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'''Peter Sykes''' (June 17, 1939 - March 1st, 2006) was an Australian television and film director who worked primarily in the United Kingdom.<ref>http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/191712</ref>
'''Peter Sykes''' (June 17, 1939 - March 1st, 2006) was an Australian television and film director who worked primarily in the United Kingdom.<ref>http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/191712</ref>
==Biography==
==Biography==
He was born in [[Melbourne]] and worked as a dancer, then as an assistant director on documentaries and children's shows on Australian television. He moved to [[London]] in 1963, where he did an 18-month training cadetship with the [[BBC]], and then moved into documentaries.<ref>Basil Gilbert, "Peter Sykes", ''Cinema Papers'', July 1977 p 34-36, 95</ref>
He was born in [[Melbourne]] and worked as a dancer, then as an assistant director on documentaries and children's shows on Australian television. He moved to [[London]] in 1963.


He wrote to a fellow Australian, Donald Levy, admiring a documentary Levy had made called ''Time In''. Sykes worked for Levy as an assistant on the film ''Herostratus''. Sykes did an 18-month training cadetship with the [[BBC]] then made the documentary ''[[Walkabout to Cornwall]]''.<ref>Gilbert p 34</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article128655182 |title=ways." Cornwall walkabout |newspaper=[[The Canberra Times]] |volume=40, |issue=11,450 |location=Australian Capital Territory, Australia |date=23 April 1966 |accessdate=11 April 2019 |page=9 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref>
He worked with [[Peter Brook]] on a number of projects, including ''[[Tell me Lies]]''. He made a series of documentaries and commercials, including the documentary ''Walking to Cornwall''.

He was commissioned to make a series of films for the British Pavilion exhibit at Expo 67 in Montreal. The series was called ''Britain Around the World''. It led to him meeting [[Peter Brook]] who invited Sykes to produce ''[[Tell Me Lies]]''. <ref>Gilbert p 35</ref>
===Features===
===Features===
He was asked by Max Steuer to direct ''The Committee''. According to ''Sight and Sound'' the film "had a fairly successful if controversial art house career" and while being "top heavy with rather pretentious theatrical dialogue... contained good sequences and was put together with some flair."<ref name="sight">New Blood
Max Steuer admired ''Walkabout to Cornwall'' and he invited Sykes to direct ''The Committee''.<ref>http://sparebricks.fika.org/sbzine05/sections/speaktome.html</ref> According to ''Sight and Sound'' the film "had a fairly successful if controversial art house career" and while being "top heavy with rather pretentious theatrical dialogue... contained good sequences and was put together with some flair."<ref name="sight">New Blood
Pirie, David. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 40, Iss. 2, (Spring 1971): 73.
Pirie, David. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 40, Iss. 2, (Spring 1971): 73.
</ref> [[Kenneth Tynan]] called it "admirable".<ref>SHOUTS AND MURMURS KENNETH TYNAN
</ref> [[Kenneth Tynan]] called it "admirable".<ref>SHOUTS AND MURMURS KENNETH TYNAN
Line 13: Line 15:
Anonymous. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 17, Iss. 4, (Apr 2007): 96</ref>
Anonymous. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 17, Iss. 4, (Apr 2007): 96</ref>


One of his ''Avengers'' episodes, "Noon Doomsday", was much praised.
One of his ''Avengers'' episodes, "Noon Doomsday", was much praised. Sykes was set to direct a war film, ''The Rules of War'', but that fell through and instead he directed ''Venom'' which he called "a romantic fantasy with horror overtones".<ref name="sight"/><ref>Gilbert p 35</ref>

Sykes was set to direct a war film, ''The Rules of War'', but that fell through and instead he directed ''Venom'' which he called "a romantic fantasy with horror overtones".<ref name="sight"/>
===Hammer===
===Hammer===
Sykes was hired by Hammer to direct ''Blood Will be Blood'' which became ''Demons of the Mind''.
Sykes was hired by Hammer to direct ''Blood Will be Blood'' which became ''[[Demons of the Mind]]'' (1972).


He did two comedies, ''[[The House in Nightmare Park]]'' with Frankie Howerd, and ''[[Steptoe and Son Ride Again]]'' for Hammer.
He did two comedies for EMI, ''[[The House in Nightmare Park]]'' with Frankie Howerd, and ''[[Steptoe and Son Ride Again]]''.


Sykes returned to television for ''[[Orson Welles Great Mysteries]]''. He wrote ''Beware the Darkness'' and directed ''Eddie and the Lucky Salt Peanut'' (1974).<ref name="ham">{{cite magazine|first=Keith|last=Dudley|title=Who Were Hammer? Peter Sykes|url=https://archive.org/details/Hammer_Horror_005_1995.Marvel/page/n46?q=%22peter+sykes%22|magazine=Hammer Horror|year=1995|page=46-47}}</ref>
Sykes returned to television for ''[[Orson Welles' Great Mysteries]]''. He wrote ''Beware the Darkness''.<ref name="ham">{{cite magazine|first=Keith|last=Dudley|title=Who Were Hammer? Peter Sykes|url=https://archive.org/details/Hammer_Horror_005_1995.Marvel/page/n46?q=%22peter+sykes%22|magazine=Hammer Horror|year=1995|page=46-47}}</ref>


He directed the last of the Hammer horror films, ''[[To the Devil a Daughter]]'' (1976).
He directed the last of the Hammer horror films, ''[[To the Devil a Daughter]]'' (1976).
===Later Career===
===Later Career===
Sykes went to France in 1977 to direct the series ''Magicians of the Future''. He went to Israel to direct ''Jesus''.<ref name="ham"/>
Sykes went to France in 1977 to direct the series ''Magicians of the Future''. He was meant to return to Australia to direct ''Eddie and the Breakthrough'' (also known as ''Eddie and the Lucky Peanut'') but the film was never made.<ref>Gilbert p 95</ref>

He went to Israel to direct ''Jesus''.<ref name="ham"/>


Sykes went to Greece to make ''The Search for Alexander the Great'' and then to Ireland for the second series of ''[[The Irish R.M.]]''.
Sykes went to Greece to make ''The Search for Alexander the Great'' and then to Ireland for the second series of ''[[The Irish R.M.]]''.
Line 36: Line 38:
==Selected filmography==
==Selected filmography==
*''South Bank'' (1964) (documentary) - assistant editor
*''South Bank'' (1964) (documentary) - assistant editor
*''Walkabout to Cornwall'' (1966) (documentary about surfers) - director
*''[[Walkabout to Cornwall]]'' (1966) (documentary about surfers) - director
*''Britain Around the World'' (1967) (17 short documentaries) - director
*''Britain Around the World'' (1967) (17 short documentaries) - director
*''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' (1967–68) (TV series) - director
*''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' (1967–68) (TV series) - director
Line 51: Line 53:
*''[[Emmerdale (TV series)|Emmerdale]]'' (1980) (TV series) - director
*''[[Emmerdale (TV series)|Emmerdale]]'' (1980) (TV series) - director
*''[[The Search for Alexander the Great]]'' (1981) (TV series) - director
*''[[The Search for Alexander the Great]]'' (1981) (TV series) - director
*''The Blues Band'' (1981) - director
*''[[The Irish R.M.]]'' (1984) (TV series) - director
*''[[The Irish R.M.]]'' (1984) (TV series) - director
*''The Lost Secret'' (1985) - director

*''MAC Satellite Broadcasting'' (1988) (documentary) - director
*''The Other Britain'' (1989) (documentay) - director
*''Castle of Holstebro'' (1990) - director
*''The Merger'' (1995) (TV drama) - director
*''Kaosmos'' (1996) (Danish TV) - director
==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}
==Notes==
*{{cite magazine|url=https://issuu.com/libuow/docs/cinemapaper1977julno013 |first=Basil |last=Gilbert|title=Peter Sykes|magazine=Cinema Papers|date=July 1977|pages=34-36, 95}}


==External links==
==External links==

Revision as of 13:19, 11 April 2019

Peter Sykes (June 17, 1939 - March 1st, 2006) was an Australian television and film director who worked primarily in the United Kingdom.[1]

Biography

He was born in Melbourne and worked as a dancer, then as an assistant director on documentaries and children's shows on Australian television. He moved to London in 1963.

He wrote to a fellow Australian, Donald Levy, admiring a documentary Levy had made called Time In. Sykes worked for Levy as an assistant on the film Herostratus. Sykes did an 18-month training cadetship with the BBC then made the documentary Walkabout to Cornwall.[2][3]

He was commissioned to make a series of films for the British Pavilion exhibit at Expo 67 in Montreal. The series was called Britain Around the World. It led to him meeting Peter Brook who invited Sykes to produce Tell Me Lies. [4]

Features

Max Steuer admired Walkabout to Cornwall and he invited Sykes to direct The Committee.[5] According to Sight and Sound the film "had a fairly successful if controversial art house career" and while being "top heavy with rather pretentious theatrical dialogue... contained good sequences and was put together with some flair."[6] Kenneth Tynan called it "admirable".[7]

On the strength of this, Sykes was asked to direct some episodes of The Avengers. Sykes recalled they told him, "Look, we've seen this film. We don't understand it, but it looks fantastic, the atmosphere is amazing. Would you come and direct The Avengers? He says "It was a passport for me to do something completely different."[8]

One of his Avengers episodes, "Noon Doomsday", was much praised. Sykes was set to direct a war film, The Rules of War, but that fell through and instead he directed Venom which he called "a romantic fantasy with horror overtones".[6][9]

Hammer

Sykes was hired by Hammer to direct Blood Will be Blood which became Demons of the Mind (1972).

He did two comedies for EMI, The House in Nightmare Park with Frankie Howerd, and Steptoe and Son Ride Again.

Sykes returned to television for Orson Welles' Great Mysteries. He wrote Beware the Darkness.[10]

He directed the last of the Hammer horror films, To the Devil a Daughter (1976).

Later Career

Sykes went to France in 1977 to direct the series Magicians of the Future. He was meant to return to Australia to direct Eddie and the Breakthrough (also known as Eddie and the Lucky Peanut) but the film was never made.[11]

He went to Israel to direct Jesus.[10]

Sykes went to Greece to make The Search for Alexander the Great and then to Ireland for the second series of The Irish R.M..

He did The Lost Secret for the BBC and The Defectors for Video Arts[10]

In the 1990s he taught scriptwriting at Winchester University while also directing for Danish television.

He died in 2006.

Selected filmography

References

  1. ^ http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/individual/191712
  2. ^ Gilbert p 34
  3. ^ "ways." Cornwall walkabout". The Canberra Times. Vol. 40, , no. 11, 450. Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 23 April 1966. p. 9. Retrieved 11 April 2019 – via National Library of Australia.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  4. ^ Gilbert p 35
  5. ^ http://sparebricks.fika.org/sbzine05/sections/speaktome.html
  6. ^ a b New Blood Pirie, David. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 40, Iss. 2, (Spring 1971): 73.
  7. ^ SHOUTS AND MURMURS KENNETH TYNAN The Observer (1901- 2003); London (UK) [London (UK)]09 June 1968: 30.
  8. ^ Last Word: Letters Anonymous. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 17, Iss. 4, (Apr 2007): 96
  9. ^ Gilbert p 35
  10. ^ a b c Dudley, Keith (1995). "Who Were Hammer? Peter Sykes". Hammer Horror. p. 46-47.
  11. ^ Gilbert p 95

Notes

  • Gilbert, Basil (July 1977). "Peter Sykes". Cinema Papers. pp. 34–36, 95.

External links


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