Sophie Neville being made up for the part of Titty by Peter Robb-King in 1973
Peter Robb-King, the Make-up Designer on ‘Swallows and Amazons'(1974) rang up to say he had my milk-tooth that had fallen out half-way through a scene with Virginia McKenna. ‘It’s in a metal film canister, which I’d taken to a dentist to try and get a replacement.’
He said that although not his first movie, ‘Swallows and Amazons’ was his first film when he was in charge of Make-Up design. ‘I hoped initially to work at the BBC but was turned down for being a man.’ It just happened that he went on a supernumerary training scheme for feature film make-up in 1968, starting on ‘The Avengers’.
He said the highlight of his career would be impossible to pin point, but he worked on some iconic movies including The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Legend with Tom Cruise and some of the Star Wars, Batman and Indiana Jones pictures. At one time he rescued a parrot while making an Indiana Jones film in Sri Lanka. ‘Three ring-necked parakeet chicks were thrown out of their nest by a crow and rescued by the animal handler. One was adopted by Stephen Spielburg, another by the production manager, while Peter and his wife brought up the third, which lived with them for twenty-five years.
Ronald Fraser as Captain Flint with Daphne Neville and Sophie Neville playing Titty Walker on Derwentwater in 1973
Peter knew Ronnie Fraser’s addiction to alcohol would be difficult for the crew to deal with but managed to get him in and out of the make-up caravan.
‘He wasn’t alone at the time. There were a number of screen actors at the time who you’d think would never be able to say a line but they’d end up word-perfect.’ He didn’t recall any difficult moments with Ronnie. Peter reckoned that one of the reasons why they didn’t make a sequel could have been Ronnie’s problem. ‘He may have damaged his own career. It’s difficult for the other actors.’ He thought it sad that there was never a sequel.
Ronald Fraser, Peter Robb-King (make-up) and Ian Whitaker (set dresser) on the houseboat in 1973
Peter told me that, ‘Denis Lewiston (the director of photography on ‘Swallows and Amazons’) was scared of green. He didn’t like photographing the colour green, which everyone thought hysterical since we were filming in the Lake District.’
Dennis Lewiston, director of Photography on ‘Swallows and Amazons’ ~photo:Richard Pilbrow
Denis Lewiston, the brilliant cinematographer, has died but he was around to approve the remastered version of the BluRay and DVD of ‘Swallows and Amazons’ in 2014. After a long and fulfilling career he will be remembered fondly and admired for the numerous films he made, seeking excellence with every sequence.
To see some of the shots Denis set up for the film of ‘Swallows & Amazons'(1974), please click here for the BFI site. Peter assured me that a recent industry survey of children’s films rated ‘Swallows and Amazons’ (1974) as one of the best ever.
Peter Robb-King was one of the few people to formally retire from the film industry. ‘It’s very rare. Many people don’t retire. They just stop working.’ His daughter sent him a picture of him making me up on the set of Swallows and Amazons. ‘I remember what I looked like then, so it was interesting.’
Simon West, Stephen Grendon, Suzanna Hamilton and Sophie Neville playing the Walker children, as they arrived at Holly Howe at the start of their summer holiday in the Lake District ~ photo: Daphne Neville
While I had been at home with my family, Claude Whatham had been busy in the film editing suite putting ‘Swallows and Amazons’ together with Michael Bradsell. They had previously worked together on ‘That’ll be the Day’. Our Continuity supervisor Sue Merry must have known Michael too, as he’d edited Ken Russell’s film ‘The Boyfriend’. Claude found that they definitely needed the sequence when the Walker children run up to the Peak at Darien and see Wild Cat Island for the very first time.
It is the scene that heralds the start of the adventure and indeed the opening titles of the movie. Richard Pilbrow had always wanted it to be shot at Friar’s Craig on Derwent Water. There is a postcard of this headland with notes written on it by Arthur Ransome who labelled it for the first illustrator of the Jonathan Cape edition of the book, and it seemed just right for the Peak of Darien despite being a long way from Bank Ground Farm. Although there had been two attempts made to record the handful of shots needed as the evening light lit up the islands across the water, we had always been held up and reached the spot too late in the day.
Richard must have already been over budget but the money was found to mount a pick-up shoot at Runnymede near Egham in Surrey on Saturday 8th September. We were told that King John signed the Magna Carta under an oak tree there.
We loved the idea of meeting up again. Claude said he made an effort to get as many members of the same crew together as possible so it wouldn’t seem strange.
Sophie Neville looks on as Stephen Grendon organises his costume helped by Jane Grendon with Claude Whatham and Neville C Thompson.
The one thing that was striking was how much our hair had grown. We all needed a trim. Sten needed a full hair cut. Luckily Ronnie Cogan was free.
Stephen Grendon playing Roger Walker having his hair cut by Ronnie Cogan
Neville Thompson had even managed to book the same Make-up caravan. It was here that Peter Robb-King the make-up designer toned down our summer tans in an effort to match the skins of the pale Walker children who’d been sitting in the railway compartment with their mother at the beginning of the film.
Ronnie Cogan giving Sten Grendon a hair-cut. I was in the Make-up caravan beyond.
The ironic thing was that it was Make-up that held us up when we were first failed to record the scene in the Lake District. It took so long for Peter Robb-King to sponge down all four of us with pale foundation that the sun had set before we arrived on location. I can remember my mother hurrying him along, claiming it was ridiculous as it was too dark to see our freckles anyway. I was keen on the importance of continuity and had contradicted her. Claude couldn’t believe how long it had taken us to change. He had been furious when we turned up late but tried hard not to let us think it had been the fault of us children.
Simon West playing John Walker and Suzanna Hamilton as Susan Walker
There was no Peak of Darien at the farm in Surrey, but a field had been found where we could run up to an oak tree. We just had to pretend we were looking out over the lake.
If you click on the shot below it should take you to a post I wrote on the opening locations of the film. Scroll down and you’ll see the shot of us running down the meadow at Bank Ground farm. This was the shot Claude had to cut from to the sequence that we were currently filming. Scroll right down to the end of the post and you’ll see me on Friar’s crag looking exhausted after a long day’s filming. I am so glad we were not able to continue that day.
Director Claude Whatham with Sophie Neville, Stephen Grendon, Suzanna Hamilton and Simon West. Producer Richard Pilbow looks on ~ photo: Daphne Neville
Although he had a freelance camera operator in a stripy shirt who we did not know, we met our Director of Photography Denis Lewiston who was setting up the shot with Claude under the oak tree, using a 35mm Arriflex camera on ‘short legs’.
If you click on the photo above you should get to a Post written about a location that was set on Derwentwater near Friar’s Crag – or on part of Friar’s crag that will give you an idea of what the real Peak of Darien would look like. However, the day in September in Egham was hotter than any day we’d experienced in Cumbria. Claude was soon wearing my straw hat.
DoP Denis Lewiston, Claude Whatham, Sophie Neville, Suzanna Hamilton and Simon West with Gordon Hayman behind the 35mm Arriflex Camera ~ photo: D.Neville
If you click on the photo above it will take you to the day on 8th July when we had tried and failed to shoot this scene despite rushing around.
Although we look a bit hot and stiff in these photographs that my mother took when we were lining up the shots I think that the movie was probably made by this scene. We had learnt how to magic-up performances by this stage. If you watch the finished film our faces can be seen glowing with excitement. This was also partly because we were happy to be together again, on a sunny day in a lovely place.
Sophie Neville playing Titty Walker with Stephen Grendon as Roger Walker with Gordon Hayman, Denis Lewiston and Claude Whatham behind the camera
I’ve just realised this image of Titty, clutching her school hat as she looked out over an entirely imaginary lake, was the last actual shot recorded. Soon my close-up was ‘in the can’ and ‘a wrap’ was called. It had been the 1003rd slate of the movie. We celebrated with tins of Fanta rather than champagne.
Since the first shot in the compartment of the steam train as it travelled between Haverthwaite Station and Windermere, recorded back in May, I had put on about seven pounds and grown taller than my elder brother and sister.
Daphne Neville with Stephen Grendon, Suzanna Hamilton, Sophie Neville, Jane Grendon and Simon West
I can’t help thinking that this photograph is symbolic of the futures we were to step into. Sten Grendon is holding an apple, Suzanna seems to have a framed photograph and I’d been given a roll of camera tape. What Simon West is holding is something of a mystery, but it is tightly clasped.
Simon West writing his address for me on a scrap of paper
Soon it was time to go. We changed back into our own clothes and said goodbye. Mummy took me on to see Robin Clarke, a music editor we had met on holiday who had worked on the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.
It wasn’t long before we saw Claude again. Once he’d finished editing the film we were called to the work on the sound. The movie was still in the making.
Sophie Neville saying goodbye to director Claude Whatham. The film actress Teresa Graves is speaking to Neville Thompson in the back ground.
There are now three editions of the illustrated book on ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons’, all available from online retailers and libraries worldwide .
Different editions of ‘The Making of Swallows and Amazons (1974) by Sophie Neville’
You can read the first three chapters for free here:
Sophie Neville 