Christopher Miles
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Christopher Miles (born 19 April 1939) is a British film director, producer and screenwriter.


Personal life

Miles was born in London, England, the eldest of four children to Clarice Remnant (‘Wren’), a councillor, and John Miles, a consulting engineer, whose family had been in the steel industry for several generations. The names of two railway promoters named Miles are on a plaque in
Yarm Yarm, also referred to as Yarm-on-Tees, is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Stockton-on-Tees, North Yorkshire, England. It was previously a port town before the industry moved down the River Tees to more accessible settlements ne ...
commemorating the centenary of the
Stockton and Darlington Railway The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR) was a railway company that operated in north-east England from 1825 to 1863. The world's first public railway to use steam locomotives, its first line connected collieries near Shildon with Darl ...
. At age 16, while still at
Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...
(1953–57), Miles became the first person to show 8mm film on television (6 April 1957), at the invitation of the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
’s children’s program ''
All Your Own ''All Your Own'' is a BBC children's television programme broadcast from 1952 until 1961. The show provided the first television appearances for Jimmy Page, John Williams and the King Brothers. Commissioned by Freda Lingstrom and produced by C ...
''. During this time he helped produce and write a variety entertainment, ''The Begmilian Show'', in which his sister
Sarah Miles Sarah Miles (born 31 December 1941) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in films ''The Servant'' (1963), ''Blowup'' (1966), ''Ryan's Daughter'' (1970), ''The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing'' (1973), '' White Mischief'' (1987) and '' Ho ...
first performed publicly. At age 19, under suspicion of being a spy, he was imprisoned in Communist China for filming in
Chinwangtao Qinhuangdao (; ) is a port city on the coast of China in northern Hebei. It is administratively a prefecture-level city, about east of Beijing, on the Bohai Sea, the innermost gulf of the Yellow Sea. Its population during the 2020 national ...
. In fact he was making his first commissioned film for the owner of the Silver Line, and was released from prison after 20 hours of non-stop questioning. Miles' film footage, which was some of the first from behind the ‘Bamboo Curtain', was later sold to Movietone News. After six months at
Stewarts & Lloyds Stewarts & Lloyds was a steel tube manufacturer with its headquarters in Glasgow at 41 Oswald Street. The company was created in 1903 by the amalgamation of two of the largest iron and steel makers in Britain, A. & J. Stewart & Menzies, Coatbridge ...
Steel Works in
Corby Corby is a town in North Northamptonshire, England, located north-east of Northampton. From 1974 to 2021, the town served as the administrative headquarters of the Borough of Corby. At the 2011 Census, the built-up area had a population of 5 ...
, he decided to study film direction at the Institut des Hautes Études Cinématographiques (1961–62) in Paris. During the summer vacation, he wrote and directed ''A Vol d'Oiseau'' (1962) a half-hour film, which was shown at Studio 28, a Parisian cinema. In 1967 Miles married the painter Suzy Armstrong in Chelsea, where they lived until 1993 when they moved to Wiltshire Their daughter Sophie is a painter and potter. In 2009 Miles organized and raised funds for the restoration of the 1707 Royal Coat of Arms, in their local church. Miles is Patron of the
Christopher Marlowe Christopher Marlowe, also known as Kit Marlowe (; baptised 26 February 156430 May 1593), was an English playwright, poet and translator of the Elizabethan era. Marlowe is among the most famous of the Elizabethan playwrights. Based upon the ...
Society, and helped raise money in 2002 for a window in Westminster Abbey in memory of the great Elizabethan poet and playwright. He is also Vice President of the
D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...
Society; as well as a committee member of Marbles Reunited, which was created to reunite the sculptures taken from the Parthenon temple in Athens by Lord Elgin. From her mother Clarice Remnant's father Francis Remnant,
Sarah Miles Sarah Miles (born 31 December 1941) is an English actress. She is known for her roles in films ''The Servant'' (1963), ''Blowup'' (1966), ''Ryan's Daughter'' (1970), ''The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing'' (1973), '' White Mischief'' (1987) and '' Ho ...
claims to be the great-granddaughter of
Prince Francis of Teck Prince Francis of Teck, (Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick; 9 January 1870 – 22 October 1910) was the younger brother of the British queen Mary of Teck, wife of King George V. Family Francis Joseph Leopold Frederick, known as "Frank", was bo ...
and thus a second cousin once removed of Queen
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...
.


Career

Due to ‘''A Vol d’Oiseau''’ Miles was able to persuade the
Boulting Brothers John Edward Boulting (21 December 1913 – 17 June 1985) and Roy Alfred Clarence Boulting (21 December 1913 – 5 November 2001), known collectively as the Boulting brothers, were English filmmakers and identical twins who became known for thei ...
to part finance his first 35mm project The Six-Sided Triangle (1963), which he wrote, directed and co-produced. The film was nominated for an Academy Award. After joining the Grade Organization,
Leslie Grade Leslie Grade (3 June 1916 – 15 October 1979), born Laszlo (or Lazarus) Winogradsky, was a British theatrical talent agent. In 1943, he co-founded the Grade Organisation (also known as Lew and Leslie Grade Ltd) with his elder brother, the impres ...
asked Miles to write and direct a film for
The Shadows The Shadows (originally known as the Drifters) were an English instrumental rock group, who dominated the British popular music charts in the late 1950s and early 1960s, in the pre- Beatles era. They served as the backing band for Cliff Richard ...
pop group. ''Rhythm ‘n Greens'' (1964) which was distributed as a supporting feature throughout the
ABC Cinemas ABC Cinemas (Associated British Cinemas) was a cinema chain in the United Kingdom. Originally a wholly owned subsidiary of Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), it operated between the 1930s and the 1980s. The brand name was reused in ...
circuit. Grade then offered Miles his first feature film, Up Jumped a Swagman (1965) a surrealist musical comedy. At 26, Miles became the youngest feature director working in England, which position he held for another five years. Attracted to the French attitude to the cinema, and their ways of life, Miles made the Rue Lepic Slow Race (1967), and also filmed an original
Jean Anouilh Jean Marie Lucien Pierre Anouilh (; 23 June 1910 – 3 October 1987) was a French dramatist whose career spanned five decades. Though his work ranged from high drama to absurdist farce, Anouilh is best known for his 1944 play ''Antigone'', an ad ...
screenplay
A Time for Loving ''A Time for Loving'' is from an original screenplay by the French playwright Jean Anouilh, commissioned by the producer Anatole de Grunwald before he died in 1967, which was finally produced by his younger brother Dimitri de Grunwald with Ch ...
(1971) and later
Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...
’s ''The Maids'' (1975) for the
American Film Theatre From 1973 to 1975, using approximately 500 movie theaters across the US, The American Film Theatre presented two seasons of film adaptations of well-known plays. Each film was shown only four times at each theatre. By design, these were not films ...
. ''The Maids'' was shown out of competition at Cannes in 1975. In 1969 he directed ''
The Virgin and the Gypsy ''The Virgin and the Gipsy'' is a short novel (or novella) by English author D.H. Lawrence. It was written in 1926 and published posthumously in 1930. Today it is often entitled ''The Virgin and the Gypsy'' which can lead to confusion because fi ...
'' based on the
D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...
novella, which was voted the best film by both the British Critics Circle and the New York Press, and was nominated for a Golden Globe in 1970. It ran for 18 months in London’s West End and broke Box Office records in New York and established his reputation. The film, a Dimitri de Grunwald production, was screened at Cannes in 1970, but wasn't entered into the main competition. As their film project on another D.H.Lawrence project 'The Plumed Serpent’ was postponed, Miles and his sister Sarah Miles could commit to do a theatre production in Chicago. The Chicago theatre producer David Lonn asked Miles and his sister Sarah to choose a play; They chose
Thornton Wilder Thornton Niven Wilder (April 17, 1897 – December 7, 1975) was an American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes — for the novel ''The Bridge of San Luis Rey'' and for the plays ''Our Town'' and ''The Skin of Our Teeth'' — a ...
’s comedy ‘''Skin of our Teeth''’ (1972), in which Miles directed both theatre and film-in-the-round. The same year the BBC arts program ''Full House'' asked Miles to join other directors outside the BBC to make half hour films of short stories from
James Joyce James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) was an Irish novelist, poet, and literary critic. He contributed to the modernist avant-garde movement and is regarded as one of the most influential and important writers of ...
or
Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860 Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904 Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career ...
. Miles chose Chekhov’s ''Zinotchka'' (1972), which was adapted by
Melvyn Bragg Melvyn Bragg, Baron Bragg, (born 6 October 1939), is an English broadcaster, author and parliamentarian. He is best known for his work with ITV as editor and presenter of ''The South Bank Show'' (1978–2010), and for the BBC Radio 4 documenta ...
with
Charlotte Rampling Tessa Charlotte Rampling (born 5 February 1946) is an English actress, known for her work in European arthouse films in English, French, and Italian. An icon of the Swinging Sixties, she began her career as a model. She was cast in the role ...
in the title role.
Jean Genet Jean Genet (; – ) was a French novelist, playwright, poet, essayist, and political activist. In his early life he was a vagabond and petty criminal, but he later became a writer and playwright. His major works include the novels ''The Thief's ...
’s The Maids (1975) was directed by Miles who co-wrote the screenplay and filmed it in 10 days with
Glenda Jackson Glenda May Jackson (born 9 May 1936) is an English actress and former Member of Parliament (MP). She has won the Academy Award for Best Actress twice: for her role as Gudrun Brangwen in the romantic drama ''Women in Love'' (1970); and again for ...
,
Susannah York Susannah Yolande Fletcher (9 January 1939 – 15 January 2011), known professionally as Susannah York, was an English actress. Her appearances in various films of the 1960s, including '' Tom Jones'' (1963) and '' They Shoot Horses, Don't They?'' ...
and
Vivien Merchant Ada Brand Thomson (22 July 1929 – 3 October 1982), known professionally as Vivien Merchant, was an English actress. She began her career in 1942, and became known for dramatic roles on stage and in films. In 1956 she married the playwright H ...
for the
American Film Theatre From 1973 to 1975, using approximately 500 movie theaters across the US, The American Film Theatre presented two seasons of film adaptations of well-known plays. Each film was shown only four times at each theatre. By design, these were not films ...
. It was shown out of competition in the newly created ‘Yeux Fertiles’ section at Cannes in 1975 A satire on the Common Market brought Miles and Dimitri de Grunwald together again for ''That Lucky Touch'' (1976) which was fully financed from European sources with de Grunwald's European Film Consortium.
David Ambrose David Edwin Ambrose (born 21 February 1943) is a British novelist, playwright and screenwriter. His credits include at least twenty films, four stage plays, and many hours of television, including the controversial ''Alternative 3'' (1977). He w ...
the writer, decided with Miles to re-work the plot of a script he had with
Anglia Television ITV Anglia, previously known as Anglia Television, is the ITV franchise holder for the East of England. The station is based at Anglia House in Norwich, with regional news bureaux in Cambridge and Northampton. ITV Anglia is owned and operated b ...
as if it was a documentary. ''Alternative 3'' (1977) caused a scandal with its supposed landings on Mars and prescient climate-change forebodings and was banned in the USA. Anglia’s chairman
Sir John Woolf Sir John Woolf (15 March 1913, London – 28 June 1999, London) and his brother James Woolf (2 March 1920, London – 30 May 1966, Beverly Hills, California) were British film producers. John and James founded the production companies Romulus Fil ...
, after the success of the film’s worldwide sales, offered Miles the first of the ''Tales of the Unexpected'', then introduced by
Roald Dahl Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...
. In "Neck" (1978) Sir
John Gielgud Sir Arthur John Gielgud, (; 14 April 1904 – 21 May 2000) was an English actor and theatre director whose career spanned eight decades. With Ralph Richardson and Laurence Olivier, he was one of the trinity of actors who dominated the Briti ...
was cast as a butler for the first time. Eager to return to his idea for a film on the life of D.H.Lawrence, Miles collaborated again with writer
Alan Plater Alan Frederick Plater (15 April 1935 – 25 June 2010) was an English playwright and screenwriter, who worked extensively in British television from the 1960s to the 2000s. Career Plater was born in Jarrow, County Durham, although his family ...
. Eventually a financier was found to back the project which had
Ian McKellen Sir Ian Murray McKellen (born 25 May 1939) is an English actor. His career spans seven decades, having performed in genres ranging from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction. Regarded as a British cultural i ...
in the lead. ‘''Priest of Love''’ (1981) was filmed in Cornwall, Nottingham, Oaxaca, Florence, and France in the houses where Lawrence actually wrote, painted and died. The film opened the London and the San Diego Film Festivals in 1981. While waiting for
Melina Mercouri Maria Amalia "Melina" Mercouri (, 18 October 1920 – 6 March 1994) was a Greek actress, singer, activist, and politician. She came from a political family that was prominent over multiple generations. She received an Academy Award nomination a ...
and ERT/Greek National Television to him the go-ahead for his script on how Lord Elgin acquired the marbles from the Parthenon, he made three documentaries with Greek connections. ''Daley’s Decathlon''’ (1982) in which
Daley Thompson Francis Morgan Ayodélé Thompson, (born 30 July 1958), better known as Daley Thompson, is a British former decathlete. He won the decathlon gold medal at the Olympic Games in 1980 and 1984, and broke the world record for the event four tim ...
not only won the event, but broke the World Record enabling Miles to get the best film existing of the first athlete in history to hold European, Commonwealth and Olympic Gold medals simultaneously. Then Miles co-wrote and directed the ‘''Marathon''’ (1983) for Channel 4, and ‘''Aphrodisias - city of Aphrodite''’ (1984). Finally Jules Dassin, (Melina Mercouri’s husband) cleared the way for the docu-drama of ‘''Lord Elgin and Some Stones of No Value''’ (1985) to begin shooting on the Acropolis. On condition that Miles could continue making films, he accepted the Royal College of Art's invitation to run the Film and Television courses as ''Professor of Film and Television'' (1989 - 1993). However the promise proved unworkable, but the talented post-graduate students' films won the Fuji Prize twice during this period and were also televised. In 1997 Miles embarked on a 3-hour television series ‘''Love in the Ancient World''’ (1998), for which he also wrote a book on the subject, illustrated with his own photographs, as well as directing and co-producing the series. Filming took place over most of the Mediterranean basin, and in many European museums. Plato’s ‘Symposium’ was also enacted. This section was only broadcast by Bayerischer Rundfunk in Germany, but not in the USA by A&E, where Kathleen Turner hosted a 2-hour version of the program. The 18th-century Stanway House in Gloucestershire provided the setting for Miles’ film version of the David Garrick and George Coleman’s comedy of the ′''Clandestine Marriage''’ (2000) to a successful finale, which was completed in six weeks despite the producers' momentary lapse in funding. On 4 and 5 June 2010 the oldest cinema in Paris, Studio 28 in Montmartre, had a retrospective “Un Anglais de Paris" of 4 of Miles’ films with French connections. To celebrate the 28th Olympiad in Athens, Miles teamed up with ERT TV in Greece again, to examine the myths and truths of the modern Games in ‘''Fire from Olympia''’ (2004), which was re-edited and distributed as a DVD in 2012 for the London Olympics.British Video Association – Soda 117 - 2 July 2012


Publications

''Alternative 3'' - based on the TV film by David Ambrose & Christopher Miles written by Leslie Watkins First published Sphere Books Ltd (UK) - (1978) Reprinted (1980) Subsequently published in Athens, Greece by Konidarin Press (1978) -USA Avon Books (1979) - Spain Ediciones Martinez Roca SA (1980) - Japan by Tama Publishing Co. Ltd., (1981) Reprinted (1990) – also see ‘Casebook on Alternative 3’ by Jim Keith ‘''Love in the Ancient World''’ written by Christopher Miles with John Julius Norwich First published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson UK (1997) Subsequently, published by St Martin’s Press New York (1997) ‘Liebe in der Antike’ -VGS, Cologne,Germany (1997) Reprinted in paperback by Seven Dials UK (1998)


Filmography

* ''A Vol d'Oiseau'' (1962) * '' The Six-Sided Triangle'' (1963) * '' Rhythm 'n' Greens'' (1964) * '' Up Jumped a Swagman'' (1965) * ''Rue Lepic Slow Race'' (1967) * ''
The Virgin and the Gypsy ''The Virgin and the Gipsy'' is a short novel (or novella) by English author D.H. Lawrence. It was written in 1926 and published posthumously in 1930. Today it is often entitled ''The Virgin and the Gypsy'' which can lead to confusion because fi ...
'' (1970) * ''
A Time for Loving ''A Time for Loving'' is from an original screenplay by the French playwright Jean Anouilh, commissioned by the producer Anatole de Grunwald before he died in 1967, which was finally produced by his younger brother Dimitri de Grunwald with Ch ...
'' (1971) * '' Zinotchka'' - TV (1972) * ''
The Maids ''The Maids'' (french: Les Bonnes, links=no) is a 1947 play by the French dramatist Jean Genet. It was first performed at the Théâtre de l'Athénée in Paris in a production that opened on 17 April 1947, which Louis Jouvet directed. The pla ...
'' (1974) * ''
That Lucky Touch ''That Lucky Touch'' is a 1975 British-West German comedy film directed by Christopher Miles and starring Roger Moore, Susannah York and Shelley Winters. The film was shot at Pinewood Studios, with location shooting around Brussels. The film's ...
'' (1975) * ''
Alternative 3 ''Alternative 3'' is a 1977 British television mockumentary. Only aired once in the United Kingdom, it was later aired in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand as a hoax. Purporting to be an investigation into the UK's contemporary " brain drain" ...
'' - TV (1977) * ''Neck'' TV (1978) * ''
Priest of Love ''Priest of Love'' is a British biographical film about D. H. Lawrence and his wife Frieda (née Von Richthofen) played by Ian McKellen and Janet Suzman. It was a Stanley J. Seeger presentation, produced and directed by Christopher Miles and ...
'' (1981) * '' Daley's Decathlon'' - TV (1982) * ''Marathon'' - TV (1983) * ''Aphrodisias - City of Aphrodite'' - TV (1984) * '' Lord Elgin and Some Stones of No Value'' - TV (1986) * ''Cyclone Warning Class 4'' - TV (1994) * '' Love in the Ancient World'' - TV 3x1hr (1997) * ''
The Clandestine Marriage ''The Clandestine Marriage'' is a comedy by George Colman the Elder and David Garrick, first performed in 1766 at Drury Lane. It is both a comedy of manners and a comedy of errors. The idea came from a series of pictures by William Hogarth entit ...
'' (2000) * '' Fire from Olympia'' - TV (2004)


Awards

* '' San Francisco Film Festival USA'' - Best Live Action Short (nom) 1963 '' - A Vol d’Oiseau’'' * '' Academy Awards USA'' - Best live action short (nom) 1963 '' - Six-sided Triangle'' * '' Taormina International Film Fest'' - Best Film (nom) 1970 '' - The Virgin & The Gypsy'' * '' British Film and Television Press Guild'' - Won Best Film 1971 '' - The Virgin & The Gypsy'' * '' 29th Golden Globe Awards USA '' - Best English Language Foreign Film (nom) 1971 '' - The Virgin & The Gypsy'' * '' National Board of Review USA'' - Won Best film for 1971 '' - The Virgin & The Gypsy'' * ''
Laurel Awards The Laurel Awards was an American cinema awards system established to honor films, actors, actresses, producers, directors, and composers. This award was created by the ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' magazine, and ran from 1948 to 1971 (with the e ...
- Stars of Tomorrow (nom)
Joanna Shimkus Joanna Marie Poitier ( Shimkus; born 30 October 1943) is a Canadian film actress. She is the widow of actor Sidney Poitier and mother of actress Sydney Tamiia Poitier. Early life Joanna Marie Shimkus was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, to Josep ...
'' 1971 '' - The Virgin & The Gypsy'' * ''
Laurel Awards The Laurel Awards was an American cinema awards system established to honor films, actors, actresses, producers, directors, and composers. This award was created by the ''Motion Picture Exhibitor'' magazine, and ran from 1948 to 1971 (with the e ...
- Stars of Tomorrow (nom)
Franco Nero Francesco Clemente Giuseppe Sparanero (born 23 November 1941), known professionally as Franco Nero, is an Italian actor, producer, and director. His breakthrough role was as the title character in the Spaghetti Western film '' Django'' (1966), ...
'' 1971 '' - The Virgin & The Gypsy'' * '' UK Video Awards'' - (Runner Up) - 1983 '' - Dailey's Decathlon'' * ''
Newport Beach Film Festival The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is an annual film festival in Newport Beach, California, typically held in late April. In 2022, it was announced that the festival have permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival beg ...
'' - Won Best Cinematography 2000 '' - The Clandestine Marriage''


Theatre

* '' Skin of Our Teeth'' (1973)


Related books

* ''The English Novel and the Movies'' - Gontarski, S.E. (Ed. Michael Klein & Gilian Parker) Frederick Ungar Publishing Co /New York - "The Virgin and the Gypsy" - An English Watercolor * ''D.H.Lawrence - Fifty Years on Film'' - Greiff, Louis K. (Southern Illinois University Press) 'Foxes and Gypsies on Film' * ''30 Ans de Cinéma Britannique'' - Raymond Lefevre & Roland Lacourbe, (presse de la Sipe) - editions cinema 76 * ''Cinema in Britain'' - Butler, Ivan (South Brunswick and New York: A.S.Barnes & Company London: The Tantivy Press) * ''Young Meteors'' - Aitkin, Jonathan (Martin Secker & Warburg (1967) Pages 241, 242)


References


External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Miles, Christopher 1939 births Living people Film directors from London People educated at Winchester College