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feature in focus
SAINT AND
SINNERS
DIRECTOR STUART ST PAUL
REVEALS DARK FAMILY SECRETS IN DEVIL’S GATE
T he suggestion that the British film industry is slip-
ping towards terminal decline is a frequent refrain that is contradicted by men like Stuart St Paul. No mat- ter what the obstacle, St
Paul seems the kind of determined character who will overcome it. For example, when his directorial debut, The Scarlet Tunic, failed to find a dis- tributor he resolved to distribute the award winning film through his own company Indyuk.
Best known in the business as a stunt co-ordinator with three decades worth of experience, he clearly loves the business generally and directing in particular.
“I get a totally different vibe from each thing I do,” he explains. “I was driving back from the end of shoot party on The Scarlet Tunic when a mate of mine, Gerard Naprous, who’s a stunt co-ordinator and horsemas- ter, rang and asked if I wanted to do a week on Sharpe. I went and did a week on that as a stuntman, and it was a great way to bring you back down to Earth.
“And after shooting my new film Devil’s Gate I finished the edit, and a short time later I was working on the pilot of Keen Eddie for Paramount. There was more money on that pilot than the whole of my film; they had cranes, trucks, all sorts of gear.
“But the great thing about my career is that I’m lucky enough to be able to mix it up like that, and over the years that’s allowed me to work with all kinds of directors.”
Given his background in stunting, certain things on his latest film Devil’s Gate will have come easily to him. A climactic set piece in a burn- ing building was far less problematic for this man of action than the more incendiary, internalised emotions of other scenes.
“I have to say that the burning of the house gave me no worries at all,” he nods, “whereas it’s true some of those other scenes did. I might have known exactly what I wanted to do, but there’s a powerful scene between Laura Fraser and Callum Blue, and even though I’d pictured it and written it out was much more frightening for me because it could just go so wrong. Fortunately it
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