Brian Trenchard-Smith

Brian Medwin Trenchard-Smith (born 1946) is an English-Australian filmmaker and author, known for his idiosyncratic and satirical low-budget genre films. His filmography covers action, science fiction, martial arts, dystopian fiction, comedy, war, family, thriller, romance and erotica, and his works tend to be cross-genre pieces.

Brian Trenchard-Smith
Born
Brian Medwin Trenchard-Smith[1]

1946 (age 76–77)
England
EducationWellington College
Occupation(s)Film director, film producer, screenwriter, actor, author
Years active1965—present
Spouse
Margaret Trenchard-Smith
​
​
(m. 1975)​
Children2

After gaining experience as a writer and editor of film trailers, Trenchard-Smith made documentary films for Australian television, many of which focused on stunt performers and martial artists, including his frequent collaborator Grant Page. He made his directorial debut with The Man from Hong Kong (1975), the first film to be produced as an international co-production between Australia and Hong Kong. Many of Trenchard-Smith's films over the next decade became notable examples of the Ozploitation cycle, including Deathcheaters (1976), Stunt Rock (1978), Turkey Shoot (1982), BMX Bandits (1983), Frog Dreaming (1986) and Dead End Drive-In (1986).

Trenchard-Smith moved to Hollywood in 1990, and has since primarily directed made-for-television and direct-to-video films. His other notable works include The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989), Night of the Demons 2 (1994), Leprechaun 3 (1995), Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996), Happy Face Murders (1999), Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 (2001), DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (2003), Aztec Rex (2007), Chemistry (2011), Absolute Deception (2013) and Drive Hard (2014). His debut novel, The Headsman's Daughter (later retitled Alice Through the Multiverse), was self-published in 2016. Several of Trenchard-Smith's films have garnered cult followings and have been subject to critical re-evaluation, and he has also been cited as one of Quentin Tarantino's favourite directors.[2]

Biography

Early life

Trenchard-Smith was born in England, the son of a senior officer of the Royal Air Force (RAF), and lived for a time in Libya, where his father was stationed.[3] His family moved to RAF Odiham, Hampshire and he made his first film at the age of 15 on 8mm, a 2-minute short called The Duel. The following year he made the ten-minute The Chase about a lunatic who escapes from an asylum and chases a boy around the countryside with a bayonet.[4]

He was commissioned to make a film about his school, Wellington College, for prospective parents. He showed this around once he left school, and it helped him get work as an editor's assistant and camera assistant with a French news company in London.[5] However he was unable to get into the union so he moved to Australia in 1965 (his father was Australian).[6]

Australian television and trailers

Trenchard-Smith worked at Channel Ten as an editor, doing news, documentaries and station promos. He moved over to Channel 9 to work as promotions director, then in 1968 he returned to England and went to work in London as a junior writer/producer of feature film trailers at the National Screen Service.

In 1970 he returned to Channel 9 as network promotions director, and made his directorial debut with a French TV special Christmas in Australia. He followed it with a series of other specials: Marty Feldman in Australia (1972), The Big Screen Scene (1972), For Valor (1972), Inside Alvin Purple (1972).[7]

Documentary filmmaker

After two years at Channel 9 Trenchard Smith formed his own production company, Trenchard Productions, borrowed $16,000 and made a one-hour television special about stuntmen called The Stuntmen featuring Grant Page. This was a success.

Trenchard-Smith was going to Hong Kong to make an $8,000 documentary on Bruce Lee called The World of Kung Fu but arrived on the day Lee died. He turned the documentary into a tribute on Lee, and in the course of making it met Raymond Chow. Trenchard-Smith made another TV special, Kung Fu Killers (1974), featuring Page and George Lazenby.[8][9] Throughout this decade Trenchard-Smith also worked cutting trailers.

Trenchard-Smith made the sex-orientated semi-documentary The Love Epidemic (1975) which was made for $33,000. It was theatrically released and made a small profit.

The Man from Hong Kong

Trenchard-Smith's Hong Kong connections enabled him to make his dramatic feature film debut with the action movie The Man from Hong Kong (1975), the first Australian-Hong Kong co production. Starring Jimmy Wang Yu, George Lazenby and Grant Page, the film was made for The Movie Company, a production company half owned by Trenchard-Smith and Greater Union, and Golden Harvest. The film sold well around the world and established Trenchard-Smith as an action director.

Trenchard Smith then made the TV documentary Danger Freaks for the Movie Company before Greater Union pulled out of the organisation and it was wound up.

Trenchard Smith then made another action feature film, Deathcheaters (1976), starring Grant Page, which performed disappointingly at the box office. He spent nine months on a proposed film that never got up, The Siege of Sydney (aka Pillage Squad).[10][11]

However he then made a dramatised short, Hospitals Don't Burn Down!, which won a number of awards and was highly successful.[12]

First American films

Trenchard-Smith then made a film in the US called Stunt Rock (1978) which he once called "probably the worst film I have made"[13] although it has become a cult classic. It starred Grant Page and the US band Sorcery.

He followed this with Day of the Assassin (1979), where he replaced the original director just before filming began. He later said making the movie was one of his craziest directing experiences:

All directors, at some point in their career trajectory, find themselves hanging on to a runaway train; despite best efforts, things turn to custard on a daily basis. More often than not, The Movie from Hell is a co-production. Foreign locale, fast money, giant egos, high pressure schedule – all make a volatile witches’ brew, even before you factor in deep rooted national resentments.[14]

10BA era

Trenchard-Smith returned to cutting trailers for various Australian films. Producer Antony I. Ginnane hired him to cut together footage of films during production to raise additional finance. These included Harlequin and The Survivor. Ginnane then hired Trenchard-Smith to direct Turkey Shoot (1982).[15]

His work on that film got him the job of rewriting and directing the children's film, BMX Bandits (1983), which starred Nicole Kidman.[16] He was announced as director of Blowing Hot and Cold but did not make it in the end.[17]

Trenchard-Smith began directing episodes of Australian TV shows such as Five Mile Creek. He was hired by the producers of Frog Dreaming (1985) to replace the original director during the shoot.

He followed it with a melodrama which he co-wrote, Jenny Kissed Me (1985), then another action film, Dead End Drive-In (1986). Neither was successful at the box office but the latter has developed a strong cult reputation.

Trenchard-Smith was hired for another "rescue operation" when the decision was made to sack the director of Day of the Panther (1987) during filming. This film was shot back to back with a sequel Strike of the Panther.

Trenchard-Smith did a straight-to-video thriller, Out of the Body (1988) then travelled to the Philippines to make a Vietnam War film, The Siege of Firebase Gloria (1989).

Move to Hollywood

In January 1990 Trenchard Smith moved to Hollywood. He has said that when he left Australia "I was possibly a medium-sized fish in one of cinema's smaller ponds" and when he arrived he "immediately became plankton."[18] (In 2001 he wrote "I believe I have now evolved into a sardine. My career goal is to become a dolphin, playfully cruising through a variety of genres on adequate budgets."[18])

He established himself by attaching himself "to as much material as possible. Sling enough mud at the wall, something will stick." He also earned a reputation for reliability. "Deliver the goods, above and beyond creative and fiscal expectations. Mr Reliable is a popular guy. Specialise in the difficult. No task too great, no budget too small. Work breeds work, particularly if you leave your producers smiling rather than unhappy. Low-budget genre film making does not mean you have to check your personality at the door."[18]

He returned to Australia to make Official Denial (1993) on the Gold Coast. Back in the US he did Night of the Demons 2 (1994) and Leprechaun 3 (1995). He went back to Australia to make Sahara (1995), then did Escape Clause (1996), Leprechaun 4: In Space (1996), Doomsday Rock (1997), Atomic Dog (1998), and Voyage of Terror (1998).

Trenchard-Smith made the true crime film Happy Face Murders (1999), which is one of his favourite movies.

In 2011, Trenchard Smith said his passion project is to do a revisionist history of Richard III.[19]

Personal life

Since 1975, Trenchard-Smith has been married to Dr. Margaret Gerard Trenchard-Smith (née Enger), an American Byzantine historian and retired actress whom he had cast in Deathcheaters, Stunt Rock, Out of the Body and The Siege of Firebase Gloria. They have two sons, Eric and Alexander,[20] and live in Oregon, where they own pet deer. His hobbies include history and épée fencing, for which he has held a lifelong passion.[1]

Career appraisal

Trenchard Smith once said this of his own films:

There is something you always get in a Trenchard-Smith movie: pace, a strong visual sense, and what the movie is actually about told to you very persuasively. Whatever I do, I'll still be applying a sense of pace: trying to find where the joke is and trying to make the film look a lot bigger than it cost.[5]

He says his main advice for directing is:

Be a good leader, kind father, energetic brigade commander to your cast and crew; no one gives their best in an atmosphere of blame and fear, as happens on big star driven movies; humour is much more effective in team management; try to make your own enthusiasm for the project contagious to everybody. Then pick locations that have natural production value... Plan well. Shot list. Make every hour of shooting count.[4]

His favourite among his own movies are The Man From Hong Kong, BMX Bandits, Dead End Drive In, The Siege Of Firebase Gloria, Night Of The Demons 2 and Happy Face Murders.[21]

His main influences growing up were Alfred Hitchcock, Henry Hathaway, Anthony Mann, J. Lee Thompson, Robert Aldrich, Raoul Walsh, King Vidor and John Ford.[22]

List of works

Theatrical and video features
Year Title Director Writer Producer Actor Notes
1975 The Love Epidemic Yes Yes Yes No Semi-documentary
The Man from Hong Kong Yes Yes Uncredited Yes Role: Martial Arts Heavy
1976 Deathcheaters Yes Yes Yes Yes Role: Hit & Run Director
1978 Stunt Rock Yes Yes Uncredited Yes Role: Himself (uncredited)
Hospitals Don't Burn Down! Yes No No No Semi-documentary short film
1979 Day of the Assassin Yes No No No
1980 The Dangerous Summer Yes No No No Documentary short film
1982 Blood Tide No No Co-producer No Also creative consultant
Turkey Shoot Yes Uncredited No Yes Role: Officer arresting Paul (uncredited)
1983 BMX Bandits Yes Uncredited No No
1986 Frog Dreaming Yes No No No
Jenny Kissed Me Yes No No No
Dead End Drive-In Yes No No No
1988 Day of the Panther Yes Yes No No
Strike of the Panther Yes Yes No No
Out of the Body Yes No No No
1989 The Siege of Firebase Gloria Yes Yes No No
Dangerfreaks Yes Yes Yes Yes Documentary compilation film
Also additional photography and self
1990 Deathstone No No Executive No
1994 Night of the Demons 2 Yes No No No
1995 Leprechaun 3 Yes No No No
1996 Leprechaun 4: In Space Yes No No No
2001 Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 Yes No No No
2006 In Her Line of Fire Yes No Yes No
2009 Pimpin' Pee Wee Yes No No No
2010 Arctic Blast Yes No No No
2013 Absolute Deception Yes No Yes Yes Role: Police Commissioner (uncredited)
2014 Drive Hard Yes Yes No No
Turkey Shoot No No Executive No

Television and web
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1972 Marty Feldman in Australia Yes No No Documentaries
The Big Screen Scene Yes No No
For Valor Yes No No
1973 The Stuntmen Yes Yes Yes
The World of Kung Fu Yes Yes Yes
Inside Alvin Purple Yes Yes Yes
1974 Kung Fu Killers Yes Yes Yes
The Making of Stone Yes No No
1976 Danger Freaks Yes Yes Yes Documentary miniseries
Also additional photography and self
1984-5 Five Mile Creek Yes No No 2 episodes
1985 Special Squad Yes No No
1989 Mission: Impossible Yes No No
1991-2 Tarzán Yes No No 10 episodes
Silk Stalkings Yes No No 5 episodes
1993 Time Trax Yes No No 2 episodes
Official Denial Yes No No TV film
1994 High Tide Yes No No Episode: "Sitting Ducks"
1995-7 Flipper Yes No No 5 episodes
1995 Sahara Yes No No TV films
The Last Bullet No Yes No
1996 Escape Clause Yes No No
1997 Doomsday Rock Yes No No
1998 Atomic Dog Yes No No
Voyage of Terror Yes No No
1999 Happy Face Murders Yes No No
2000 Britannic Yes Yes No
The Others Yes No No Episode: "Unnamed"
2002 Seconds to Spare Yes Yes No TV films
Sightings: Heartland Ghost Yes No No
2003 The Paradise Virus Yes No Yes
DC 9/11: Time of Crisis Yes No No
2005 Phantom Below Yes No Yes
2006 Long Lost Son Yes No No
2007 Aztec Rex Yes No No
2009 Fusion Yes No No Webseries pilot
Malibu Shark Attack No No Yes TV films
2011 The Cabin Yes No No
Chemistry Yes No No 7 episodes

Other roles
Year Title Role
1977 The Last Wave Promotional consultant
1991 Delta Force 3: The Killing Game Creative consultant
2000 Crash and Byrnes Second unit director and creative consultant
2007 Ice Spiders Creative consultant

Bibliography
  • Alice Through the Multiverse (2016, originally published as The Headsman's Daughter): ISBN 978-1983540868
  • Adventures in the B Movie Trade (2020): ISBN 979-8674846086

Unrealized projects
  • Bad Fruit (1976) – he was to be executive producer on this proposed $350,000 Keith Salvat project about people in Sydney in the early 1950s.[23]
  • Siege of Sydney (1977) – project written by Michael Cove which Trenchard-Smith wanted to make after Deathcheaters about ex-CIA operatives who plant a nuclear device on Pinchgut Island and demand $5 million. The intended budget was $450,000, and Trenchard-Smith raised $200,000 from Cinema International Corporation, but they pulled out after the box office failure of Black Sunday (1977)[24]
  • Time Warp (c. 1980) – a $20 million science fiction film for The Walt Disney Company which was to be made in 1982 but was put on the back burner after the disappointing performance of The Black Hole (1979)[25]
  • Blowing Hot and Cold (1984) – originally announced as director[26]
  • Avengers of the South Seas (1984) – $4.6 million action adventure to be set in South China seas to reunite him with the producer and writer of BMX Bandits[26]
  • Roadwars (circa 1987) – film about modern gladiators set in the near future from the producer and writer of BMX Bandits[27]
  • The Executioner's Daughter (2003) – a "time-twisting paranormal thriller" for which Trenchard-Smith wrote a screenplay that was twice optioned for considerable amounts of money, but could not enter pre-production when neither Scarlett Johansson nor Keira Knightley could be engaged to play the protagonist. The rights were sold back to him, and he rewrote the screenplay as a novel that was self-published in 2016 under the title of The Headsman's Daughter.[28] A revised and expanded edition of the novel, Alice Through the Multiverse, was released in 2018.[1]
  • Weekend Warriors (2013) - thriller about a young soldier who must save his comrades and brother from his vengeful mentor, announced as an Australian/UK co-production between Trenchard-Smith's frequent colleague David Hannay and The Spice Factory. Although casting was announced to be underway in 2013, no further announcements have been made.[29]
  • Sword Point (2013) - sports drama about a Chinese gymnast who takes up fencing; the project was intended to be Trenchard-Smith's tribute to the sport. Although he and Stunt Rock producer Martin Fink shopped the film to several Chinese production companies to have the film made as an Australian/Chinese co-production, no further announcements have been made.[30]

Trailers

Dring the late 60s and 1970s, Trenchard Smith was one of the leading makers of film trailers in England and Australia. Among the films whose trailers he edited are:[31]

Collaborations

Brian Trenchard-Smith had cast certain actors in more than one of his films.

The Love Epidemic Kung Fu Killers The Man from Hong Kong Deathcheaters Stunt Rock Turkey Shoot BMX Bandits Frog Dreaming Dead End Drive-In Jenny Kissed Me Out of the Body Day of the Panther Strike of the Panther The Siege of Firebase Gloria Night of the Demons 2 Leprechaun 3 Sahara Leprechaun 4: In Space Happy Face Murders Megiddo: The Omega Code 2 Absolute Deception
Angelo
D'Angelo
☒N
☒N
Warwick
Davis
☒N
☒N
John
DeMita
☒N
☒N
R. Lee
Ermey
☒N
☒N
John
Ewart
☒N
☒N
Noel
Ferrier
☒N
☒N
Paris
Jefferson
☒N
☒N
George
Lazenby
☒N
☒N
John
Ley
☒N
☒N
☒N
Grant
Page
☒N
☒N
☒N
☒N
☒N
Rick
Peters
☒N
☒N
☒N
Steve
Rackman
☒N
☒N
☒N
Jim
Richards
☒N
☒N
John
Stanton
☒N
☒N
Edward
Stazak
☒N
☒N
Henry
Thomas
☒N
☒N
Brian
Trenchard-Smith
☒N
☒N
☒N
☒N
☒N
Margaret
Trenchard-Smith
☒N
☒N
☒N
☒N
Roger
Ward
☒N
☒N
☒N
Tamsin
West
☒N
☒N
Wilbur
Wilde
☒N
☒N

See also
  • Not Quite Hollywood
  • Brennan, Richard, 'Brian Trenchard-Smith', Cinema Papers, Dec-Jan 1979-80
  • Jones, Brian, 'A Horse for all courses', Cinema Papers, March 1986 p 27-28

References
  1. "Alice Through The Multiverse Kindle Edition". Amazon.com. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  2. Moore, Tony (16 August 2008). "Larrikin streak". The Australian. Archived from the original on 5 August 2009. Retrieved 30 September 2008.
  3. "Brian Trenchard-Smith Interview", Daily Grindhouse accessed 8 February 2013
  4. "Interview with Brian Trenchard Smith", Joblo.com, 5 August 2011 accessed 8 February 2013
  5. Jones p27
  6. "My Interview with Brian Trenchard Smith", Soldier of Cinema, 26 December 2010 accessed 24 October 2012
  7. Brennan p599
  8. Brian Trenchard-Smith, 'Kung Fu Killers', Australian Centre for the Moving Image – Australian Perspective Essays, August 2008 Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  9. "BATTLING IT OUT— HUNG FU STYLE". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 41, no. 48. Australia. 1 May 1974. p. 21. Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. "WHO'S DOING WHAT". Filmnews. Vol. 7, no. 6. New South Wales, Australia. 1 July 1977. p. 5. Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. "WHO'S DOING WHAT". Filmnews. Vol. 7, no. 3. New South Wales, Australia. 1 April 1977. p. 14. Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. Complete copy of film on YouTube at Film Australia's You Tube channel
  13. Brennan p602
  14. James Chappell, "The Wizard of Oz: An Interview with Brian Trenchard-Smith" 22 May 2012 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine accessed 29 January 2013
  15. Brian Trenchard-Smith, 'No Film for Chickens', Australian Centre for the Moving Image – Australian Perspective Essays, 23 June 2008 Archived 28 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  16. 'Check out a 16-year-old Nicole Kidman! Her first director says she had 'IT' by Chris Nashawaty, Inside Movies, 6 March 2011
  17. "Whitely to star in film". The Canberra Times. Vol. 58, no. 17, 744. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 28 April 1984. p. 18. Retrieved 29 August 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. Trenchard-Smith, Brian (11 August 2001). "HOLLYWOOD SURVIVOR". Daily Telegraph.
  19. 'Brian Trenchard-Smith on 'BMX Bandits,' Forgotten Gems and the Current State of the Film Industry' by Peter Hall, Cinephone, 21 Mar 2011
  20. Trenchard-Smith, Margaret. "Margaret Trenchard-Smith". Academia.edu. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  21. "The Wizard of Oz: An Interview with Brian Trenchard Smith", Screen Highway, 22 May 2012 Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine accessed 24 October 2012
  22. Bryan Van Campen, "Interview with Filmmaker Brian Trenchard-Smith", Ithaca.com, 14 November 2012 accessed 8 February 2013
  23. "Production Survey", Cinema Papers, June–July 1976 p61
  24. Brennan p601
  25. Brennan p603
  26. "Production Survey", Cinema Papers, August 1984 p259
  27. "Production Survey", Cinema Papers, September 1987 p66
  28. Groves, Don (19 June 2016). "Tarantino Favorite Brian Trenchard-Smith Publishes 'The Headsman's Daughter' Novel". Forbes. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  29. Ramachandran, Naman (20 June 2013). "Trenchard-Smith boards Weekend Warriors". SBS. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  30. Groves, Don (24 June 2013). "Brian Trenchard-Smith looks to China". IF Magazine. Retrieved 28 February 2020.
  31. Brennan p674
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