In one of the most extraordinary and unconventional partnerships of the past century, British writer Christopher Isherwood and American portrait artist Don Bachardy shared a life-long relationship which lasted more than thirty years, until Christopher’s death in 1986. Their love, friendship and work covered an impressive span of time and inspired the lives of different generations of artists, writers, intellectuals and common people in California and all over the world. This documentary gives an emotional and personal account of their lives and story.

Chris & Don are the center of this documentary which is, above all, a personal and emotional recollection of a love story, unique in many ways, because Chris & Don were two exceptional artists, because they were gay, and not afraid to defy the times they lived in. To this regard, along with their personal life story, there are other themes presented.

The documentary talks about being gay in the 1950’s, about Hollywood and the celebrities and the intellectuals who lived there. 

“ Chris & Don. A love story” is a journey through the past, a private diary in which history is triggered and brought back to life by personal memories and particular events. The documentary mixes together interviews, archival films, photos and dramatizations, using different film and video formats (Super8, Super16, MiniDV and Digi Beta) in a creative and yet cohesive way. 

Furthermore, the documentary incorporates some unedited home footage shot by Chris and Don back in the Fifties. This never before seen home footage, which amounts to a total of almost two hours, gives a rare glimpse of their lives and of their circle of friends. Among many other situations, we will follow them as they travel around the world, visit Tennessee Williams on the set of The Rose Tattoo and have a dinner party for composer Igor Stravinsky.


An emotional recollection of a unique love story

Don’s voice guides us through most of this journey. His point of view is the prevalent one and his narration connects all the different elements in the story. The script also includes extensive reading of passages from Isherwood’s diaries (published and unpublished) books, novels and letters by actor Michael York, whose voice plays Chris in the documentary. Thus, Don and Chris’ voices both come alive and are almost equally present in this work. In addition to this, the documentary includes interviews with Liza Minnelli (actress), Lesile Caron (actress), John Boorman (film director), Jack Larson (actor), Gloria Stuart (actress), James White (Co-founder of the Isherwood foundation), Sara Hodson (Curator of the literary manuscripts at Huntington Library and Isherwood Archive), Katherine Bucknell (Editor of Christopher Isherwood Diaries).

 

Chris & Don: two remarkable lives

Growing up in the suburbs of Los Angeles, Bachardy and his brother Ted became avid movie star fans. They crashed premieres and took pictures of themselves with Joan Crawford, Marilyn Monroe, Bette Davis, Ava Gardner, Shelley Winters, and lots of others. At eighteen, Bachardy met Christopher Isherwood, who was forty-nine. Isherwood was the world famous author of The Berlin Stories (later to become the film Cabaret) and other works.  His close friends included Wystan Auden, Aldous Huxley, Thomas Mann, Igor Stravinsky, and Greta Garbo. Bachardy soon moved in with Isherwood.

Don quickly began to meet the stars he had photographed.
Encouraged by Isherwood and worried about his future, Don decided to take art classes and learned his true vocation – that of the artist.  He began to draw the very stars he had so admired.  Don found the path to develop his own serious career.

Isherwood and Bachardy were open about their life, regardless of the waves it caused. This was during a period when gay relationships were not acceptable. Many of Chris’s friends were shocked.  Don studied at an art school in Los Angeles, then at the Slade School in London.  The age difference in their relationship brought obvious personal problems that had to be addressed.  Don often felt disregarded by Chris’s famous friends and frequently was. Regardless, Bachardy pursued his art career with great energy, painting and drawing every day. He even thought of leaving Isherwood and striking out with another friend. The age difference between them was something both of them had to deal with. Bachardy and Isherwood began to collaborate on various writing projects such as Frankenstein: The True Story, an unusual film of the genre. They had friendships with Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, Willliam Inge, Tony Richardson, David Hockney, and James Bridges.

In 1981 Isherwood was diagnosed with prostate cancer. Bachardy nursed him throughout the course of the disease until Isherwood’s death. He painted Isherwood daily during this period, spending six hours drawing his corpse after he died. The works have been published in a book called Last Drawings. After Isherwood’s death Bachardy’s career has continued to flourish. A number of books about Bachardy’s art have been published, the latest, Stars in My Eyes which was celebrated at a gala at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Bachardy’s work has been collected in the National Portrait Gallery in London, the Smithsonian, the Norton Simon, and many others.

Isherwood’s and Bachardy’s lifetime relationship in the world of celebrities from the 1950’s to the late 1980’s is unparalled. Bachardy’s personal growth and success is the remarkable story of the film.

 

Feature documentary on the life of artist Don Bachardy and his life-long relationship with writer Christopher Isherwood