Nicholas and Alexandra (1971)

[TimR]

Assistant art director was Ferdinand Bellan...a great artist who worked on many of Korda's movies...he got a credit on The Third Man even though he never wanted credit for anything he did.

I have over my fireplace one of his huge colour drawings from Nicholas & Alexandra (given to me by his Son)...one of the last films Ferdinand worked on. Thought I should mention a talented man, who seems to have been forgotten.

Film Man.

Interesting post. I'm glad you mentioned Mr. Bellan. Nicholas and Alexandra had a great impact on me as a boy and I am always interested in anything having to do with it. The art direction on this film was superb. What is the drawing of?

[Rick C]

Tim, I am one of those extra people in the world who have a copy of the 'Nicholas and Alexandra' brochure; indeed the title is one of the bigger scrapbooks of films 1964-84 I created during those years.



Would I be stealing your thunder, however, by posting scans of some of the items in due course? It would take a week or so to post things up: my movie collection is under lock and key at a college and can't be accessed public holidays or weekends both of which we are in here in the UK at the moment, and a faulty scanner will probably mean camera-photographing things in.

[Film Man]

Nice to get your thread Tim R...The picture is of the great ballroom complete with pillars,statues, soldiers, chandelier and floor. Send me your e-mail Tim and I will send a photo.



I have two other drawings by Ferginand (from other films)...my pride and joy. Ferdinand's hands can be seen painting 'the' ceiling in 'The Agony & The Ecstasy'...Charlton Heston just couldn't hold the brush properly.

Film Man.

[TimR]

Tim, I am one of those extra people in the world who have a copy of the 'Nicholas and Alexandra' brochure; indeed the title is one of the bigger scrapbooks of films 1964-84 I created during those years.



Would I be stealing your thunder, however, by posting scans of some of the items in due course? It would take a week or so to post things up: my movie collection is under lock and key at a college and can't be accessed public holidays or weekends both of which we are in here in the UK at the moment, and a faulty scanner will probably mean camera-photographing things in.

That brochure is a gem. You would not be stealing my thunder at all - I would be delighted to see scans posted here. I recall seeing several of your scanned reviews and advertisements and always enjoy them. They bring back good memories of the films of the 1960s and early 70s and the excitement of seeing another historical film for the first time.

[TimR]

Nice to get your thread Tim R...The picture is of the great ballroom complete with pillars,statues, soldiers, chandelier and floor. Send me your e-mail Tim and I will send a photo.

Thank you. I know that setting well: it is beautifully realized in the film.

I have two other drawings by Ferginand (from other films)...my pride and joy. Ferdinand's hands can be seen painting 'the' ceiling in 'The Agony & The Ecstasy'...Charlton Heston just couldn't hold the brush properly.

Film Man.

What a privilege.



The Agony and the Ecstasy was another film notable for its magnificent art direction.



I looked up his list of credits and found The Third Man (assistant art director), The Thief of Baghdad (associate art director), Anne of the Thousand Days and Becket (scenic artist in both cases) and many others. And as you say, he is listed as 'uncredited' for many of them. The art direction is superb in each of these films.



He also worked on Cleopatra, which was not a good film - but it is worth seeing for the production.

[Rick C]

That brochure is a gem. You would not be stealing my thunder at all - I would be delighted to see scans posted here. I recall seeing several of your scanned reviews and advertisements and always enjoy them. They bring back good memories of the films of the 1960s and early 70s and the excitement of seeing another historical film for the first time.

Yes Tim! I remember we had a thread on this site last year some time called "RoadShow Presentations"? What became of the discussions I don't know (just presumed everyone went off the idea) but I still have zillions of items to post sometime. I too have the brochures for "Fiddler on the Roof" and the others you mentioned-many more too! Here in the UK we had full broad-sheet newspaper adverts (that's 20" x 30"!) in the 1960's and early 1970's for such delights as 'Mayerling' and 'Funny Girl' so if yourself and other members would like to view them, that's fine. Let me know what category of film (history/war/science fiction etc) you have in mind. Just need 48hrs a day thats all



I'll endeavour to exhume the 'Roadshow' thread soon then;in the meantime I will track down the 'Nicholas and Alexandra' items but it may take a week to knock them out on here.



Rick

[TimR]

Yes Tim! I remember we had a thread on this site last year some time called "RoadShow Presentations"? What became of the discussions I don't know but I still have zillions of items to post sometime. I too have the brochures for "Fiddler on the Roof" and the others you mentioned-many more too! Here in the UK we had full-broad sheet newspaper adverts in the 1960's and early 1970's for such delights as 'Mayerling' and 'Funny Girl' so if yourself and other members would like to view them, that's fine. Just need 48hrs a day thats all

Yes - the Roadshow thread from last year.



You mention Mayerling - I enjoyed that one very much (and there weren;t many of us) even though there were aspects to the story that didn't work.



The production was a very well made historical spectacle and the setting in Austria-Hungary was an unusual one

I'll endeavour to exhume the 'Roadshow' thread soon then;in the meantime I will track down the 'Nicholas and Alexandra' items but it may take a week to knock them out on here.



Rick

I look forward to it.

[will.15]

It's hard to believe that clunky screenplay was by the same writer of the brilliant Lion in Winter.

[TimR]

I am surprised that Janet Suzman did not go in to many other leading roles in films. She gives an impressive performance as Alexandra, yet I have not seen her in anything else except a featured role in Hildegard of Bingen with Patricia Routledge.

[Rick C]

My first contribution of items i have, to include at later stages some smaller 'cameo' phots and adverts

[darrenburnfan]

I also have the souvenir brochure and that 1971 Photoplay magazine with the colour stills, as well as the quad poster, the DVD and the British Front-of-House set of eight colour stills, that amazingly, contains no stills of the royal children (Alexei and his sisters). The American Lobby Card set does have a posed photo of the royal family together, based on a real group photo of them and that should have been in the British set, but it wasn't.

[darrenburnfan]

I forgot to add that I also have the original soundtrack score LP on the Bell record label and the RCA 45 rpm single by Henry Mancini that was released of the theme (this was not of the main opening credits or end cast music, but one of the other peices from the score).

[TimR]

My first contribution of items i have, to include at later stages some smaller 'cameo' phots and adverts

Thanks Rick. That's the brochure I have. The design of the text inside is slightly different - perhaps there were some changes for the US market.



There is an interesting and detailed account of the film's premiere in both London and New York in the book Journey, by Robert K and Suzanne Massie.



The focus was very much on charities for hemophilia, as Massie had written the book as a result of the family struggle with hemophilia through their son Bobby. I will include a couple of paragraphs.

[TimR]

I forgot to add that I also have the original soundtrack score LP on the Bell record label and the RCA 45 rpm single by Henry Mancini that was released of the theme (this was not of the main opening credits or end cast music, but one of the other peices from the score).

That score is one of the most difficult to obtain of any that I know. I cannot understand why it has never been released on CD.