Interview: Luke Korem,
director, "Lord Montagu"
![]() Austin-based director Luke Korem’s documentary Lord Montagu traces the life and accomplishments of 87-year-old Edward Montagu, the 3rd Baron Montagu of Beaulieu and a member of Parliament’s House of Lords. The documentary chronicles how in 1929, upon the death of his father, the 2-year-old Montagu was named heir to the 10,000-acre estate on the south coast of England that had been in the family for centuries. Korem also examines how two trials in 1950s—one which fell apart, the other resulting in the bisexual Montagu's conviction on “consensual homosexual offences”—almost destroyed his family’s name and threatened the income he generated from public tours of Beaulieu. Montagu put the witch hunt behind him by opening the Montagu Motor Museum in tribute to his father, one of England’s motoring pioneers, and adding fairground attractions as a way to generate the revenue needed to keep Beaulieu open and in the family. While Montagu’s peers looked down on his for his showmanship and entrepreneural skills, he was able to retain ownership of Beaulieu during the lean post-World War II years when 15,000 country homes were abandoned or destroyed by their owners. Montagu would later found the National Motor Museum, which has drawn more than 15 million visitors since opening in 1972. The documentary includes interviews with Montagu’s son Ralph, former Deputy Prime Minister Lord Michael Hesltine, motor-racing greats Sterling Moss and Jackie Stewart, and Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. Lord Montagu will screen May 2 during the Hill Country Film Festival in Fredericksburg.
Aired: April 17, 2014 Web sites: http://lordmontagu.com/ and http://www.hillcountryff.com/ |
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