In the build-up to Louis Theroux\u2019s upcoming Scientology film, set for cinema release on 14th October, it\u2019s hugely interesting to reflect on the work of one of the UK\u2019s most prolific, revered, and widely-watched documentary filmmakers. Taking into account the scale of his ever increasing repertoire, it\u2019s hard to predict Theroux\u2019s next step, with his impressive back catalogue spanning nearly two decades and covering a plethora of rarely approached topics\u2014from the porn industry, to UFO hunters, to neo-Nazis. Preceding the hotly anticipated My Scientology Movie, however, was the recently aired BBC Two documentary, Savile, a follow-up to 2000\u2019s When Louis Met Jimmy, in which Louis Theroux entered the personal world of the late entertainer, long before the truth surfaced about his extensive history of sexual abuse, rape, and paedophilia.<\/p>\n
Savile is an uncomfortable and, at times, downright unpleasant viewing experience, as victims meet with Louis to speak candidly and honestly about the horrific abuse they suffered at the hands of a man who was, for a time, considered a national treasure. Indeed, Theroux himself in the documentary reflects on his own personal guilt at having trusted Savile and even considered him a friend during the time they knew one another. At one point, one of his interviewees, Sam, turns the discussion around and asks Theroux if he felt he too was \u2018groomed\u2019 by Savile, to which he hesitates and suggests that \u2018groomed\u2019 is too strong a word. However, it is definitely clear from his response that he\u00a0feels\u00a0deceived, much like the rest of the world, by Savile\u2019s poisonous fa\u00e7ade, which adds an interesting new facet to the documentary which\u00a0isn’t present\u00a0in his other productions. His involvement and self-described \u2018friendship\u2019 with Savile, and the subsequent examination of his own conscience and the suspicions he held at the time of their encounters with one another, help\u00a0to create a documentary\u00a0in which the spotlight falls upon\u00a0its\u00a0creator just as much as its participants.<\/p>\n
The continued success of Theroux and his insightful, boundary-pushing documentaries is a credit to both his meticulous, inquisitive style as a writer and\u2014perhaps more importantly\u2014his consistently respectful and unbiased approach when reaching out to various groups and individuals within society. This naturalistic, human, and agenda-free attitude with which Theroux approaches those who feature in his films\u00a0provides viewers with a refreshing and often shocking look at a whole range of unconventional lifestyles, strange pursuits, beliefs, and ideologies; it is surely one of the key factors behind\u00a0his popularity. His uninhibited and unrelenting questioning style most definitely adds an element of intrigue and exclusivity which simply isn’t seen in most other documentaries.<\/p>\n
Looking back at his various exports, from Weird Weekends, BBC Two specials and his When Louis Met\u2026 series, to his current spate of standalone documentaries, there are very few taboo topics Louis Theroux hasn\u2019t yet ventured into. It\u2019s hopeful, and likely, that the sense of ambition and relentless curiosity which underpins his filmmaking will inspire the next generation of exciting documentary makers. After the harrowing, yet eye-opening experience of watching Savile, Louis Theroux is once again a name on everyone\u2019s lips, particularly with trailers circulating for the imminent release of My Scientology Movie. It is no easy task to document a\u00a0religion so shrouded in mystery and confusion, yet followed by some of the world\u2019s most influential celebrities. But, if anyone is capable of\u00a0producing something compelling and illuminating, it\u2019s\u00a0undoubtedly\u00a0Louis Theroux.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
With the release of My Scientology Movie approaching, we look back at Theroux’s career as documentary film maker and talk about his latest work, Savile<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":143,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[2554,224,17224,17225,17226],"coauthors":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28757"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/143"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28757"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28757\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28757"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28757"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28757"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mancunion.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=28757"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}