Films / Star For Two Weeks!!
I think that one of the most significant inventions of our times is Television. I remember the first time the television was introduced in our island. I was still a young boy and once as I was walking down the main street of our capital city Valletta, I saw a group of people crowding in front of a shop window. I forced my way into the crowd to see what they were looking at. There I saw the first television in action. So far I had only heard people talk about it and perhaps saw pictures on magazines; now it was here. It was black and white but in those far away days also cinemas showed mostly black and white films.
It took about two or three years before my father decided to buy us one. We were very excited and as soon as the technician finished his job and switched it on, we stared at the magical box. I remember that they were showing a film for children from the series, ‘Corky the Circus boy.’ Then, we only received programs for Italy. We really felt happy and proud at the same time.
From that day our lives changed because now we had this new marvelous attraction which kept us glued for hours watching program after program. We followed various programs such as quizzes, variety shows, sports, talk shows and of course films, films, films. For me (and I think for many), there is nothing better than a good film.
Of course we had and still have several cinemas on our island but we rarely went to the cinema because our parents were rather strict and as there were films which were not good for children, they did not allow us to go alone. We had to accept the fact that our parents or at least one of them would find the chance to accompany us to make sure that the film we saw had the label, “Children are admitted”. But now with television at home and with all those films being shown daily, things changed.
As you all know I like to tell stories but from my very early days I enjoyed listening to stories or reading an easy book or comic with a lot of pictures to illustrate the stories. As I grew older I read story books and I would picture the stories I read in my mind’s eye using my fertile imagination. I can say that I was addicted to hear, read and watch stories.
They put me in a world of my own and I was impressed so much by these stories that I often dreamed about them not only at night in bed, but also I would day dream about them and my parents and teachers often told me that I seemed to be having a vision because I stared aimlessly and seemed to be lost in deep thoughts.
But now I could see films which after all are stories………films of all types, stories about everything one can imagine. I like films because the stories they illustrate, fascinate me. When I was about ten or eleven, one of the teachers in our school, bought a projector and every Wednesday just after school hours, he would show a film for four pennies. I am sure that the pupils, unlike other days when several of them stayed after school as a punishment, on Wednesdays they willingly stayed for two more hours. I remember how these films affected us. If it was a western, when the film was over, we all were cowboys running on galloping horses and shooting one another. If we saw a film about Tarzan, after the show there were hundreds of Tarzans shouting like Tarzan and pretending to swing from one tree to another. This is how much films made an impact on us.
With television, films were available to us just by pressing a switch and perhaps a couple of buttons (then, there were no remote controls) in the comfort of one’s home. I used to watch so many, many films, not only on television but as time passed and I became of age, I used to go to the cinema with my friends and later with my girl friend.
I remember several films which I liked so much that I sort of, switched places with the main actor of each film and relived the story of those film in my imagination. If one thinks a little, in a film the impossible becomes possible. A life time can be condensed in a couple of hours. In this make believe world anything can happen………go into a jungle, fly in the sky, see the bottom of the deep sea, meet historical characters, live in different ages and also go to the moon or another planet.
Here I would like to mention some of my most favorite films of my life starting when I was still very young. ‘Robinson Crusoe’ made me dream several times of living alone on a deserted island surrounded by nature. ‘The Old Man And The Sea’ is one of my all time favorites even because I really like Spencer Tracey and I love the sea and besides now I am an old man. When I fell in love, films such as, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Love Story’,‘Dr. Zhivago’, ‘Blue Lagoon’ and others put me in the right atmosphere an in the right mood. Then there are the classics or colossals. The first one that comes in my mind is, ‘Quo Vadis’………. then came ‘The Robe’, ‘Spartacus’, ‘The Ten Commandments’, ‘Ben- Hur’, ‘Titanic’ to mention just a few. I also love films that make you laugh your heart out……Laurel and Hardy, George Formby, Norman Wisdom and also several Italian comedians are among my pick. I enjoy Musical and Cartoons too
I think that one of the most significant inventions of our times is Television. I remember the first time the television was introduced in our island. I was still a young boy and once as I was walking down the main street of our capital city Valletta, I saw a group of people crowding in front of a shop window. I forced my way into the crowd to see what they were looking at. There I saw the first television in action. So far I had only heard people talk about it and perhaps saw pictures on magazines; now it was here. It was black and white but in those far away days also cinemas showed mostly black and white films.
It took about two or three years before my father decided to buy us one. We were very excited and as soon as the technician finished his job and switched it on, we stared at the magical box. I remember that they were showing a film for children from the series, ‘Corky the Circus boy.’ Then, we only received programs for Italy. We really felt happy and proud at the same time.
From that day our lives changed because now we had this new marvelous attraction which kept us glued for hours watching program after program. We followed various programs such as quizzes, variety shows, sports, talk shows and of course films, films, films. For me (and I think for many), there is nothing better than a good film.
Of course we had and still have several cinemas on our island but we rarely went to the cinema because our parents were rather strict and as there were films which were not good for children, they did not allow us to go alone. We had to accept the fact that our parents or at least one of them would find the chance to accompany us to make sure that the film we saw had the label, “Children are admitted”. But now with television at home and with all those films being shown daily, things changed.
As you all know I like to tell stories but from my very early days I enjoyed listening to stories or reading an easy book or comic with a lot of pictures to illustrate the stories. As I grew older I read story books and I would picture the stories I read in my mind’s eye using my fertile imagination. I can say that I was addicted to hear, read and watch stories.
They put me in a world of my own and I was impressed so much by these stories that I often dreamed about them not only at night in bed, but also I would day dream about them and my parents and teachers often told me that I seemed to be having a vision because I stared aimlessly and seemed to be lost in deep thoughts.
But now I could see films which after all are stories………films of all types, stories about everything one can imagine. I like films because the stories they illustrate, fascinate me. When I was about ten or eleven, one of the teachers in our school, bought a projector and every Wednesday just after school hours, he would show a film for four pennies. I am sure that the pupils, unlike other days when several of them stayed after school as a punishment, on Wednesdays they willingly stayed for two more hours. I remember how these films affected us. If it was a western, when the film was over, we all were cowboys running on galloping horses and shooting one another. If we saw a film about Tarzan, after the show there were hundreds of Tarzans shouting like Tarzan and pretending to swing from one tree to another. This is how much films made an impact on us.
With television, films were available to us just by pressing a switch and perhaps a couple of buttons (then, there were no remote controls) in the comfort of one’s home. I used to watch so many, many films, not only on television but as time passed and I became of age, I used to go to the cinema with my friends and later with my girl friend.
I remember several films which I liked so much that I sort of, switched places with the main actor of each film and relived the story of those film in my imagination. If one thinks a little, in a film the impossible becomes possible. A life time can be condensed in a couple of hours. In this make believe world anything can happen………go into a jungle, fly in the sky, see the bottom of the deep sea, meet historical characters, live in different ages and also go to the moon or another planet.
Here I would like to mention some of my most favorite films of my life starting when I was still very young. ‘Robinson Crusoe’ made me dream several times of living alone on a deserted island surrounded by nature. ‘The Old Man And The Sea’ is one of my all time favorites even because I really like Spencer Tracey and I love the sea and besides now I am an old man. When I fell in love, films such as, ‘Romeo and Juliet’, ‘Love Story’,‘Dr. Zhivago’, ‘Blue Lagoon’ and others put me in the right atmosphere an in the right mood. Then there are the classics or colossals. The first one that comes in my mind is, ‘Quo Vadis’………. then came ‘The Robe’, ‘Spartacus’, ‘The Ten Commandments’, ‘Ben- Hur’, ‘Titanic’ to mention just a few. I also love films that make you laugh your heart out……Laurel and Hardy, George Formby, Norman Wisdom and also several Italian comedians are among my pick. I enjoy Musical and Cartoons too
I do not like films about hospitals and people suffering, war films, space films, downright vulgar films and certain films which I do not grasp the story either because they are too complicated or because the film maker does not present it in a logical, understandable way……. at least in my eyes.
Those who are regular film goers and are more or less my age, may say that the films I mentioned are all somewhat old now. This is very true because as my family grew bigger I had to work, work, work and I had less time to spare. But I still see a good film every now and then and of course. I watch television regularly. But those old films remain my favorites. One modern film which I like very much is ‘Avatar’; in fact I watched it several times. It’s amazing what these film makers can do these days and here I am referring to computerized films.
Those who are regular film goers and are more or less my age, may say that the films I mentioned are all somewhat old now. This is very true because as my family grew bigger I had to work, work, work and I had less time to spare. But I still see a good film every now and then and of course. I watch television regularly. But those old films remain my favorites. One modern film which I like very much is ‘Avatar’; in fact I watched it several times. It’s amazing what these film makers can do these days and here I am referring to computerized films.
Now I am going to narrate how I once took part in the making of a film which was shot partly here in Malta and they used the Rinella Film Facilities where there is a big tank to shoot certain sea scenes.
It all begun when a friend of mine who had a company to provide extras for films which were to be shot in Malta persuaded me and my wife to go and register our names so that we will perhaps take part in a film. We went and they took our details together with our photos.
It all begun when a friend of mine who had a company to provide extras for films which were to be shot in Malta persuaded me and my wife to go and register our names so that we will perhaps take part in a film. We went and they took our details together with our photos.
The Tank at Rinella while shooting scenes from the film in which I took part. The two big water slides create huge waves. Wind and rough sea are caused by the huge motor with a big propeller. Picture 2 represents a real size viking skip and picture 4 is a much smaller exact replica of the big ship.
We forgot all about it but one day my friend phoned me and told me that he needed both me and my wife to be extras in a multimillion dollar film which had several famous actors taking part in it. He mentioned amongst others Tim Robins and John Cleese (of Faulty Towers fame). We were reluctant because my wife was not too eager to go as she is rather shy. But my friend mentioned that we will be getting a very good income for this. For me it was quite a hassle to obtain permission to absent myself from school and for my wife it was difficult to cope with the everyday running of the family. We told my friend that we could not make it. But he told us that it was only for two and three days and he reminded us of the good remuneration we were getting, so……………………
My wife took part in several scenes but fortunately they only needed her and the other women for three days. For me it was different because they chose me to be the double of one of the main actors and I had to go there every day for two whole weeks. It was not easy because we had to be on the set at 5.am. as the make-up artists had to do the make-up of all the extras. Then we had to go to the wardrobe room to put on the costumes.
My wife took part in several scenes but fortunately they only needed her and the other women for three days. For me it was different because they chose me to be the double of one of the main actors and I had to go there every day for two whole weeks. It was not easy because we had to be on the set at 5.am. as the make-up artists had to do the make-up of all the extras. Then we had to go to the wardrobe room to put on the costumes.
We had plenty of spare time and we had a good time taking a lot of photos.
I do not regret this experience because I saw how a film is made. It was amazing the way they created a storm in the tank. But the actual shooting is very boring because they repeat a two minute scene a dozen or more times. In those two weeks I spent there, I only worked for an hour or two a day and in some days I did not do anything at all. I and some others waited till the director needed us. Since I was a double the scenes they shot were either from behind or from some distance because as they explained, I had the same physique as the actor but of course I did not resemble him.
The Film’s named was, ‘Erik The Viking’. They told us that the man behind this film was a multimillionaire who used to narrate fantastic bedtime stories he invented to his little boy. These stories were about Vikings and they were surrealistic and funny at the same time. The father thought that his stories would make a great film. He surely had the money to make his dream come true. But the end result was not that good and it surely did not break any box office.
I spent most of the two weeks watching the shooting of the film with some new friends I made on the set. As I said we had plenty of spare time and we had a good time taking a lot of photos. I was happy when it was all over and I was happier when they paid me because we surely needed the money.
As much as I like to watch a good film, I will not be persuaded to take part in another……..at least if they do not offer me a good sum of money.
The Film’s named was, ‘Erik The Viking’. They told us that the man behind this film was a multimillionaire who used to narrate fantastic bedtime stories he invented to his little boy. These stories were about Vikings and they were surrealistic and funny at the same time. The father thought that his stories would make a great film. He surely had the money to make his dream come true. But the end result was not that good and it surely did not break any box office.
I spent most of the two weeks watching the shooting of the film with some new friends I made on the set. As I said we had plenty of spare time and we had a good time taking a lot of photos. I was happy when it was all over and I was happier when they paid me because we surely needed the money.
As much as I like to watch a good film, I will not be persuaded to take part in another……..at least if they do not offer me a good sum of money.
1. With the main actor Tim Robbins.
2. With the actor I doubled.........notice that our physique is very similar but we do not resemble each other in the least. 3. A photo of me in full costume, with the viking ship in the background. Notice the edge if the tank which compliments with the real open sea further away.
4. The poster of the Film, "Erik The Viking."
As last week, instead of the usual 'Quote of the day" I wish you to watch this video showing how today's films are computerized.
Http://player.vimeo.com/video/34678075?title=0&
Moreover, in today's Gallery which I named 'Filmed in Malta', I am posting posters of some of the hundreds of films which were and still are partly or entirely filmed in Malta.
2. With the actor I doubled.........notice that our physique is very similar but we do not resemble each other in the least. 3. A photo of me in full costume, with the viking ship in the background. Notice the edge if the tank which compliments with the real open sea further away.
4. The poster of the Film, "Erik The Viking."
As last week, instead of the usual 'Quote of the day" I wish you to watch this video showing how today's films are computerized.
Http://player.vimeo.com/video/34678075?title=0&
Moreover, in today's Gallery which I named 'Filmed in Malta', I am posting posters of some of the hundreds of films which were and still are partly or entirely filmed in Malta.