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Unman, Wittering and Zigo (film)

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Unman, Wittering and Zigo
Original theatrical poster
Directed byJohn Mackenzie
Written bySimon Raven
Based onplay by Giles Cooper
Produced byGareth Wigan
StarringDavid Hemmings
Douglas Wilmer
Carolyn Seymour
Hamilton Dyce
CinematographyGeoffrey Unsworth
Edited byFergus McDonell
Music byMichael J. Lewis
Production
companies
Hemmings
Mediaarts
Distributed byParamount Pictures
Release dates
  • 23 September 1971 (1971-09-23) (UK)
  • June 13, 1971 (1971-06-13) (NYC)
Running time
102 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Unman, Wittering and Zigo is a 1971 British thriller film directed by John Mackenzie and starring David Hemmings, Douglas Wilmer and Carolyn Seymour.[1][2] It was adapted by Simon Raven from Giles Cooper's 1958 BBC Radio 3 radio drama Unman, Wittering and Zigo.[3][4]

The movie's title was parodied in Little Britain (Series 1 Episode 6, 2003),[5] and by a Rowan Atkinson sketch in the 1979 Secret Policeman's Ball concert for Amnesty International.[6][7]

Plot

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New teacher John Ebony arrives at a school and begins to suspect his predecessor was murdered by the pupils, though his suspicions are written off as paranoia. He sets out to prevent the same fate from befalling him.

Cast

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The closing credits also list Zigo (who never appears in the film) as "absent".

Production

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Development

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The radio play was adapted for BBC TV in 1965.[9]

Film rights were bought by Mediarts, a new company established in London and Hollywood in 1969 by Gareth Wigan, Richard Gregson and Alan Livingston.[10] Unman was to be the first of four pictures from the company, the others being the directorial debut of Frederic Raphael, a screenplay (On My Way to Where) by Dory Previn and a script by Odie Hawkins.[11] However Unman was the company's only film. It was distributed by Paramount.[12]

"This is a more powerful film, a more direct film than any I've done recently," said Hemmings at the time. "It has a slight gothic flavour, a kind of raw edge to it."[13]

David Hemmings made the film without telling Hemdale, the company who had exclusive call on his services. This led to a lawsuit.[14]

Filming

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Filming began in August 1970.[15]

The film was set in Cornwall. Some outdoor scenes were filmed at St David's College Llandudno, Wales, and nearby St. Tudno's churchyard, Great Orme, but others and interior scenes were mostly filmed in the buildings of Reading Blue Coat School, Sonning, Berkshire, using some of its pupils as extras during the summer holidays.[16]

Hemmings' then wife Gayle Hunnicut gave birth to their child during filming.

The film was screened at the 1971 San Sebastian Film Festival.[17]

Critical reception

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David Mcgillivray wrote in The Monthly Film Bulletin: "Giles Cooper's TV play was in turn adapted from his 1957 radio production, and no doubt the nightmare fantasy of Lower Five B was most convincing when suggested only in sound. The trouble with the film version is that Ebony's improbable boys, devoid of individuality and bristling with Lord of the Flies-style menace, now clash disconcertingly with their surroundings, a very real establishment in Llandudno. To go with the genuine locations, there is a genuine-looking, crumpled-collared staff and an array of ink-stained pupils who are not patently fresh from the stage school. Ebony himself is easily recognisable as a teacher struggling hopelessly to discipline a class of delinquents, and David Hemmings' performance succeeds in communicating the feeling of desperation that inexperience fosters. But while John Mackenzie's capable direction suggests a greater involvement with his material than in his earlier One Brief Summer (1971) (although an inclination towards fussy camerawork – in the contrived linking shots – is still present), the nightmare violence is never entirely persuasive. One is more inclined at the close to echo Ebony's dismayed "Why did they do it?" than to ponder on the sinister significance of absence. "[18]

The BFI's Screenonline called it "a finely wrought psychological suspense drama."[19] Mackenzie later said he was "proud" of the film.[20]

Variety said "The viewer may be both intrigued and puzzled, for while film is a compelling piece of dramatics about innocent-looking terrorists, it asks a great deal of credence."[21]

Leslie Halliwell said: "Macabre school story which overreaches itself and peters out."[22]

The Los Angeles Times called it "a beautifully polished piece of business."[23]

Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide rates the film three stars, calling it a "nifty little sleeper... creepy, chilling mystery, loaded with twists..."[24]

References

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  1. ^ "Unman, Wittering and Zigo". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  2. ^ "Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1972)". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 December 2018.
  3. ^ "Unman, Wittering and Zigo". BBC Programme Index. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  4. ^ UNMAN, WITTERING AND ZIGO Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 38, Iss. 444, (Jan 1, 1971): 206.
  5. ^ "Series 1 Episode 6, Transcript". subsaga.com: Subtitles for Movies, Documentaries, etc. – Making media accessible. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  6. ^ Parkinson, David (22 April 2021). "10 great British thrillers of the 1970s". British Film Industry. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  7. ^ Horan, Tom (29 January 2010). "Dicks, Cox and Purves: how I feel your pain" – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  8. ^ "Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1972)". Archived from the original on 29 December 2018.
  9. ^ "Theatre 625: Unman, Wittering, and Zigo". 27 June 1965. p. 19 – via BBC Genome.
  10. ^ "Forming Mediarts Pictures". Los Angeles Evening Citizen News. 31 December 1969. p. 11.
  11. ^ Mediarts Tells Plans for 4 Films Los Angeles Times 20 Aug 1970: e15.
  12. ^ Paramount to Release 10 Features Los Angeles Times 22 Feb 1971: h15.
  13. ^ "'Questioning mind' spurs David Hemmings". The Philadelphia Inquirer Section 5. 1 August 1971. p. 1.
  14. ^ 'Management split at Hemdale' Lindsay, Vincent. The Guardian 8 Aug 1970: 10.
  15. ^ Victoria Racimo Gets a Top 'Red Sky' Role Martin, Betty. Los Angeles Times 10 Aug 1970: e15.
  16. ^ "Reel Streets". www.reelstreets.com. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
  17. ^ "1971, 19th Edition". San Sebastian Film Festival. Retrieved 26 March 2024.
  18. ^ "Unman, Wittering and Zigo". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 38 (444): 206. 1 January 1971 – via ProQuest.
  19. ^ "BFI Screenonline: Mackenzie, John (1932-2011) Biography". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  20. ^ Farquhar, Simon (16 June 2011). "John Mackenzie". The Independent. p. 58.
  21. ^ "Unman Wittering and Zigo". Variety. 31 December 1970.
  22. ^ Halliwell, Leslie (1989). Halliwell's Film Guide (7th ed.). London: Paladin. p. 1070. ISBN 0586088946.
  23. ^ "Unman, Zigo". Los Angeles Times Part 4. 25 August 1971. p. 14.
  24. ^ Maltin, Leonard; Sader, Luke; Clark, Mike (2008). Leonard Maltin's 2009 Movie Guide. p. 1476. ISBN 9780452289789. unman, wittering & zigo 1971.
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