Showing how out of touch some people can be in the 1970s, myself included, I was assigned to see that "Russian Blimp" film and tell the guys who made the Warner flick "Zeppelin" producers Ownen Krump et al exactly what our "compeition" was up to.
I was at a loss to begin. Sean Connery vs. Michael York? Elke Sommer vs. Claudia Cardinale? Model ships vs. Russian Atomic Icebreakers using burning tires to simulate coal streaked sky trails. A twenty two foot fiber model vs. an actual flying reduced scale one? The Irish AirForce stunt pilots vs Soviet test pilots? $1.5 million dollar flick vs $10 million
Most importantly,
..a boorish Hollywood product vs. the philosophical Slavic outlook on life...
Naturally, I exaggerated the unhappy conclusion to the Russian EPIC... and.... broke down and admitted that the Red Tent was possibly one of the most beautiful film I had ever seen....
Owen, Arthur and the rest looked at me as if I had sung "The Internationale".
Owen was still smarting over the disastrous "Darling Lili" that tossed him off the Paramount Lot... Ron looked so strange - was daddy (J. Paul)Getty right about the biz and his abilities? Arthur glared so intently - as if I was blowing his only shot (and it practically was) in the feature film world.
But I still loved the Red Tent....