Homage to Guy Hamilton (June 27, 2017)

Mireia Covas | MALLORCAAn homage to the late British director, Guy Hamilton, known for his James Bond films and other movie classics, will take place on the island of Mallorca this coming June 27, 2017. The filmmaker filmed, fell in love with and retired on the Spanish island.

Among the accolades, will be a photo exhibit entitled “Guy Hamilton, a Director’s Life Behind the Scenes”, with images of Mr. Hamilton directing and relaxing with his stars on his sets. The photographs were generously loaned to the organizers by the Hamilton family, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM), and EON Productions (the Bond production company). The festival will also screen some of Mr. Hamilton’s films that week at various city theatres.

The opening gala will be held in the Bellver Castle overlooking Palma bay, and will include the participation of Britt Ekland, who worked with him in “The Man With the Golden Gun”.

Sir Roger Moore, who starred in two of the James Bond films directed by Guy Hamilton, was invited, and had sent a personal note to be read during the homage. The beloved British actor, who passed away on May 23, will be remembered at the festival events and the opening gala.

The gala will include a clips tribute and a live concert by the “Chamber Film Orchestra”, featuring some of the sound tracks of films directed by Mr. Hamilton, followed by a gala dinner.

Guy Hamilton (1922-2016) was one of the most successful British directors to depict World War II and the subsequent Cold War era in film. He was born in Paris to a British diplomat, and worked for Paramount News in England before joining the Royal Navy, where he performed admirably and received several medals for his valor.

Hamilton began his film career in 1948 as an assistant for Carol Reed in “The Fallen Idol”, and the classic “The Third Man”, starring Orson Welles. He also worked as an assistant director for John Huston in another legendary production, “The African Queen”, with the great Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.

He began directing his own productions in 1952 with “The Ringer” and went on to share the credits with some of the most important stars of the second half of the 20th century.

Hamilton directed four James Bond films: “Goldfinger” (1964), “Diamonds are Forever” (1971), “Live and Let Die” (1973) and “The Man With the Golden Gun” (1974).

His World War II films are considered masterpieces of their genre, and include “The Colditz Story” (1955) with John Mills, “Funeral in Berlin” (1967) starring Michael Caine, “Battle of Britain” (1969) with the great Laurence Olivier, Trevor Howard, Christopher Plummer and Susannah York, to name a few, and “Force 10 from Navarone” (1978), with Harrison Ford in his first protagonist role.

Hamilton directed “Evil Under the Sun” (1982) in Mallorca, with Peter Ustinov, Maggie Smith and Jane Birkin as its leading protagonists.

He fell under the spell of the island, and retired in Mallorca with his wife Kerima and his son Frank. He built a home on top of a mountain facing the sea on Port d’Andratx, and lived there until his passing on April 20, 2016, at the age of 93. A proposal has been made to the Island Council to bestow the title of “Adopted Son of Mallorca” posthumously to the filmmaker.

The homage to Guy Hamilton is organised by the Mallorca Film Commission, in the frame of the convention of collaboration between the Foundation Mallorca Tourism of the Council of Mallorca and the ATB of the Government of the Balearic Islands.