JamesM

Margot Fitsimmon(s), the actress in I Know Where I'm Going and The Captive Heart.

Does anyone know what she is doing now, or anything else about her?

If anyone could help me to contact her (I have supplied my email address) I would be most grateful. I intend to start up some DVD company releasing British films made prior to 1960. I need to persuade Studio Canal and/or Carlton to allow me to release DVDs of films they own, if not help them with their own releases. I intend to ensure each film comes with at least one audio commentary with as many original cast or crew as possible.

I was hoping also to contact Derek Bond (who I know lives not far from me, in Barnes, South London) also and record an audio commentary for The Captive Heart. I have not been given a license for this film but feel that I may be taken more seriously if I have put some effort into the proposed project already. If anyone could email me with his exact address I would also be very grateful. I do this out of a passion for film but will be making payments for their services so that, even if my efforts come to no avail, at least I will not have wasted their time. I also would like rto get one recording under my belt.

If anyone has contact addresses for Douglas Slocombe or Michael Relph (for the same reason) I would be very grateful if you could email them to me.

Steve Crook

Which films were you thinking of? I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) has already had a pretty definitive DVD release in the States (on the Criterion label). Although I would always be in favour of another release of it on Region 2.

The rights would be with the production companies, not the actors. As the production companies have bought each other out or bought shares in each other (with rights to old films as part of the deal) over the years, it's sometimes very hard to track down exactly who owns what.

Margot Fitzsimmons only did two films, I Know Where I'm Going! (1945) and The Captive Heart (1946). As you mention Derek Bond & the others as well, I presume you're more interested in The Captive Heart.

Once you have the rights sorted, the next difficulty is to get a decent print of it. That's not always easy either.

I'm not trying to put you off, just pointing out that making a DVD of some of these old films is quite a complicated task. It can take a company like Criterion quite a few years. We're still waiting for the Region 1 release of A Matter of Life and Death (1946) and The Tales of Hoffmann (1951), both of which have been "coming soon" for 2 or 3 years.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

JamesM

The Captive Heart is the film in question. It is owned by Studio Canal and is currently under license to Warner Bros, but that runs out soon. I have been in contact with Studio Canal recently and they are contemplating allowing more smaller companies to take on their films, having seen the success Anchor Bay and DD video have had with a selection of Hammer films.

I know that quality of picture is held high and some would advise money to be spent in this area. I would be keen to go for a minimum acceptable quality to enable me to concentrate on the additional features. Opportunities to record commentaries, such as the one I propose, will not be availble for a long time. Thougfh I accept groundwork needs to be done, windows of opportunity for restoration will exist alot longer, and may even improve with technology.

I would be keen, on this occassion, to record an audio commentary even without knowing if I will be able to make any use of it. I think it would be good to get one 'under my belt' and would help people see how seriously I would be taking the subject. I would be foolish of course, if I were able to contact Margot Fitzsimmon, not to at least interview her on camera about I Know Where I'm Going.

Steve Crook

Very true, it'd be great to get an interview with Margot about IKWIG. Petula Clark made a good contribution to the documentart on the Criterion DVD.

But I'd question your comment about putting off restoration because the technology might improve things. I've yet to see any digital work improve anything, it usually improves it worse. The only way to do a proper restoration is to go through the archives, find the original material and work from that. That has to be done fairly quickly because a lot of it is rotting as we speak.

You mention "minimum acceptable quality". That could be quite a high standard :)

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

JamesM

I do not mean to say that the technology may make things better, just that the technology itself may get better. I accept that work on original negatives cannot be put off, post-production clean-up can be put off.

Obviously I would like to achieve a very high standard of picture quality and a produce a host of extras. It is just that I would be keen to produce a commentary first as the opportunity to do so could suddenly become finite. It would also be an easily recognizable goal.

Not being the owner of any film distribution rights I would be foolish to spend much money on a film that I had no control over. Costs of restoration are immediate and can be unpredictable. The initial costs relating to audio commentaries would be low and other costs would relate to the number of copies that were licensed to me.

Steve Crook

Very true. We have a similar problem with people who worked with Powell & Pressburger. They do tend to become unavailable through death or long term debilitating illness. That's why we try to talk to them either informally or in a formal interview whenever we get the chance.

I met Leo Marks (writer of Peeping Tom) and we had a brief chat. He said he'd like to talk more about his work with Powell but 6 months later he was dead.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

JamesM

I would like to avoid, if possible, recording a commentary with alone cast/crew member. I would like to re-unite at least two people so that the experience is as pleasurable as possible.

Steve Crook

Sounds like a good idea, work on those shared memories. But check with them both individually that there's not a good reason why they haven't seen each other for so long :)

One good one like that was when we showed A Canterbury Tale in Canterbury in 2000. The guests of honour were the surviving stars, John Sweet (tracked down & flown over for the event) and Sheila Sim (Lady Attenborough) - also some of the "boys" (now 50+ year old men). It was great to have them together again chatting away about old times.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

JamesM

Wow, how did you track down Sgt John Sweet? I assume this mass meeting explains all the names on the IMDB cast list.

Where did the screening take place (I used to live in Canterbury)?

I have thought about the dangers of getting two people together who did not get on. I have previously thought of potential pitfalls but they escape me right now.

helldriver

Considering every other DVD released today has an audio commentary (more as a selling point than whether the contributors have anything interesting to say), putting this "extra" above the quality of presentation is somewhat misguided IMO. If you put out a poor looking DVD you'll immediately get hit with bad reviews and negative word-of-mouth...recall mention of WHISTLE DOWN THE WIND on this very forum where the poster in his initial message never even mentioned Hayley Mills audio commentary.

Furthermore, after you have tracked down the person and booked the recording studi they may have little to say about the film or may not be that adept at doing an audio commentary. As well as listening to many I've done a few commentaries myself and it's not actually as easy as one might think.

Finally, I know several people who run video companies and it's very difficult to make money out of a UK DVD release of a marginal title. Your best best is, if possible, to get worldwide rights and maybe then sublicense it or release it in the US thru/with another sympathetic company. There's a couple of films I'd love to put out but the problems only start after you've shelled out for the rights, first (as already mentioned) securing a good quality master and later dealing with distributors and shops who'd rather give shelf space to 500 rather than 499 copies of VAN HELSING than to one of your DVD.

JamesM

The results do vary, I must admit. This is another reason why I want to start out recording an audio commentary.

I do see your point about worldwide distribution. Alas this is hardly ever offered. The US being a larger market makes a good starting point for a company such as Anchor Bay to be able to put together a package that would not need to rely upon someone like DD Video taking on the title in another region to increase profits further.

I did not think worldwide licenses were often granted, and whilst that is the case the financial incentives for people on the outside to spend on
picture restoration hardly exist.

Out of interest Helldriver, what commentaries do you refer to (voiced or recorded?)? You may send a personal message

helldriver

I did a few commentaries for HK films, usually when I had alergy, at only no more than a few hours notice, and for films I0didn't much care for!

By worldwide licensing I was, of course, meaning go for the US first and foremost. Of course, companies charge significantly higher prices for US rights than UK rights and a title like THE CAPTIVE HEART might not have much of an audience out there. Perhaps not just doing an audio commentary but a package of extras that might include a documentary, poster/stills gallery etc. Shooting video interviews is probably the easiest option these days.

Steve Crook

There's an amazing book about A Canterbury Tale researched & written by Paul Tritton. In it he identifies just about every location used in the film, complete with map references & many "then & now" photos as well as interviewing all the surviving cast members. Paul put an ad in local newspapers in America and one was answered by someone who knew where John was now.

After he'd done his bit for freedom & democracy John had gone back to teaching in the States. He'd moved around quite a bit but as soon as Paul contacted him he was glad to talk about his experiences and even more pleased when a lot of us (the P&P group and the Canterbury Arts Festival) paid for him and some of his family to fly over here in 2000.

The film was shown at the old ABC (not sure what it is now) at the top of Canterbury.

Sadly Paul couldn't get any publishers interested in his book (not even the BFI) so he had to publish it privately, paying for everything in advance. We helped him with that of course but could still only afford about 500 copies - which very quickly sold out.

This year, as part of the Canterbury Festival, there will be a week of Powell & Pressburger films showing as well as a one day conference about them. That will all be at UKC.

We have a regular location walk in a different village each year on August bank holiday Sunday. This year we'll be in Fordwich (the old Town Hall & other locations). All are welcome. See www.powell-pressburger.org/Trips/Canterbury for past events and www.powell-pressburger.org/Events.html for those still yet to happen.

Steve

Steve Crook

PaPAS

helldriver

No surprise there as he probably wasn't a close personal friend of Colin McCabe or whoever happens to be in the higher echelon days.

bett'eric

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Golden Oldies of the 30's & 40's

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