It could easily have been BAFTA night as the cream of British acting talent turned up in their finest. The stellar lineup, which included Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Richard E Grant and Harry Potter actors Alan Rickman and Robbie Coltrane, all took to the stage at London's Royal Albert Hall for Music From The Movies - An All Star Celebration.
Directed by Hamlet star Kenneth, the show featured music from some of the biggest films of recent years, introduced by the home grown talent which starred in them. Among the numbers being performed by the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus were excerpts from the soundtracks of Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire, Bridget Jones’s Diary and Calendar Girls.
The musical bonanza – in aid of Leukaemia Research - was the brainchild of Oscar-nominated, Scottish film score composer Patrick Doyle, who wrote all the pieces showcased. When Patrick had a brush with leukaemia himself, his famous pals rallied round in support.
"Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman came in (to the hospital) wearing ginger wigs under tamoshanters, speaking with Scottish accents. The ward didn't know what had hit it," remembers Patrick of one particularly spirit-lifting visit.
Photo: © Alphapress.com
