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MAN IN THE MIDDLE (THE WINSTON AFFAIR)
This is likely my favorite film directed by Hamilton. I didn't mention it earlier because that title "The Winston Affair" (which is the one used in the IMDB) obscured the picture I knew/know as Man in the Middle (which is the title used for the DVD).
It's an engrossing military court case picture.
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Posted: |
Apr 23, 2016 - 1:38 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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During 1975, Peter Yates, Alan Pakula, Irwin Allen, Ken Russell, Maximilian Schell, and Roman Polanski were considered as director for the upcoming Alexander and Ilya Salkind production of SUPERMAN. Then, on 30 October 1975, Daily Variety announced that Guy Hamilton was hired to direct. Principal photography was scheduled to begin 29 February 1976 in Los Angeles, but the production start date was pushed back several times. On 1 September 1976, Variety stated that filming would begin early 1977 at studios in Italy, and then move to locations in Australia and the U.S.
However, Marlon Brando was not welcome in Italy after his “obscenity conviction” resulting from Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1972 French-Italian film, LAST TANGO IN PARIS, and the producers were forced to change locations to Pinewood/Shepperton Studios in England. In turn, the switch created problems for Guy Hamilton, who maintained a “tax exile” status in England that prohibited him from remaining in the country for longer than thirty days. When the director opted to maintain his exemption from taxes and left the project, Richard Donner was hired to replace him in November 1976.
1978's FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE was advertised as "A Guy Hamilton Production," although Hamilton was not credited onscreen as a producer, nor was his company, Guy Hamilton Productions, mentioned onscreen. The onscreen credits put it more accurately, calling it "A Guy Hamilton film."
In January 1977, producer Oliver A. Unger and Hamilton headed a five-member team to scout locations for eleven days in Pakistan. Unger signed an agreement to shoot in western Pakistan in winter 1977 and the National Film Development Corporation, Pakistan’s state-run film agency, was prepared to provide partial financing in hope of entering into a co-production or location shooting deal. But the final terms proved too costly for the Pakistani government. Rather than revise the script and accept less money to shoot in Pakistan, Unger and Guy Hamilton Productions chose to shoot in Europe. Shooting began in October 1977 in Yugoslavia.
Novelist George MacDonald Fraser was hired to work on the script during filming in Yugoslavia, in part because he and Hamilton got along well when Fraser had done some minor uncredited work on SUPERMAN during Hamilton's tenure on that project. In a letter to the London Times published on 12 May 2002, screenwriter Robin Chapman claimed that Fraser received no credit as a script doctor on FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE because he made only minor dialogue changes.
The 29 November 1978 Variety review of FORCE 10 FROM NAVARONE found that Hamilton brought the same skill to the film that he had displayed in the James Bond films he had previously directed. Ron Goodwin's score was his second for a Hamilton film, following BATTLE OF BRITAIN. Film Score Monthly released the score in 2006.
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Posted: |
Apr 23, 2016 - 3:52 PM
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By: |
Bob DiMucci
(Member)
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The producers of REMO WILLIAMS: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS were hoping to create a James Bond-style franchise by adapting "The Destroyer" series of spy/fantasy novels by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy. They therefore hired former Bond screenwriter Christopher Wood (MOONRAKER) to pen the script, and Guy Hamilton was hired to direct. Both had options to do a second film.
Even though Wood was credited with writing the screenplay, Hamilton admitted in an interview with American Cinematographer magazine that he rewrote the screenplay after he came on board. He also came up with the Statue of Liberty chase when he saw the statue undergoing renovation and realized the potential of the location.
Although some filming did indeed occur on-location at the Statue of Liberty in New York City (the first time ever such filming had been allowed), due to a refitting of the superstructure which required scaffolding to surround the statue, use of the location was limited. A seventy-five foot fiberglass replica of Lady Liberty’s head and shoulders was created for $500,000, and built in the Iztapalapa borough of Mexico City.
Orion Pictures had begun planning a sequel, based on positive reaction to product reel footage created for the ShoWest film market. But REMO WILLIAMS grossed only $14 million in the U.S. (The most recent Bond film, OCTOPUSSY, had pulled in $57 million). Although star Fred Ward had signed on for three more films, the sequel was cancelled.
The film's score was by Craig Safan, released by Perseverance Records on CD on August 7, 2006 and later reissued by Intrada Records. However, the title song, "Remo's Theme (What If)," written and sung by Styx member Tommy Shaw, is not included on that album. Shaw released the song as a solo artist on his 1985 album "What If."
The film went through many working titles including: Remo: The First Adventure; Remo Williams and the Secret of Sinanju; Remo: Unarmed and Dangerous; Unarmed and Dangerous; The Destroyer; Remo; and Remo: The Adventure Begins. The change to the final title was at the last minute, and all the printed one-sheets still show the last working title of REMO: THE ADVENTURE BEGINS.
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I know I'm in the minority, but I always liked "From Russia With Love" better than "Goldfinger"...
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FRWL is the best 007 film (Connery' fave also) so its a minority of three!
brm
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GOLDEN GUN was the least $$$ successful 007 film ever released in the USA...
.....and rightfully so (although Tall Guy still insists it's one of the best!)
bruce
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kinda surprised at the love for BOB.
Hamilton managed to turn one of the most dramatic events of the 20th Century into a crashing bore
imho
re: the countdown clock in GOLDFINGER.
it does stop at '003'
YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE has a similar ending where this time it stop at '007'
brm
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