A Fine and Private Place (film)

A love story set in the 1920s between a loner schoolmaster, Jones, and the married, privileged Judith Leeward.

Paul Watson was a documentary filmmaker who had written the script. Bryan Forbes, head of EMI Films, greenlit the film and announced it as part of his slate in August 1969.[3] It was one of several films Forbes financed from inexperienced directors (of of these out worked well, others badly).[4] He later wrote he felt Watson's "enthusiasm and approach merited the risk; the screenplay contained all the ingredients for a compelling film and I gave him the go-ahead." [5]

Production began in Cornwall in late April 1970, with plans to complete the film at Elstree Studios.[6][7] Female lead Nanette Newman had just completed The Raging Moon written and directed by Forbes, who was her husband.[8][9]

The film soon fell behind schedule, forcing Forbes to visit the set. He claims that after two weeks of filming a third of the budget had been spent for only ten minutes of screen time. Forbes also felt the footage would not cut together and was unimpressed with how Watson planned to film other scenes; he says when he raised his concerns with the director he was not reassured. Forbes shut down the production and fired Watson.[10] The delay was blamed at the time on the weather in Cornwall.[11] An EMI spokesman said "location work was stopped because it was going beyond its budget. If sites closer to Elstree cannot be found work on the film could be abandoned."[12]

Forbes later called it "the most agonising decision I ever had to take on a film. I felt sorry for everybody concerned and I knew that I would come in for heavy criticism. But everything is relative and this was my Heaven’s Gate. I did not have the luxury of increasing the budget and, even if I had, I had lost confidence in the ability of the director to deliver. It was a tragedy of good intentions, a blight on Nanette’s and Edward’s careers and a sad loss of income for the crew."[13]

Over the next two weeks Forbes attempted to resuscitate the project with director John Hough but he eventually decided not to proceed and the film was abandoned.[14] Filming ceased for good in mid-May 1970.[15] Forbes publicly blamed the cancellation on bad weather, which he said would make the film £70,000-£80,000 over budget, saying "this is too much to get back in the English market it was made for. One film today, just one, which runs into budget trouble and has to have endless money poured into it can bring a studio to its knees." Forbes added another factor was Woodward had to start rehearsals for a play at the National on June 30, saying the film "was built around its star Edward Woodward to take advantage of his popularity as Callan on TV and his prestige at the National Theatre."[16]

Watson subsequently went on to a highly successful career as a documentary filmmaker.[17]

• A Fine and Private Place at BFI