficult feat. ‘Isn’t that so?’ he asked, turning to me for confirmation.’ This begins the story of a man, one amongst many men and women who were pioneers, who conquered hostile territory. How the West (of London) was won – without killing the natives.’ – Pier Wilkie