This stage-performance documentary (for lack of a better term) feels, in part, like a eulogy as well as the story of Anderson's life. Actually, for those who have read Orson Scott Card's Speaker for the Dead, it actually feels more like a Speaking since McDowell doesn't seem to have a problem talking about some of Anderson's shortcomings in order for the viewers to better understand the man, not simply just praising the good things about him.
McDowell spends the time talking about how he first met Anderson, a story he also told in the special features on A Clockwork Orange: 40th Anniversary Edition's Blu-ray release. McDowell recounts his work with Anderson in movies like If..., that launched McDowell's career, and O Lucky Man!, a movie McDowell helped to get started.
McDowell doesn't just talk about Anderson. There was a collection of Anderson's friends affectionately named "The Old Crowd." One of McDowell's stories focuses on the actress Rachel Roberts, as well as readings from Anderson's own journal about his work with actor Richard Harris while the two of them worked on The Sporting Life (also featuring Roberts).
Another amusing reading McDowell does involves an apology letter written to Director Clive Donner (What's New Pussycat) after a luncheon that goes wrong when someone uses the term "bourgeois." This is a word that Anderson used to refer to films that are no more than dressing and with no real depth or layers. The amusing apology letter doesn't really contain an actual apology.
While there are no special features on Never Apologize, the lengthy stage performance is enough on its own for anyone interested in this prolific director's life. While I can't say that most movie-goers will find the show worthwhile, it seems to be something that filmmakers, both potential and actual, will want to check out.
