 In 1967 Olivier was caught in the middle of a confrontation between Chandos and Tynan over the latter 's proposal to stage Rolf <unk> 's Soldiers . As the play <unk> depicted Churchill as <unk> in the assassination of the Polish prime minister Władysław <unk> , Chandos regarded it as <unk> . At his urging the board unanimously vetoed the production . Tynan considered resigning over this interference with the management 's artistic freedom , but Olivier himself stayed firmly in place , and Tynan also remained . At about this time Olivier began a long struggle against a succession of illnesses . He was treated for prostate cancer and , during rehearsals for his production of <unk> 's Three Sisters he was hospitalised with pneumonia . He recovered enough to take the heavy role of Edgar in <unk> 's The Dance of Death , the finest of all his performances other than in Shakespeare , in Gielgud 's view . 
