Page 24 - 01_Bafta ACADEMY_Lara Croft_ok

Inside 195 Piccadilly & Reviews
JOHN MORRELL’S
“baftalk”
BOOK
REVIEWS
right for this shot? To which, a smiling Billy replied, “Let’s cut out all this techni- cal crap from now on, Mr Cooper. I have never been able to understand how the radio works when you shut the window.”
According to this delightfully rambling dialogue between the still relentlessly wise-cracking Viennese-born, master and the thirtysomething writer-director of Jerry Maguire, his Sherlock experience was “unhappy” because of the way the film had been savagely edited beyond his control. Yet, he admits, disarmingly,” it was the most elegant picture I’ve ever shot. I don’t shoot elegant pictures. Mr Vincente Minnelli, he shot elegant pictures.”
When Wilder - six-time Oscar winner for classics like The Apartment, Double Indemnity, Sunset Boulevard and Some Like It Hot - speaks, it’s always worth lis- tening. These conversations with a remarkable wordsmith in the twilight of his life almost makes up for the fact he could never be bothered to sit down and write his own autobiography.
And in between his often vivid memo- ries of nearly 70 years in Hollywood, he still has some encouraging words for mat- ters British. Like The Full Monty which he named as one of his favourite contempo- rary film comedies - “a wonderful picture about the lives and dreams of simple peo- ple.” As for “the greatest actor who ever lived”? None other than Scarborough’s own Charles Laughton, “everything you can dream of, times ten.” ■ Quentin Falk
the major programming strands: drama, entertainment, news, sport, factual, wildlife, children’s etc.”
Although the odd current job descrip- tion changed even as the privately pub- lished (hence whopping cost) tome went to press, the basic biogs, plus mug shot, remain relevant and useful. Most entries were compiled from responses to ques- tionnaires, supplied by the executives themselves. In some cases, adds Coopman, “this data has been supple- mented by research from trade and consumer publications.” ■
To place your order: Tel 020 8933 8135 E-mail profilemedia@qualum.com
Happy new millennium - if a mite belatedly - and what a year ahead. Five awards cere- monies, all bigger, better and more ambitious then ever under the enthusiastic baton of Amanda Berry. First off the blocks on April 9 are The Orange British Academy Film Awards which, breaking with recent tradition, will be a three- tiered cake.
The ceremony itself is at the splen- didly refurbished Odeon, Leicester Square.
The dinner and party immediately afterwards will be at the elegant Café Royal, itself steeped in show-biz tradition.
Then below decks to a night club for the young at heart of all ages.
For the first time
we hope to have tele-
vision coverage
across two major
channels. Grateful
thanks to Orange for their substantial three-year sponsorship package which will enable us to give the Film BAFTA’s such a high profile start to the year’s celebrations.
Next on stream will be the newly launched BAFTA Television Craft Awards to be held at 195 Piccadilly on April 30 (see page 20/21).
On May 14 are the Television Awards at the Grosvenor House. There will be as-live television cov- erage for peak-time transmission on ITV. Our good friends at Radio Times are the sponsors of an event described by David Liddiment, ITV Network’s director of programmes as “a must-see evening with the BAFTA’s centre schedule.”
Later in the year, we are seeking TV outlets for the hi-tech Interactive Entertainment Awards and the BAFTA Children’s Awards. Both made tremen- dous progress in ‘99 attracting over 1200 guests to the Royal Lancaster and Hilton Hotels. We are fortunate to have the enthusiastic continued sponsorship of ICL for the Interactive Awards but urgently need a sponsor (or sponsors) for the Children’s event.
With the exploding Interactive and Internet sector of our industry very much in mind (Lara Croft on the front cover! Whatever next?) may I draw your atten- tion to the prophetic words of Bob Egginton, BBC Online’s Project Director: “When senior people talk to me, I get the feeling they yearn to say, ‘When will all this settle down? When
will the new ortho- doxies appear?’ The answer is, they won’t. We’re going to be in flux and severely challenged forever more.” So there you have it; comfort blankets gone for good.
Finally, it’s always a risky business invit- ing your readers to let you know what they think of it. A two-edged sword game indeed. But what the heck! It’s a new year, a new
start and a new look. So advice, please. What appeals to you, dear reader, about ACADEMY? Which features will you find of most value? What other indus- try issues would you like to see cov- ered? How can we add value to mem- bership via the magazine?
Details of how to contact us are on the Contents page. The team involved in this first issue look forward to hear- ing from you. Constructive feedback will help us customise ACADEMY to mem- bers’ needs. We are planning six issues in 2000 and hope to publish monthly in 2001. Happy reading. ■
CONVERSATIONS WITH WILDER
BY CAMERON CROWE (FABER AND FABER, £20)
Billy Wilder, at 93 the greatest liv- ing film-maker, made just one movie in Britain - 1970’s The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (“cruelly underrated”, according to Time Out). His cinematographer was Christopher Challis BSC who recalled, in his own memoir, that Wilder had “not got a visual mind” but “knew exactly what effect he wanted, describing it in detail so that it was clear in everyone’s mind, but he could only judge if it was right when he saw it on the screen.”
On about the fourth day of shooting, camera operator Freddie Cooper called the director over to check on the lens he proposed to use, saying, “Mr Wilder, would you like to look through the cam- era and see if you think the wide-angle is
WHO’S WHO IN BRITISH
TELEVISION 2000:
EXECUTIVE PROFILES
EDITED BY JEREMY COOPMAN (PROFILE MEDIA, £40)
Among the 600 executives - from A for Abraham, Eric to Z for Zuck, Linda - featured in the first edition of a volume to be updat- ed annually are senior manage- ment and programming executives from the mainstream terrestrial channels as well as management chiefs and pro- gramme directors from the main cable, satellite and digital channels.
According to the editor/publisher, a former Variety reporter, “the focus is on
executives who play a central role in determining which programmes are developed, commissioned, produced and broadcast in the UK and overseas. They represent all
John Morrell Executive Director BAFTA
“Popular mythology has it that the best time to burgle a house in Islington is on the night of the BAFTA awards, because everyone will be out.”
LONDON EVENING STANDARD, 19 JANUARY 2000
AMANDA BERRY DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR BAFTA
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