Oliver White and his encounter with Grace Wyndham Goldie

Specially shot video of film editor, Oliver White, talking about his encounter with the legendary Grace Wyndham Goldie, whilst a trainee at Ealing in the late 1960s. Grace Wyndham Goldie was the Head of BBC Television Talks, and later Head of News and Current Affairs, she was a formidable producer and executive. Oliver is talking about the obituary of Dwight D. Eisenhower, who died in 1969. Oliver White worked as a film editor at BBC Pebble Mill for many years, he edited dramas like Nuts in May, Gangsters, Kiss of Death and Red Shift, amongst many others.

This video was recorded at the London Film School, and is part of Royal Holloway’s  ADAPT project, which engineers re-encounters between television practitioners and the historic equipment they once used habitually. I think that the editing machine next to Oliver is a moviescope – can anyone confirm that?

Oliver White with a Moviescope

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The following comment was left on the Pebble Mill Facebook page:

Ieuan Franklin: ‘A fearsome lady by all accounts – Bel Rowley from BBC drama The Hour is based on Grace Wyndham Goldie but the character is a bit too meek for GWG I think! Great to see Oliver, he’s looking well.’

‘The Kiss of Death’ interview with Bob Jacobs


Untitled from pebblemill on Vimeo.

In this interview Bob Jacobs (1st Assistant Director) talks about working with Mike Leigh on the 1977 ‘Play for Today’ The Kiss of Death.

The drama follows the story of a young undertaker, Trevor, played by David Threlfall, as he grows up and explores issues around relationships and commitment.  John Wheatley plays the role of Ronnie, Kay Adshead plays Lindie and Angela Curran plays Sandra.

Bob Jacobs

Oliver White (Editor) – His Unreliable Memoirs – ‘The Kiss of Death’

Kiss of Death by Mike Leigh

Far more interesting than ‘Nuts in May’, because it wasn’t a natural winner.  The performances are stunning.  It introduced David Threlfall to the world.  The leading lady, Mike said, left the profession after this.  A great shame, if so.  It has my favourite sequence of any film I’ve ever cut.  This is when our hero goes to the girl’s home after dealing with the dead baby.  She greets him with, ‘ Yer can’t come in, me mam ain’t in’.  So begins a perfect section of sexual tension.  Fantastic!  At one stage of working on it, apparently he DID say ‘yes’ to going upstairs.  Half way up, our heroine cried, ‘I am coming out of character!!’  The dead baby is awful.  David Rose and I tried hard to get him to drop it.  Is it necessary?  Looking at a bit 10 years ago, I thought it looked rather too tightly cut.  I could be wrong.

Almost forgot!  A very clever music score by Carl Davis a la Hindemith Wry – tongue in cheek, splendid!