The film has been broadcast on British television more than any other but it is when you watch it on the big screen that you can appreciate what made Virginia McKenna such a great star. Dame Virginia McKenna at Bank Ground Farm in 1973 ~ photo: Daphne Neville (c) The movie was shot entirely on location in the Lake District where Arthur Ransome set his classic series of children’s books. She played the part of my mother, Mary Walker. Dame Virginia McKenna at the Langdale Chase Hotel on Windermere in 1973 – photo: Philip Hatfield I first met Dame Virginia in 1973 when she agreed to star in the first big screen adaptation of ‘Swallows and Amazons’, produced by Richard Pilbrow, directed by Claude Whatham and released by EMI Films in 1974. Author Sophie Neville Posted on MaMaCategories 1973, Acting, Arthur Ransome, author interview, Autobiography, Biography, British Film, Christian, Cinema, Claude Whatham, Cumbria, Diary, Emi film, Family Film, Film, Film Cast, Film crew, Film History, Film production, Filmaking, filmography, Lake District, Memoir, Movie, Movie stories, questions about filmmaking, sailing film, Sophie Neville, Sophie Neville author, Sophie Neville films, Sophie Neville movies, Suzanna Hamilton, Swallows & Amazons, Swallows and Amazons, Swallows and Amazons film, Swallows and Amazons movie, Titty from Swallows and Amazons, Titty in Swallows and Amazons, truelife story, Uncategorized, Vintage Film, Virginia McKenna, Writing insights, Zanna Hamilton Tags 1973, arthur ransome, Claude Whatham, Cumbria, Filmmaking, keeping a diary, lake district, sophie neville, Suzanna Hamilton, swallows and amazons, Swallows and Amazons 1974 info, tv and film 7 Comments on Author Interview: Sophie Neville Dame Virginia McKenna and her work on the classic film ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) Titty only had to draw, write and row a boat, which was much more my thing. Cider With Rosie was the most daunting production as I had to play the piano, which required three days of intensive practice. All three productions were set in roughly the same period, but Titty’s costumes, designed by Emma Porteous, were easiest to wear. I also appeared in a Weetabix commercial he made in the Cotswolds. Was playing Titty anything like your experience of playing Eileen Brown?Ĭlaude Whatham directed bother Cider With Rosie (1971) and Swallows and Amazons (1974) so the experience was similar. I’ve read that before filming Swallows and Amazons, you were in a production of Cider with Rosie.Director Claude Whatham with his cast of Swallows in 1973 I would now like to adapt my own stories for film, so have Final Draft software on my laptop and Witness Films Ltd registered as a UK company, but although I have a couple of ideas out to tender, I’ve been concentrating on polishing my historical novels. I began directing plays at university and developed a burning desire to direct for television, always ‘looking for the shot.’ By producing documentaries, I got to direct and put them together, editing voice-overs into a narrative arc. What led/inspired you to become a producer?Ĭlaude Whatham was a ground-breaking director who inspired all those around him, but directing became a viable option at Opera Camp, annual amateur productions we took part in over our summer holidays as teenagers.Suzanna Hamilton with Sophie Neville as Titty busy writing the ship’s log
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