Lindsay Craig Shonteff (5 November 1935 – 11 March 2006) was a Canadian born

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

and

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

who achieved fame for low-budget films produced in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

Biography

Lindsay Shonteff was born in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and made his directing, producing, editing and screenwriting debut in 1959 with a Canadian made

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

''The Hired Gun''/''The Last Gunfighter'' that he edited in his own home. After the film's release, Shonteff went to England following his friend and fellow Canadian

Sidney J. Furie Sidney Joseph Furie (born February 28, 1933) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and producer best known for his extensive work in both British and American cinema between the 1960s and early 1980s. Like his contemporaries Norman Jewison ...

. Shonteff's debut in Britain was '' Devil Doll'' (1964); Furie was originally scheduled to direct, but was offered a more prestigious film and recommended Shonteff. Richard Gordon said Furie advised Shonteff throughout the making of the film. Shonteff had to cut the horror tale of a ventriloquist's dummy for an

X rating An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences. Aust ...

from the

British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC, previously the British Board of Film Censors) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of fi ...

. This film led to interest from

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

for a contract but Shonteff argued over the matter and the contract did not come through. Shonteff then filmed the "African horror adventure" ''

Curse of Simba ''Curse of Simba'', also known as ''Voodoo Blood Death'', is a black-and-white 1965 British-American supernatural horror film set in Africa, but filmed in England in 18 days. Its producer was Kenneth Rive and it was directed by Lindsay Shonteff. ...

'' (aka ''Curse of the Voodoo'') in 1965 for Gordon. The same year, he co-wrote and directed a

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

type film for producer S.J.H. "James" Ward, '' Licensed to Kill''. The film was picked up for American and international release by

Joseph E. Levine Joseph Edward Levine (September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the ...

; it was re-edited and retitled ''The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World''. Reportedly Shonteff was offered a contract by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

but disagreed on conditions. Shonteff collaborated again with Ward on ''

Run with the Wind is a 2006 Japanese novel by Shion Miura. The novel has received a manga and a live-action film adaptation, as well as an anime television series adaptation by Production I.G that aired from October 2, 2018 to March 26, 2019. Synopsis Kak ...

'' in 1966. He then directed

Harry Alan Towers Harry Alan Towers (19 October 1920 – 31 July 2009) was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 ...

's ''

The Million Eyes of Sumuru ''The Million Eyes of Sumuru'' is a 1967 British spy film produced by Harry Alan Towers, directed by Lindsay Shonteff and filmed at the Shaw Brothers studios in Hong Kong. It stars Frankie Avalon and George Nader, with Shirley Eaton as the t ...

'' in 1967. In 1969, Shonteff directed the rarely seen crime film '' Clegg'', followed in 1970 by the horror film ''

Night After Night After Night ''Night After Night After Night'', also known as ''Come Nightfall'', ''He Kills Night after Night after Night'', and ''The Night Slasher'', is a 1969 British thriller film directed by Lindsay Shonteff (as Lewis J. Force) and starring Jack May, ...

'' and the cult film ''Permissive'' which explored the world of

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s. In addition, Shonteff directed the 1971 sex drama ''

The Yes Girls ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' and the rarely seen crime thriller ''

The Fast Kill ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

'' in 1972. He then directed the cult exploitation film ''

Big Zapper ''Big Zapper'' is a 1973 British action film directed by Lindsay Shonteff and starring Linda Marlowe, Gary Hope and Sean Hewitt. It was followed by a sequel '' The Swordsman''.Sheridan p.99 Cast * Linda Marlowe as Harriet Zapper * Gary Hope as K ...

'' in 1973, and its sequel, '' The Swordsman'', the following year. With the publicity battle between the rival

s of

Albert R. Broccoli Albert Romolo Broccoli ( ; April 5, 1909 – June 27, 1996), nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pi ...

('' The Spy Who Loved Me'') and

Kevin McClory Kevin O'Donovan McClory (8 June 1924 – 20 November 2006) was an Irish screenwriter, film producer, and film director. McClory was best known for producing the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' and for his legal battles with the character's cre ...

(the projected ''James Bond of the Secret Service'') in 1977, Shonteff returned to the

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...

fold with '' No. 1 of the Secret Service'' (originally titled ''008 of the Secret Service''). He followed this with ''

Licensed to Love and Kill '' Licensed to Love and Kill'' is a 1979 imitation James Bond film starring Gareth Hunt as British secret agent Charles Bind. It was directed and written by Lindsay Shonteff and produced by his wife Elizabeth Gray. The film had the working title ...

'' (1979) and ''

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'' (1990). He also directed a film adaptation of

Len Deighton Leonard Cyril Deighton (; born 18 February 1929) is a British author. His publications have included cookery books, history and military history, but he is best known for his spy novels. After completing his national service in the Royal Air Fo ...

's '' Spy Story'' in 1976.

Later life and death

Shonteff's later work included '' How Sleep the Brave'', a

Vietnam war The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

project, filmed in England in 1981.http://www.lindsayshonteff.com Shonteff died on the last day of production of his final film ''Angels, Devils, and Men''. When he died, he was married to his wife of over 44 years, Christina.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Angels Devils and Men
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shonteff, Lindsay 1935 births 2006 deaths Canadian male screenwriters Film directors from Toronto Writers from Toronto 20th-century Canadian screenwriters