At the same time as shooting Misery with Sean and Camilla I managed to grab a quick shot of Luke McAllister as Billy Casper from Kes a 1969 drama film directed by Ken Loach and produced by Tony Garnett. The film is based on the 1968 novel A Kestrel for a Knave, written by the Barnsley-born author Barry Hines. The film is ranked seventh in the British Film Institute’s Top Ten (British) Films and among the top ten in its list of the 50 films you should see by the age of 14.
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Scrooge
When Mike Covell got in touch with me about play Alastair Sim in Scrooge a 1951 film adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol I decided an Old town location in Hull would be great. Mike showed me places around the old town that I didn’t know existed.
Brokeback Mountain
When Graham Jenkinson and Colin Wilson got in touch about recreating a scene from Brokeback Mountain with a Hull backdrop I couldn’t say no. Brokeback Mountain is a 2005 American romantic drama film directed by Ang Lee and produced by Diana Ossana and James Schamus. Adapted from the 1997 short story of the same name by Annie Proulx, the screenplay was written by Ossana and Larry McMurtry. The film stars Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams, and depicts the complex emotional and sexual relationship between Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist in the American West from 1963 to 1983.
Safety Last
Julie Gould got in touch with me about recreating a shot from Harold Lloyd’s 1923 romantic comedy Safety Last.
It includes one of the most famous images from the silent film era: Lloyd clutching the hands of a large clock as he dangles from the outside of a skyscraper above moving traffic. The film was highly successful and critically hailed, and it cemented Lloyd’s status as a major figure in early motion pictures. It is still popular at revivals, and it is viewed today as one of the great film comedies.
The film’s title is a play on the common expression, “safety first”, which places safety as the priority to avoid accidents, especially at workplaces. Lloyd performed some of the climbing stunts himself, despite having lost a thumb and forefinger four years earlier in a film accident.
Girl with a Pearl Earring
When my eldest daughter Amelia Rose asked me if she could be Griet played by Scarlett Johansson in Girl with a Pearl Earring I was both surprised and delighted by her choice. Girl with a Pearl Earring is a 2003 drama film directed by Peter Webber. The screenplay was adapted by screenwriter Olivia Hetreed, based on the novel of the same name by Tracy Chevalier. Scarlett Johansson stars as Griet, a young 17th-century servant in the household of the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer (played by Colin Firth) at the time he painted Girl with a Pearl Earring(1665) in the city of Delft in Holland. Other cast members include Tom Wilkinson, Cillian Murphy, and Judy Parfitt.
The shoot took place in Ye Old Black Boy in Hull’s Old town a fantastic and atmospheric pub. One of Hull’s hidden gems. Many thanks to Pub Landlord Adam Scruton for letting us use his front parlour and for looking after my adorable and very lively two year old grandson Azrael.
Labyrinth
Lex Stephenson asked if he could play Jareth, the Goblin King (played by David Bowie) in Labyrinth a 1986 American adventure musical fantasy film directed by Jim Henson, executive-produced by George Lucas, and based upon conceptual designs by Brian Froud. The film revolves around 15-year-old Sarah’s (Jennifer Connelly) quest to reach the center of an enormous otherworldly maze to rescue her infant brother Toby, who has been kidnapped by Jareth, the Goblin King (David Bowie). With the exception of Connelly and Bowie, most of the film’s significant characters are played by puppets produced by Jim Henson’s Creature Shop.
The Wild One
Charles Huckvale contacted me about recreating the character of Johnny Strabler played by Marlon Brando in a scene from the 1953 film The Wild One with his band mates from the fantastic Hull based street band Bandanarama. This was the biggest Hullywood Shoot so far featuring Charles and 16 ‘Wild Ones’ and took place as the light was going outside the legendary Rayners Pub on Hessle Road one wet November afternoon. After the shoot the band got out their instruments and burst into an impromptu performance of Tequila much to the surprise and delight of the locals.
The Wild One is a 1953 American film directed by László Benedek and produced by Stanley Kramer. It is most noted for the character of Johnny Strabler (Marlon Brando), whose persona became a cultural icon of the 1950s. The Wild One is considered to be the original outlaw biker film, and the first to examine American outlaw motorcycle gang violence.
Bandanarama as ‘The Wild Ones ‘ Brendan Walsh, Rob Jenkins, Nathan Kirby, Cindy Hall, Mac Jordan, Dave Ellis, Jim Watkin, Charles Huckvale, Steven Walsh, Mel Haynes, Phil Codd, Adrian Johnson – Harley Davison Ian Mitchel – Apus Productions Liz Dees – Apus Productions “Flock” by Foolsize Theatre – Liverpool (The Guys with The Handle Bars) Chris Murray Joanne Tremarco
True Romance
Mel Haynes and Robin Hope got in touch with me about recreating a scene from True Romance in which a comic-book nerd and Elvis fanatic Clarence (Christian Slater) and a prostitute named Alabama (Patricia Arquette) fall in love. Clarence breaks the news to her pimp and ends up killing him. He grabs a suitcase of cocaine on his way out thinking it is Alabama’s clothing. The two hit the road for California hoping to sell the cocaine, but the mob is soon after them. Mel and Robin borrowed the car for this shoot (none of us could find reverse on it) and we chose Wincolmlee next to the River Hull as a location.
The Goonies
Clare Powell approached me about recreating a scene from her favourite childhood film The Goonies with her friends Nick Stapleton, Richard Powell and Melanie Carr. We recreated the scene in Hull’s Beautiful East Park.
The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure comedy film directed by Richard Donner, who produced with Harvey Bernhard. The screenplay was written by Chris Columbus from a story by executive producer Steven Spielberg. A band of pre-teens who live in the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, attempt to save their homes from demolition, and, in doing so, discover an old Spanish map that leads them on an adventure to unearth the long-lost fortune of One-Eyed Willy, a legendary 17th-century pirate. During the entire adventure, they are chased by a family of criminals, who also want the treasure for themselves.
Warner Bros. released it on June 7, 1985, in the United States. The film grossed $61.5 million worldwide and has developed a cult following.
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