Part 31966–1976 I think most South Africans regard the Cape Province, and in particular Cape Town and its surroundings, as one of the most beautiful places on earth. So when Sven secured the film on wine with KWV (the wine co-operative), I thought I’d died and was on my way to Heaven! The combination of […]
Part 31966–1976 Going freelance sounded great. No overbearing bosses, no daily insistence on arrival on time at a studio every day, above all no internal politics. One slight problem, however, no work! It took a couple of months before I landed a small job. I was asked to write and direct a short period film, […]
Part 2 continued1956–1966 In earlier blogs I did write about how I met my wife Hero whom I met in 1965 and married in 1966. I want to expand this period here as it has had a profound and positive affect on the rest of my life. We will soon have been married sixty years […]
Part 2 continued1956–1966 I was invited to join the Filmlets scriptwriting team and started the following week. I found it strange that the writers were not located in or around Killarney Film Studios where all the commercials and other films were shot. Once I had settled in, I began to realize the primary reason for […]
Part 2 continued1956–1966 I still had some money left by the time we finished the picture, and I spent a few weeks frankly dithering about I should do next. Dennis suggested that I take some still photos for his company, Crown Studios. He sent me to photograph a young woman in one of the farming […]
Part 2 continued1956–1966 Looking back on my life I now realize that my career consisted of wild swings between my involvement in film or television and finding myself in some remarkably isolated parts of our planet. As I wandered around in the Namib, I became aware of the utter silence of the desert. In fact, […]
Part 2 continued1956–1966 Despite the exhausting routine of driving a cab at night and filming by day, both Dennis and I felt that the little movie was progressing well. However, I was shocked when Dennis called me one morning. He apologized profusely and said that there was a urgent matter that he had to sort […]
Part 2 continued1956–1966 It’s an awful feeling when something goes wrong and for that moment one has absolutely no idea how to fix it. My well-spoken, wealthy but inebriated passenger had left the cab. I rushed to the front of the Royal Hotel and spotting a group of youths chatting on the pavement, I approached […]
Part 2 continued1956–1966 Looking back at that time, I realize now that I enjoyed hobnobbing with a number of people who were to a greater or lesser degree radically opposed to the Apartheid government. I had no desire to become a violent activist like Ronnie Kasrils, but I did enjoy my friendship with the Bughwans […]
Part 2 continued1956–1966 As Ronnie and I started to work together, I quickly realized that he did not have much if any experience with film. He was also clumsy and once dropped a roll of film on the floor. Despite this, he was clearly very bright, and we started to have interesting conversations on a […]