Tuning in…
Tuning in…
Castaway
1 appearance
Film director best known for suspense films, including 'The Lady Vanishes' and 'Rebecca', and for directing the first British sound film.
On the island
Eight records
Because it is a musical representation of the transition from life to death, and I find it strangely comforting. The way Strauss builds the tension, the struggle of a man against his mortality, and finally the release into something beautiful... it is almost like a perfect film sequence.
Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major, AndanteFavourite
It is one of the most sublime pieces of music I have ever encountered. I always listen to it when I am editing, especially the final stages.
The Carnival of the Animals: Aquarium
It has a magical, shimmering quality that I find delightful. It reminds me of being in a darkened cinema watching something mysterious unfold.
I have always admired the way Shaw could make a clarinet sing. The melody is haunting and it never fails to transport me to another time.
I have always had a fondness for Gilbert and Sullivan. There is an elegance and wit to their work that appeals to me enormously.
It is another piece with a haunting quality. It is very delicate and it makes me think of lost things, of memories and regret.
I suppose it is not a cheerful choice, but I have always been drawn to music that explores the darker aspects of the human condition. It is atmospheric and full of tension.
Symphony No. 9 'From the New World': Largo
I have chosen it because it is one of the most popular pieces of classical music and it is simply beautiful. It is the sort of tune you can hum.
In conversation
Presenter asks
0:40Were films an ambition from your school days?
I would say that, um, uh Apart from being a devotee of the theatre, And the concert, of course, films also had an important part in one's uh amusements. Uh but uh my interest became a little more deep beyond, shall we say, the fan magazine stage.
Presenter asks
2:53If you were to make quite a number of varied films before you settled down to specialize in suspense pictures, which film was the turning point?
Well, I really think that, um Uh The film The lady vanishes. Pretty well set the pattern. Um I w I would say this, I think it's more uh since one's been in America that one's been what is called quote typed unquote.
Presenter asks
3:39When you went to work in Hollywood, did you find any major adjustment necessary?
Uh no, the none not at all, because you see, the first film I ever made in America was an English film. It was called Rebecca. And I have made many English films since. The second film I made was called Foreign Correspondent. That was all laid in London and and Holland. Um no, the thing that I began to learn was the fact of Uh an audience is the same the world over. And not to make films for one audience, but to make them for a world audience.
The keepsakes
The book
The Oxford Book of English Verse
It contains so many of the great poems in the English language. I think that poetry, like music, is something that can sustain you in isolation.
The luxury
Wine has always been one of my great pleasures. There is something about a good wine that brings out the best in conversation, and since I would be alone, I could have a conversation with myself. Or perhaps, I could just enjoy the wine.
Presenter asks
4:31Which has been your favourite film?
Well, um I actually make many types of films. In other words, the adventure story or the psychological thriller. Um, I think my favorite is called um Shadow of a Doubt because this film combined many elements, the element of suspense, the element of the of the local atmosphere of a small town. And and quite an amount of character, and also the enjoyment of having worked with Thornton Wilder.
Presenter asks
5:11The pattern of the film industry is changing very fast. Audiences, they say, are losing the cinema habit. There are fewer films. What do you think will be the future pattern?
I think that um audiences now having become selective. uh when the assembly line has gone. Uh I think each film stands on its own merits. I think one has to tackle it in terms of making a film that will attract audiences for its special virtues, not just another movie. Yes. As you as you say, uh the habit has gone. The nearest I could compare it would be, say, the publishing of a new book or a play. Now if it's successful it has a good run. If it isn't successful, then it's gone.
“I'm a very good listener. Uh uh from an early age I was a devotee of uh symphonic music.”
“I think each film stands on its own merits. I think one has to tackle it in terms of making a film that will attract audiences for its special virtues, not just another movie.”
“I'm planning a psychological film. It's called uh Psycho. and uh is in the nature, shall we say, of a rather gentle horror picture.”