Laurence Olivier - Centenary

Centenary

On 22 May 2007, to mark the centenary of Olivier's birth, Network Media and ITV released DVD libraries of his work: Network Media—The Laurence Olivier Centenary Collection (10 discs):

• Henry V (1944)
• Richard III (1955)
• King Lear (1983)
• The Ebony Tower (1984)
• Long Day's Journey Into Night (1973)
• The Merchant of Venice (1973)
• Laurence Olivier Presents (complete)
• The South Bank Show: Laurence Olivier, A Life (1982) featuring interviews with Olivier, John Gielgud and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr.

ITV—Laurence Olivier Shakespeare Collection (7 discs):

• King Lear (1983)
• Henry V (1944)
• Hamlet (1948)
• As You Like It (1936)
• Richard III (1955)
• The Merchant of Venice (1973)

ITV – The Laurence Olivier "Icon" Collection (10 discs):

• Henry V (1944)
• Richard III (1955)
• Hamlet (1948)
• 21 Days (1940)
• That Hamilton Woman (1941)
• 49th Parallel (1941)
• The Demi-Paradise (1943)
• The Boys from Brazil (1978)
• A Little Romance (1979)
• The Jazz Singer (1980)

Both DVD sets include a Michael Parkinson interview with Olivier from the 1970s.

In September 2007, the National Theatre marked the centenary of his birth with a Centenary Celebration. This told the story of Olivier's working life through film and stage extracts, letters, reminiscence and readings; the participants included Eileen Atkins, Claire Bloom, Anna Carteret, Derek Jacobi, Anne-Marie Duff, Lindsay Duncan, Charles Kay, Clive Merrison, Edward Petherbridge, Joan Plowright, Ronald Pickup, Michael Pennington, Rory Kinnear, Samuel West, Antony Sher, Billie Whitelaw and Richard Attenborough. It was directed by Nicholas Hytner. Prior to the evening celebration, a new statue of Olivier as Hamlet, created by the sculptor Angela Conner and funded by private subscription, was unveiled on the South Bank, next to the National's Theatre Square.