Shooting 007: And Other Celluloid Adventures (31 page)

Richard Marquand and me in the boat, while Alan Hume stands on the pontoon with Roger Simons (first assistant director) wondering if the light will ever change.

Flashback: Leaving school as a cheeky 14-year-old I suddenly found myself lacking confidence in my new adult surroundings. Meeting famous names would leave me nervous about joining in conversations, preferring to remain silent for fear of being labelled ‘that cocky little bugger!’ Unlike Alan, I felt uncomfortable as I struggled to establish my own personality with people, which perhaps was down to my own insecurity, even though I needed them as friends – my future contacts. Clearly this was my Achilles heel until I met up with Harry Waxman, who quickly sorted out that problem. In time this lack of self-confidence would pass as my self-belief started to assert itself. Perhaps someone smiled at something I said, setting off the self-confidence that had lain dormant, igniting the necessary spark that would help my career to move forward and for me to become accepted as one of the team. Although this was from the distant past I still had doubts that I would ever match Alan’s reputation; his personality made this an impossible mountain for anyone to climb.

Eye
of the Needle
was an interesting story which caught the flavour of war time. The main character was a fictional German spy codenamed the ‘Needle’
,
played by Donald Sutherland, who attempts to escape from Britain in 1944 with stolen plans of the Allies’ D-Day landings. While waiting to be picked up by a U-boat off the coast of Scotland his stolen fishing boat is wrecked in a storm and he is washed up on a small island.

Hanging over a cliff on the island of Mull. In spite of Alan Hume’s apparent concern, Chunky Huse (my grip) always made sure that I was securely tied off in situations like this.

The evil spy discovered. Lining up a scene with Christopher Cazenove and Donald Sutherland. Also in the picture are Eddie Stacey (stunt arranger), Angela Allen (continuity) and director Richard Marquand.

The obligatory location still taken on Mull. Director Richard Marquand stands at left with Donald Sutherland crouching to the left of the camera. The camera crew included Mike Frift (focus) and Simon Hume (clappers), with Chunky Huse (grip) taking pride of place (again) in front of the camera.

The
Eye of the Needle
camera crew. From left to right: Simon Hume (clappers), Mike Frift (focus puller), Alan Hume (cinematographer), me (behind camera), Richard Marquand (director) and Valerie Booth (continuity).

Christopher Cazenove played a crippled and frustrated ex-RAF fighter pilot living on the island with his wife Kate Nelligan. Unaware that the man is a spy, they take him into their home, where the frustrated wife adds a little sexual flavour to the wartime mystery and where the spy takes advantage of Kate Nelligan’s problem with her husband’s crippled condition. Be that as it may, the Needle still has an appointment to keep with the U-boat and tries to escape from the island in a small rowing boat, though by now the wife has discovered who he really is, bringing the dramatic ending to the story when she sabotages the radio and shoots him as he rows away from the shore.

Masterfully directed by Richard Marquand, the film brought back wartime memories I well remember, with posters on walls warning that spies were among us as the director skilfully recreated the atmosphere.

As was usual with Alan Hume,
Eye
of the Needle
had barely started filming before his next film was already being discussed, with a call from the director John Glen offering …

John Glen, an editor of repute on the Bond films, had proved his directing ability on the second units of
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
,
The Spy Who Loved Me
and
Moonraker.
Recognising John’s talent, Cubby Broccoli now promoted him to direct the first unit on the twelfth film in the James Bond franchise,
For Your Eyes Only.

Reading between the lines in John’s autobiography –
For My Eyes Only
– I can only imagine the agony of waiting for the written confirmation to arrive in the post, the sleepless nights pacing up and down as he prepared to take the next step into celebrity which would surely come with this new role. It was an exciting time for John, who deserved this opportunity; you probably remember that Cubby Broccoli did exactly the same for Peter Hunt with
On Her Majesty’s Secret Service
, where, if the truth be told, it was Peter and John who were responsible for the slick editing that contributed much to the success of the early Bond films.

With John now at the helm it would not be a surprise to learn that Alan Hume would be his choice of cinematographer. Both had enjoyed a successful relationship in the past and were responsible for one of the best – if not
the
best – Bond opening sequences, with 007 skiing off the top of Mount Asgard on Baffin Island and a parachute opening out into a Union Jack. When this was screened at the Odeon Leicester Square the packed audience exploded into proud cheers and applause: an emotional moment, with tears falling from British eyes. However,
For Your Eyes Only
would be no easy task for John following 007’s spectacular journey into space on
Moonraker
, even though others thought that this mission had been a little far-fetched even for a Bond assignment. Possibly it was, even so
Moonraker
would prove to be a spectacular journey guaranteeing financial success, which of course is what 007 is all about.

It would be good to be back on planet Earth after my trip into space on
Moonraker
, and I continued to suffer Roger Moore’s misbehaviour as the willing, long-suffering stooge to his never-ending sense of humour.

Prior to the main unit beginning filming I travelled to Lincolnshire with John to film the establishing sequences of the British spy trawler
St Georges
– it was supposed to be in the Ionian Sea but we made do with Grimsby – where the director’s choice was for the camera to sit more or less on the surface, suggesting a periscope viewpoint. With my past experience of filming in the North Sea I was not sure this would work, knowing all too well that salt water and handheld cameras just do not mix. Even so, what we managed to achieve in the constant swell was not as bad as I had feared – also considering that I cannot swim.
For Your Eyes Only
was off to a good start.

On location in Corfu with Alan Hume (cinematographer, partially hidden), Chunky Huse (grip), Simon Hume (clapper loader) and Stefan Kalipha, who plays the Cuban assassin Hector Gonzales, shortly before he murders the Havelocks. (© 1981 Danjaq, LLC and United Artists Corporation. All rights reserved)

First-unit filming with the principal actors would begin with 007 shadowing his adversary to Cortina d’Ampezzo in Italy, where I would also enjoy the pleasures of my favourite climate and the nightlife atmosphere of this very popular skiing resort. With the first-unit filming in Cortina completed we moved to our next location on Corfu, leaving the second unit behind to complete the filming of more of Willy Bogner’s incredible skiing and bobsleigh sequences with stunt doubles. By contrast, Corfu was where we mixed with dedicated sun worshippers on their holiday, who – all of the same mind – are prepared to suffer the pain of gaining golden suntans if only to impress their neighbours back home. Filming on location, we meet many people, usually local residents who are interested in the filming taking place and ask the same questions about the stars. In return they are happy to share their gossip and tales of their famous holiday resort. Tourists generally remain indifferent to our labours with some even resenting our presence by turning away, preferring instead to work on their suntans.