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Peter R. Hunt

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Peter R. Hunt
Born
Peter Roger Hunt

(1925-03-11)11 March 1925
London, England
Died14 August 2002(2002-08-14) (aged 77)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation(s)Film director, film editor, film producer
Years active1940–1991
Known forJames Bond series
Military career
Allegiance United Kingdom
Service / branch British Army
Years of service1942–1947
Rank Staff Sergeant
Battles / warsWorld War II

Peter Roger Hunt (11 March 1925 – 14 August 2002) was a British director, editor and producer of film and television, best known for his work on the James Bond film series, first as an editor and then as a second unit director. He finally served as director for On Her Majesty's Secret Service. His work on the series helped pioneer an innovative, fast-cutting editing style.

Biography

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As an infantryman, Hunt served in Salerno, Italy, in 1943.[1]

After undertaking several forms of employment, Hunt worked as an assistant cutter for Alexander Korda, before working as an assembling editor on The Man Who Watched Trains Go By. After several B-movies, he served as the supervising editor on A Hill in Korea. The following year, Hunt edited The Admirable Crichton (directed and co-written by Lewis Gilbert), becoming good friends with John Glen. Hunt continued his collaboration with Gilbert on films such as Ferry to Hong Kong and Sink the Bismarck!.

In the 1960s, Hunt signed on as an editor on the first James Bond film, Dr. No (1962), and he edited From Russia with Love (1963) and Goldfinger (1964). On those three films, Hunt developed an editing technique in which he utilized quick cutting, allowing camera swings during action and inserts interleaving other elements.[2][3] He also worked with Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli on the Bob Hope film Call Me Bwana (1963), and with Saltzman and a few other Bond veterans on the non-Eon thriller The IPCRESS File (1965). Call Me Bwana was the only film produced by the James Bond production company Eon Productions that was not a Bond film until 2014.

After editing Thunderball (1965), Hunt asked to direct You Only Live Twice (1967) but was passed over in favor of Lewis Gilbert. Although Hunt initially quit in protest, Broccoli and Saltzman persuaded him to stay as second unit director on the understanding that he would be promoted to director in a future Eon film.[4] Saltzman and Broccoli were impressed with his quick cutting skills and felt he had set the style for the series.[5] Hunt directed the "Little Nellie" sequence of the film.[4] When Gilbert passed on the opportunity to direct On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969), Broccoli and Saltzman selected Hunt as director.[4][5] Hunt also asked for the position during the production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968), and he brought along with him many crew members, including cinematographer Michael Reed and editor John Glen.[6] Hunt was concerned to put his mark on the production – "I wanted it to be different than any other Bond film would be. It was my film, not anyone else's."[7]

On Her Majesty's Secret Service was the last James Bond film on which Hunt worked. Hunt was asked to direct numerous other Eon Bond films — including Live and Let Die, The Spy Who Loved Me, and For Your Eyes Only — but always declined.[4] In 1971, Hunt directed episodes of The Persuaders! with Bond star, Roger Moore; he also directed Moore in Gold (1974) and Shout at the Devil (1976) with Lee Marvin. Although approached by Kevin McClory, he refused to direct Never Say Never Again (1983) afraid that Broccoli would consider him disloyal. His last films included Wild Geese II (1985) and the Cannon Film thrillers, Death Hunt (1981) and Assassination (1987), both starring Charles Bronson. He also directed the epic television miniseries The Last Days of Pompeii (1984).

Personal life

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Hunt spent his later years living in the United States.[1] He was gay and lived with his partner, Nicos Kourtis, from 1975 until his death.[8][9] He died of heart failure on 14 August 2002 at his home in Santa Monica, California, at the age of 77.[10]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Editor Director Other Notes
1940 The Thief of Bagdad No No Yes As associate editor
1943 The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp No No Yes
1949 Badger's Green No No Yes
1950 They Were Not Divided No No Yes
Gone to Earth No No Yes
1951 Cheer the Brave No No Yes
1952 The Man Who Watched Trains Go By Yes No No
1953 Wheel of Fate No No Yes As sound editor
House of Blackmail No No Yes As assistant editor
1954 Orders Are Orders No No Yes
Burnt Evidence No No Yes
Stranger From Venus Yes No No
1956 The Secret Tent Yes No No
Doublecross Yes No No
A Hill in Korea Yes No No
1957 The Admirable Crichton Yes No Yes As second unit director
1958 Next to No Time Yes No No
A Cry from the Streets Yes No No
1959 Ferry to Hong Kong Yes No No
1960 Sink the Bismarck! Yes No No
There Was a Crooked Man Yes No No
1961 The Greengage Summer Yes No No
On the Fiddle Yes No No
1962 H.M.S. Defiant Yes No No
Dr. No Yes No No
1963 Call Me Bwana Yes No No
From Russia with Love Yes No No
1964 Goldfinger Yes No Yes As second unit director
1965 Thunderball Yes No Yes
The Ipcress File Yes No No
1966 Strange Portrait Yes No No
1967 You Only Live Twice Yes No Yes As second unit director
1968 Chitty Chitty Bang Bang No No Yes As title sequence director
1969 Arthur! Arthur! Yes No No
On Her Majesty's Secret Service No Yes No
1974 Gold No Yes No
1976 Shout at the Devil[11] No Yes No
1977 Gulliver's Travels No Yes No
1980 Rough Cut No Uncredited No Replaced by Don Siegel
Night Games Yes No No
1981 Death Hunt No Yes No
1983 The Jigsaw Man No No Yes As second unit director
1985 Wild Geese II No Yes No
1986 Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star No Yes No
1987 Assassination No Yes No

Television

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Year Title Editor Director Notes
1971 The Persuaders! Yes Yes Episode: "Chain of Events"
1972 Shirley's World Yes Episode: "Always Leave Them Laughing"
1978 The Beasts Are on the Streets Yes Television film
1983 Philip Marlowe, Private Eye Yes 2 episodes
1984 The Last Days of Pompeii Yes 4 episodes
1991 Eyes of a Witness Yes Television film

References

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  1. ^ a b "Peter Hunt". The Daily Telegraph. London. 21 August 2002. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
  2. ^ Peter Hunt (2000). Inside Dr. No (DVD). MGM Home Entertainment Inc. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
  3. ^ Peter Hunt, Norman Wanstall (2000). Inside From Russia with Love (DVD). MGM Home Entertainment Inc. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
  4. ^ a b c d Field, Matthew (2015). Some kind of hero : 007 : the remarkable story of the James Bond films. Ajay Chowdhury. Stroud, Gloucestershire. ISBN 978-0-7509-6421-0. OCLC 930556527.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ a b Stutz, Collin (2007). James Bond Encyclopedia. London: Dorling Kindersley. ISBN 978-1-4053-3427-3.
  6. ^ "Director John Glen - James Bond Crew". www.007james.com. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  7. ^ NTR. "De 'vergeten' 007". Andere Tijden (in Dutch). Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  8. ^ Bergan, Ronald (16 August 2002). "Peter Hunt". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Queer re-view: On Her Majesty's Secret Service". Licence to Queer. Retrieved 25 December 2023.
  10. ^ "Peter R. Hunt, 77, Film Editor And Director of a 007 Movie". The New York Times. 25 August 2002. Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  11. ^ Maçek III, J.C. (7 October 2013). "From Heart of Darkness to All Out War: 'Shout at the Devil'". PopMatters.
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