When Juliet Johnson got in touch with me about playing Vicki Anderson (Faye Dunaway) in The Thomas Crown Affair with Andy Snowden – Thomas Crown (Steve McQueen) I just had to say yes , we shot the romantic scene in an allley on the High Street in Hull’s Old Town.
The Thomas Crown Affair is a 1968 film directed and produced by Norman Jewison starring Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. This heist film was nominated for two Academy Awards, winning Best Original Song for Michel Legrand’s “Windmills of Your Mind”
Julie Hill and 90 year old Stanley Wilson got in touch with me about recreating the characters of Stan laurel and Oliver Hardy for the Hullywood Icons project. We created some Stan and Ollie moments at the Street Life Museum:Hull Museums in the old town of Hull. At 90 Stan is one of the oldest Hullywood Icons so far. Interestingly Hull has the distinction of being the very last piece of British soil that Laurel and Hardy trod, as they sailed from there in 1954. They also performed at Hull New Theatre, drank at Olde English Gent and stayed at Royal Station Hotel on 07/07/1947.
Freddie Garland got in touch with me about recreating a scene from Breakfast at Tiffany’sher favourite childhood film. We settled on 1884 Dock Street Kitchen on Dock Street in Hull as a location and created some gorgeous images of Freddie Garlanda as Audrey Hepburn playing Holly Golightly.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s is a 1961 American romantic comedy film directed by Blake Edwards and written by George Axelrod, loosely based on Truman Capote’s novella of the same name. Starring Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, and featuring Patricia Neal, Buddy Ebsen, Martin Balsam, and Mickey Rooney, the film was initially released on October 5, 1961 by Paramount Pictures.
Hepburn’s portrayal of Holly Golightly as the naïve, eccentric socialite is generally considered to be the actress’s most memorable and identifiable role. Hepburn regarded it as one of her most challenging roles, since she was an introvert required to play an extrovert.There has been speculation that Holly Golightly is a call girl, which has caused controversy.
Breakfast at Tiffany’s was received positively at the time, and won two Academy Awards: Best Original Score and Best Original Song for “Moon River”, which was also selected as the fourth most memorable song in Hollywood history by the American Film Institute in 2004. The film was also nominated for three other Academy Awards: Best Actress for Hepburn, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Art Direction.
One of Freddie’s favourite song is Moon River you can hear it here:
When Rupert Creed suggested recreating a scene featuring Spike, a truly feral Welshman and flat mate from hell played by Rhys Ifans, from the 1999 romantic comedy Notting HillI couldn’t say no!
The Mc Glinchey’s approached me about recreating the famous scene from the 1969 American Western film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid in which Paul Newman as Butch Cassidy and Robert Redford as the Sundance Kid make a leap of faith.
The film directed by George Roy Hill and written by William Goldman is based loosely on fact, the film tells the story of Wild West outlaws Robert LeRoy Parker, known as Butch Cassidy (Paul Newman), and his partner Harry Longabaugh, the “Sundance Kid” (Robert Redford), who are on the run from a crack US posse after a string of train robberies. The pair and Sundance’s lover, Etta Place (Katharine Ross), flee to Bolivia in search of a more successful criminal career, where they meet their end.
The Mc Glinchey’s made their leap at the Khyber Pass in Hull’s East Park
Helen Marie Smith got in touch with me about recreating the iconic farewell scene from Brief Encounter at Hull’s Paragon Station. Brief Encounter isa 1945 British romantic drama film directed by David Lean about British suburban life, centring on Laura, a married woman with children, whose conventional life becomes increasingly complicated because of a chance meeting at a railway station with a stranger, Alec. They inadvertently but quickly progress to an emotional love affair, which brings about unexpected consequences.
Helen enlisted the services of her friend Gary Crossman to play Trevor Howard in the shoot.
Jo Hill contacted me about recreating the famous bed scene in which Uma Thurman as Mia Wallace smokes a cigarette whilst holding a gun lies on a bed. I couldn’t resist the challenge. We completed the shoot at Mercure Hull Royal Hotel who lent us a room for the shoot.
I arrived at Mark Pollard’s house and he said let’s pop around the corner to my mate’s house we need to pick up the shooter… Let me explain we were recreating a scene from Taxi Driver a 1976 American vigilante film with neo-noir and psychological thriller elements, directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. Set in New York City following the Vietnam War, the film stars Robert De Niro as Travis Bickle who Mark portrays admirably in the ‘are you looking at me scene’.
I met Richard Sharp Wilson in Hull to recreate a moment from Singing in the Rain the famous 1952 musical comedy starring Gene Kelly. it was pouring down Rich told me that his choice of film moment was all about the unabashed care free expression of joy at the simplest of things. Singing and dancing in the rain.
Hullywood Icons 