Films by Nick Burton

[Bates]

I studied Radio, Film and Television Studies at Canterbury Christchurch College from 1995-98 and was taught by some amazing lecturers including Phillip Simpson from BFI and Director Nick Burton. I was saddened to hear recently that Nick had suddenly passed away in 2006. He was a talented, creative man who had a close friendship with Thelma Schoonmaker after their mutual love of her then husband Michael Powell. She visited our college a number of times and Nick was a big part of that. The main reason I am posting this thread is that as a class we were shown a number of Nick's own films. I cannot remember the names of them but know that this forum is pretty amazing at finding independant and obscure movies. If anyone has any info on Nick or his films I would be most grateful. Thank you.

[Steve Crook]

name='Bates']I studied Radio, Film and Television Studies at Canterbury Christchurch College from 1995-98 and was taught by some amazing lecturers including Phillip Simpson from BFI and Director Nick Burton. I was saddened to hear recently that Nick had suddenly passed away in 2006. He was a talented, creative man who had a close friendship with Thelma Schoonmaker after their mutual love of her then husband Michael Powell. She visited our college a number of times and Nick was a big part of that. The main reason I am posting this thread is that as a class we were shown a number of Nick's own films. I cannot remember the names of them but know that this forum is pretty amazing at finding independant and obscure movies. If anyone has any info on Nick or his films I would be most grateful. Thank you.

Hello Bates,

I knew Nick, he's a sad loss. He really was one of the good guys in life. I run the Powell and Pressburger Appreciation Society and we organised a few events with Nick and the people at Canterbury Christchurch and Nick came to a few of our other events.



There's now an annual "Nick Burton Memorial Lecture" at the college. Thelma came over to give the first one in December 2007.



I was with Thelma and various other people that knew Nick at Cannes recently for the screening of the restored print of The Red Shoes. It's the sort of event that Nick would have loved. So many people there to celebrate the work of people we all admired.





Anyway, as for Nick's own films...

I knew that he had made some but I never saw them and I don't know any details. But I would think that the best person to ask would be Eddie McMillan at Christchurch. He was Nick's right hand man for a long time and has taken over the running of the Powell Research Group there.



There's a page at the CCC site about Eddie



If that doesn't work, send me a Private Message and I'll give you Eddie's email





Nick Burton with Sheila Sim (Lady A), Jack Cardiff, Dickie Attenborough and Lucy Attenborough



Steve

[Bates]

Thank you so much Steve for your input, it is indeed a sad loss. He really was a lovely tutor and had time for everyone. I particularly remember him being a massive fan of Powell and Pressburger and I'm chuffed that you told me about the Memorial Lecture and Powell Appreciation Society as I haven't been back there since about 1999. Cannes sounded amazing and I know that The Red Shoes was one of Nick's favourite films.



Spooky that you mentioned Eddie McMillan as he was in my class as a fellow STUDENT back in the day! He was always going to go far as he was easily the most talented person in our lectures.



I will look his website up and hopefully get some info on Nick's films.

Thanks again Steve, you've made my day.

[Steve Crook]

name='Bates']Thank you so much Steve for your input, it is indeed a sad loss. He really was a lovely tutor and had time for everyone. I particularly remember him being a massive fan of Powell and Pressburger and I'm chuffed that you told me about the Memorial Lecture and Powell Appreciation Society as I haven't been back there since about 1999. Cannes sounded amazing and I know that The Red Shoes was one of Nick's favourite films.



Spooky that you mentioned Eddie McMillan as he was in my class as a fellow STUDENT back in the day! He was always going to go far as he was easily the most talented person in our lectures.



I will look his website up and hopefully get some info on Nick's films.

Thanks again Steve, you've made my day.

Eddie didn't quite have enough seniority to get the job as head of department to replace Nick - but he's taken over a lot of what Nick was doing to promote Powell & Pressburger. I've met the new head of department and he seems quite amenable to some of the crazier things we get up to



Oh yes, they awarded Thelma an honorary Fellowship - which was nice



Steve

[Bates]

The last time I saw Eddie he had a Teddy boy hair cut and leather jacket.....maybe he could be the rebellious head of department in time



That's great about Thelma's fellowship. I have been trying to hunt through the internet and apparently Nick directed an award winning film in 1980 called 'At the Fountainhead of German Strength' but there is not much info on it. If anyone has then that would be a bonus.

[Steve Crook]

name='Bates']The last time I saw Eddie he had a Teddy boy hair cut and leather jacket.....maybe he could be the rebellious head of department in time



That's great about Thelma's fellowship. I have been trying to hunt through the internet and apparently Nick directed an award winning film in 1980 called 'At the Fountainhead of German Strength' but there is not much info on it. If anyone has then that would be a bonus.

We had a Powell Centenary Conference at Bangor in 2005. There were so many people who wanted to present papers that they had to be run in two parallel streams and we had to decide which ones we wanted to hear





Click on that picture for the bigger version.



You might also know Bryan Hawkins & Karen Shepherdson from CCC



That's Eddie, standing next to Nick of course. No Teddy Boy haircut or leather jacket (but it was a warm day in September). That's Prof Ian Christie 3rd from left. He's written quite a bit about Powell & Pressburger and has done the commentary on quite a few of the Criterion DVDs of their films.



2nd from left is the lovely Natacha, the first French "Doctor of P&P-ology"

The one in the light blue shirt holding onto his paunch is me and next to me in the dark blue shirt is Andy Moor, also a published author on P&P. It was Andy who organised the conference, he's now lecturing at Manchester.



Andy, Ian, Natacha & myself were all at Cannes





Looking up the "At the Fountainhead" title I found a page on the BFI database about Nick that lists a few more titles:

The Reichstag Fire (1979)

Birdman (1979)

Correction, Please or How We Got Into Pictures (1979) [Assistant Director]

In the Forest (1978) [cast member]

On Reflection (1977) [sound]



Most of these seem to have been made for the BFI or the Royal College of Art



Steve

[Bates]

Great picture Steve. Weirdly, Bryan Hawkins used to be my Printmaking and Art teacher, and looks no different. Ian Christie is a great writer and am aware of his work on Powell and Pressburger. Eddie's face hasn't changed but he's obviously grown out of his Rebel Without a Cause look



Thank you for the film list from Nick. You have ironically answered my original question as one of the films we saw in the CCC building was 'Birdman'.

Thanks again for all your input and my apologies to this forum if this has seemed more like a mutual appreciation society of Powell/Burton/Canterbury as opposed to "Can you name that film", but as you can see, the reason I came to this website in the first place is that it champions quaint British films/directors and has some fascinating people like Steve Crook who actually meet people like Thelma and Ian Christie.

[Steve Crook]

name='Bates']Great picture Steve. Weirdly, Bryan Hawkins used to be my Printmaking and Art teacher, and looks no different. Ian Christie is a great writer and am aware of his work on Powell and Pressburger. Eddie's face hasn't changed but he's obviously grown out of his Rebel Without a Cause look



Thank you for the film list from Nick. You have ironically answered my original question as one of the films we saw in the CCC building was 'Birdman'.

Thanks again for all your input and my apologies to this forum if this has seemed more like a mutual appreciation society of Powell/Burton/Canterbury as opposed to "Can you name that film", but as you can see, the reason I came to this website in the first place is that it champions quaint British films/directors and has some fascinating people like Steve Crook who actually meet people like Thelma and Ian Christie.

Nick deserves his own appreciation society. He really was one of the good guys on this earth



When they decided to reorganise the way the buildings at CCC were named they wanted to name them all after famous people, but they wanted to name them in alphabetical order - typical administrators thinking.



But Nick held out and demanded that the Film & TV building be named the Powell Building! There was no other name possible.



I blagged a ticket to the opening ceremony in 1999 and that's where I first met Nick. It's also where I first met Thelma and Columba Powell. I've met them all many times since and we've had some interesting times together.



BTW as a student of Nick's you must have had to sit through A Canterbury Tales a few times. We do an annual location walk on the last Sunday in August. We'll probably be in Chilham this year. It's a nice way to meet people interested in the films and it's also a good excuse for a nice walk in the Kent countryside



One thing we do is to get people to read out lines from scenes in the film - at the location where they were filmed. One year we had Nick Burton & Ian Christie playing parts from the film. They were both very good



Steve

[Bates]

I'd actually seen A Canterbury Tale on TV years ago but although they screened it during my time at College I was unfortunately away that week. What a great film it was too.



My friend lives in Chartham near Chillum so I may well venture down there in August! I live in London now so any excuse to get down to the Kent countryside.



Thanks for all the info Steve, much appreciated. Good to see Nick's legacy living on.

[Steve Crook]

name='Bates']I'd actually seen A Canterbury Tale on TV years ago but although they screened it during my time at College I was unfortunately away that week. What a great film it was too.

A Canterbury Tale is a great favourite amongst P&P aficionados. Even more popular now than it was when it was first released.



We showed it in Canterbury on a damp Tuesday morning - and over 300 people turned up! Mind you, some of them might have come to meet John Sweet or Sheila Sim



And when the Cathedral launched their restoration fund they decided to show ACT in the cathedral. That was a superb evening. Thelma came over for it and Sheila brought her old man along. A few hundred people in the nave of the cathedral watching a great film



Steve