Robert Rietti, veteran actor, author, broadcaster and maestro of the art of film dubbing, was born in London in 1923 to a Jewish-Italian family. Following Italy's entry into the Second World War on Germany's side, Italian nationals living in Britain were interned on the Isle of Man, Rietti's father among them. As they were British born, Rietti and his brother were detained and then transferred to a camp at Ascot. Rietti was befriended by a highly strung Irishman, an enthusiastic Nazi-lover who was unaware that his new friend was Jewish. Once he learned this, his reaction was so disturbing that Rietti worried for years and was later prompted to write his 16 Letters to a Friend.
(Repeated from Sunday)