Peter MacDonald was born in North West London on 20 June 1939. He finished his education at Secondary Modern School, now called High Schools. He left at fifteen and his first job was with an Australian newspaper based in Fleet Street, London. He spent around six months with them. He then saw an advertisement for the screen advertising company Pearl and Dean at the now long gone Southhall Studios, London. He wrote to them and they gave him a job as a clapper boy. He said he knew then that film was the business he wanted to work in.
After Pearl and Dean he went on to shoot TV material for a company called Sapphire Films, who were based at Walton Studios, Walton–Upon Thames, London. He was a clapper loader on a children’s favourite at the time, Robin Hood. He also loaded for Sir Lancelot and The Four Just Men. MacDonald called it a good learning curve.
Later, he entered features as a clapper loader. The first three, which included First Man in Space (1959) were photographed by the late Geoffrey Faithful (1893–1979), who MacDonald regarded as one of his mentors.
He went on to work with director of photography Geoffrey Unsworth (1914–1978), first as a clapper loader on The Main Attraction (1962), then as a focus puller on Half a Sixpence (1967) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). He began focus pulling on The Bliss of Mrs Blossom (1968) but was promoted to camera operator when a B camera was required. He went on to operate for Unsworth on several pictures, including A Bridge Too Far (1977) and Superman (1978). His first outing as a second unit director was Zulu Dawn (1979). After this he went back to operating on main units between more second unit directing work. He would sometimes also be the DP on the second unit. In 1984 he became a DP on Secret Places (1984). He then worked on films either as a DP, operator or second unit director. Later, he moved into main unit directing and as a producer.
What were your first memories?
My first memories were during WW2. They were fear, noise, smoke, and a great uncertainty. Even as a five year old I realised it was serious. After the war it was very grey and your playground was a bomb site.
When did cinema come into your life?
The cinema for me and many others during and after the war was escapism. It was an escape from reality—from a world that was hanging in rags. You saw films and believed them even though later you found out it wasn’t true. America wasn’t full of heroic cowboys and Doris Days singing over a picket fence.
When did you become an operator?
I worked with Geoff Unsworth on The Bliss of Mrs Blossom (1968) as a focus puller. We got behind schedule and the director Joe McGrath and Geoff said we need a permanent “B” camera, so they gave me the job operating it. These were good times. The 10.1 zoom had just come out. It was the sixties and anything was allowed.
Where did you go after working on The Bliss of Mrs Blossom?
I got a phone call from cinematographer/director Jack Cardiff [1914–2009] about working on Girl on a Motorcycle (1968) as an operator. He made it very clear to me that I would be given a two-week trial. I passed, and the film was good fun because we went all round Europe. I think that took four months to shoot.
How long were you an operator for?
A long time—I loved every second of it. Of course in those days there was no video playback, you were the only one who saw the image when you shot. Everyone else had to wait twenty-four hours; if on location sometimes a week. It was a job you had to be trusted at. I loved the responsibility. I worked very closely with directors. DPs like Geoffrey Unsworth allowed me to do the set-ups while they concentrated on the lighting. It was a wonderful and difficult job because you had to judge whether something worked or not.
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Peter MacDonald operating the camera on The Girl on a Motorcycle (1968), for Jack Cardiff who was both director and cinematographer. Courtesy of Peter MacDonald
What was your first big picture as a camera operator and who directed it?
The first big studio film was The Assasination Bureau (1969) shot at Pinewood Studios, London, with director Basil Dearden [1911–1971], a former director at Ealing Studios. He was a little man and he had one of those little man’s problems. Everyone was terrified of him, including myself because it was my first big opportunity. Dearden said: “There goes my schedule, here comes the apprentice operator,” which scared me. In some ways it was good because I was determined to do well. We used a 10.1 zoom lens on some shots. We mixed the zoom and the camera moves so you can change sizes as you are tracking. Dearden hadn’t worked with this before and I think eventually he was impressed with that because you worked quicker.
What was it like working on A Bridge Too Far (1977)?
That was great. Richard Attenborough, the director was the first to admit that great big set piece battles weren’t really his strong point, so he allowed myself and the assistant director David Tomblin [1930–2005] a lot of input into working out, for example the big parachute drop, which had over twenty cameras on it. Robin Browne took control of the aerial shots and I took control of the ground-based cameras. It was a challenge because you were telling a true story of incredible bravery and incredible stupidity by the people that organised it by not listening to reports they were getting in. So I felt a great responsibility to make it as real as possible. It was all shot in Holland. The Dutch authorities allowed us to close the bridge which replicated the Arnhem road bridge for several weeks and people would go to work and visit friends by ferry boat. Every week we would have a different star coming on the bridge to do their bit, so it was never boring. What was wonderful was that a lot of the people who had been soldiers at Arnhem were with us as advisors. Anthony Hopkins [1937– ] played Colonel John Dutton Frost, a wonderful man, who led the brigade. The real Frost was with us. We had lined up a tracking shot and during rehearsals we tracked really fast. I heard Colonel Frost [1912–1993], who was behind me say, “Peter, I never ran.” We had a private, a Welsh man, who had lost both legs. I asked him if that was true. He said, “Oh yes, sometimes he’d do a fast walk but he never ran in front of the Germans.” I think it was good for us and the actors to work with the real people. While filming we lost a set by the bridge that went on fire.
What do you think of digital cinematography?
I think there is a lot going for it. I know there is a lovely nostalgia for film but I don’t think we will go back that way again. When you see people who know how to use digital, it is great. I feel the downside to this is you have people working from black tents. Now there is not the working relationship I was used to. We were on the floor next to the actors.
Did you only do five films as a DP because you wanted to concentrate on directing?
I never felt I would be in the same league as cinematographer Geoffrey Unsworth and David Watkin [1925–2008], whose work I admired. I wasn’t too sure I would ever be in that league. I worked a long time as an operator and in those days you influenced the shots quite a lot, not so much now. I had done my hand in glove with the director. I have always had great admiration for actors and enjoyed their company, on the floor, not so much out of work. I had a very lucky break to work with second units and work with some of the top stars in the world.
Why were you asked to direct the main unit of Rambo 3?
There was a lot of sacking taking place, which included cameramen, editors, and assistant directors. Eventually Australian director Russell Mulcahy [1953– ]was fired. Sylvester Stallone asked me to take over and I was intrigued by the challenge. I tried very hard to change the Rambo character a bit and make him a vulnerable and humorous person. I failed totally.
Rambo 3 was your first film as the main unit director—did you feel nervous?
I knew instinctively what was a good and bad shot. Sylvester Stallone [1946– ] knew his character because it was his third outing as Rambo. I wasn’t shooting Shakespeare and at times it was hard to take it seriously.
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Peter MacDonald directing Sylvester Stallone on the set of Rambo 3 (1988). Courtesy of Peter MacDonald
Were several cameras used on the stick fighting sequence?
No, I did it all myself using a hand held camera. The scene, which was shot in Bangkok, was done in short pieces because the moves were very difficult. Stallone would remember three or four moves, and then we would cut. It was shot fairly quickly.
Was that the only part where you operated the camera?
When a sacking took place I would fill in for a day or two until another operator was hired. They were a tough bunch and if they didn’t like you it was best to leave the picture because you would be got rid of anyway.
How did you achieve the great special effects on the tank and fighting the Soviets sequences?
For real. Rambo 3 was long before digital effects. We shot the final battle in Arizona. The film was shot in Israel, Thailand, and Arizona USA. There were so many restrictions in Israel, where you could and couldn’t shoot. The producers and Stallone decided they would go back to Arizona where they had looked long before I was on the film. There was a group there called the re-enactors. We had around two hundred and fifty of these guys who re-enact the American Civil War. They were called on to do fight sequences, which they loved.
What was Stallone like to work with?
When he was playing Rambo he became Rambo, throwing himself into the part. We got on quite well. I never had a drink or meal with him because I don’t think we had too much in common.
Did you have stand ins for Stallone?
He had a couple of stand ins and they were incredible. Even ten or fifteen feet away you couldn’t tell the difference. They had the same type of body and once you put the wigs and headbands on there was no telling the difference. They were really good, and nice guys. Stallone did some of the dangerous stuff himself, for example riding horses. We would often rehearse with a stand in. I would shoot using 800mm lenses to wide angle. It was obviously a worry letting Stallone do certain shots but the horses were very well trained. Before the shot, the double would have done a rehearsal so Stallone would know exactly where to go. You would explain very carefully where the different explosions would occur. We had a marvellous special effects man named Tommy Fisher. Tommy would watch very carefully and if the actors were too near an explosive device he wouldn’t press the button. Back then you couldn’t make a film that looked dangerous without there being an element of danger in it.
Was it always your goal to be a director?
Yes, I always liked it. Sometimes I couldn’t understand why some directors were so bad tempered until I started directing myself. Then I realised it is not only what happens during the day, it’s the phone calls you get at night from the studio and people promising you one thing but not actually coming up with it, and I could see the frustration.
How did you get to become a second unit director on Zulu Dawn (1979)?
I’d worked a lot with David Tomblin, who I think was the best first assistant director we have ever had. David and I were approached to work on the second unit and would share the responsibility of directing. I would also photograph and do some operating. When we arrived in South Africa David said: “We can’t have two people creatively directing, so you do the directing and I’ll make sure you are ok.” We shot Zulu Dawn during the apartheid times. There were lots of upsetting things to see but David and I would not allow anything on our crew, so they had to make the camp where we lived an international zone. So it meant the Zulus and the wonderful black actors we had were all allowed to eat in the same place as us. You could see a lot of the local people didn’t like it. I couldn’t believe it. I had black actors who had been on Broadway and directed on Broadway but were expected to eat in the car park and not eat with us. David and I were quite strong characters and wouldn’t allow that.
Would you tell me about working on The NeverEnding Story 3?
The NeverEnding Story 3 (1994) was shot at the beginning of the digital era. We were torn between the old fashioned way of working. We had special effects men Derek Meddings and Paul Wilson on board. I didn’t really have enough help in my opinion to know what you could do digitally. In those days you were charged by the frame. After we had edited the film I went away for a break and when I came back the producer had re-edited it and anything he felt was scary was cut out. With that a lot of the effects were taken out, which I had been given for free. I felt the film had been watered down compared to the first The NeverEnding Story. It was disappointment for me. I talked to my agent about taking my name off the film. I was talked out of it—he said if you do that you are going to have that reputation. I tried all I could to persuade them to put some material back but not enough to make it what it should have been.
What films stick in your memory?
Cinematographer Geoff Unsworth and I spent many years working together, which was a joy. Not only was he a great cameraman, he was a beautiful person. I had John Campbell as focus puller and Frankie Batt as my dolly grip. We were just like a family. I guess the highlights at that time, film wise, were A Bridge Too Far (1977), Murder on the Orient Express (1974) with Sidney Lumet [1924–2011], who was an incredibly good director, and Cabaret (1972) with Bob Fosse [1927–1987], who I regard as one of the best directors I have ever worked with.
What was it like working on Legionnaire (1998)?
The film was shot in Morocco and I felt we made a very honest film. I went to Paris and met two proper Legionnaires. One was in his eighties; he was a wonderful man, one of the most interesting I have ever met in my life. I learned what the Legion was. It was nothing like I’d ever seen before. Everyone was equal. Everyone walked through the desert with the same amount of food and drink. There was no preferential treatment. There was great comradeship between them all. I tried to get all that into the film and I think we succeeded. We had a very good cast and we finished on schedule. The performances were very good—it is a film I am proud of.
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Peter MacDonald with director Bob Fosse on the set of Cabaret (1972). Courtesy of Peter MacDonald
Would you name some of the great directors you have enjoyed working with?
The top of my list is Bob Fosse. I loved working with Sidney Lumet, who was the most precise director I have ever met in my life. John Boorman [1933– ] was fantastic and Richard Donner was superb on Superman. Others include Tim Burton, Sir Laurence Olivier [1907–1989], Alfonso Cuaron [1961– ], and Barbra Streisand [1942– ].
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Barbra Streisand and Peter MacDonald on the set of Yentl (1983). Courtesy of Peter MacDonald
What would you say was your best moment?
I think the best moment was on Cabaret because I had a very good working relationship with Bob Fosse, who was very open to suggestions. In rushes he would say, “By the way that is Peter’s idea, not mine.” On Cabaret producers wanted a glossy Hollywood musical. Bob Fosse didn’t. He wanted a smoky atmospheric film that told the story. He had helped re-invent the musical and I guess the Oscars proved who was right.
Do you find more can be achieved in a day with modern equipment?
No, just the opposite. When I was an operator working for example with Sidney Lumet you would do an eight-hour day. I don’t remember even on things like A Bridge Too Far going over schedule or budget. Now we have to do a ten-hour continuous day, which means you don’t stop for lunch and usually there is an hour or two tagged on the end of it. So we are doing a twelve-hour day without a break. I don’t think modern technology has in any way made filming speedier.
Have you any industry heroes?
There is Geoffrey Unsworth, who I always looked up to. David Watkin, who in my opinion was the most original cameraman. He was very inventive, even though he pretended it didn’t matter. Alex Thomson did wonderful work and I felt he never got the acclaim he deserved. Another one I admire is the American DP Haskell Wexler [1922– ]. I have met him a few times and he is still enthusiastic and making films.
Have you interests away from the film set?
I enjoy classical and jazz music, travel, reading, theatres, and movies.
Filmography
Robin Hood, TV (1955/1956); clapper loader
Sir Lancelot, TV (1956/1957); clapper loader
The Flesh is Weak (1957, Don Chaffey); clapper loader
Man From Tangier (1957, Lance Comfort); clapper loader
Mark of the Phoenix (1958, Maclean Rogers); clapper loader
High Hell (1958, Burt Balaban); clapper loader
A Night to Remember (1958, Roy Ward Baker); clapper loader
Carlton Browne of the FO (1959, Roy Boulting and Jeffrey Dell); clapper loader
Tiger Bay (1959, J. Lee Thompson); clapper loader
Break Out (1959, Don Chaffey); clapper loader
The Giant Behamoth (1959, Douglas Hickox and Eugene Lourie); clapper loader
The Navy Lark (1959, Gordon Parry); clapper loader
Bobbikins (1959, Robert Day); clapper loader
First Man into Space (1959, Robert Day); clapper loader
Hands of Orlac (1960, Edmund T. Greville); clapper loader
Never Let Go (1960, John Guillermin); clapper loader
City of the Dead (1960, John Llewellyn Moxey as John Moxey); clapper loader
Petticoat Pirates (1961, David MacDonald); clapper loader
The Frightened City (1961, John Lemont); clapper loader
The Main Attraction (1962, Daniel Petrie); clapper loader
Boy on the Bridge (1962); clapper loader
The Guns of Navarone (1961, J. Lee Thompson); model unit focus puller
The Inspector (1962, Philip Dunne); 2nd unit focus puller
HMS Defiant (1962, Lewis Gilbert); 2nd unit focus puller
Becket (1964, Peter Glenville); 2nd unit focus puller
Blow Up (1966, Michelangelo Antononi); focus puller
Half a Sixpence (1967, Geoffrey Unsworth); focus puller
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968, Stanley Kubrick); focus puller
The Bliss of Mrs Blossom (1968, Joseph McGrath)
Girl on a Motorcycle (1968, Jack Cardiff); camera operator
The Assassination Bureau (1969, Basil Dearden); camera operator
The Magic Christian (1969, Joseph McGrath); camera operator
The Reckoning (1969, Jack Gold); camera operator
Cromwell (1970, Ken Hughes); camera operator
Goodbye Gemini (1970, Alan Gibson); camera operator
Three Sisters (1970, Laurence Oliver, John Sichel); camera operator
Say Hello to Yesterday (1971, Alvin Rakoff); camera operator
Unman, Wittering and Zigo (1971, John MacKenzie); camera operator
Cabaret (1972, Bob Fosse); camera operator
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1972, William Sterling); camera operator
Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing (1973, Alan J. Pakula); camera operator
Don Quixote (1973, Robert Helpmann, Rudolf Nureyev); camera operator
Voices (1973, Kevin Billington); camera operator
Zardoz (1974, John Boorman); camera operator
The Internecine Project (1974, Ken Hughes); camera operator
Murder on the Orient Express (1974, Sydney Lumet); camera operator
The Return of the Pink Panther (1975, Blake Edwards); camera operator
Royal Flash (1975, Richard Lester); camera operator
Lucky Lady (1975, Stanley Donen); camera operator
A Matter of Time (1976, Vincente Minnelli); camera operator
A Bridge Too Far (1977, Richard Attenborough); camera operator
Superman (1978, Richard Donner); camera operator
Force 10 from Navarone (1978, Guy Hamilton); model unit camera operator
Zulu Dawn (1979, Douglas Hickox) DP and 2nd unit director
Charlie Muffin, TV movie (1979, Jack Gold); camera operator
Hopscotch (1980, Ronald Neame); camera operator
Superman 2 (1980, Richard Lester, Richard Donner, uncredited); camera operator
Excalibur (1981, John Boorman); DP second unit
The Last of Linda Cleer, short (1981, Bob Mahoney); camera operator
Ragtime (1981, Milos Forman) B camera UK
The Return of the Soldier (1982, Alan Bridges); camera operator
Yentl (1983, Barbra Streisand); camera operator
Gorky Park (1983, Michael Apted); camera operator
Reflections (1984, Kevin Billington); camera operator
The Company of Wolves (1984, Neil Jordan); director of effects photography
Electric Dreams (1984, Steve Barron); camera operator
Rambo: First Blood 2, (1985, George P. Cosmatos); DP helicopter unit
Legend (1985, Ridley Scott); camera operator
Cry Freedom (1987, Richard Attenborough); 2nd unit camera operator
Rambo 3 (1988); director
Batman (1989, Tim Burton); camera operator, 2nd unit camera operator
Tango and Cash (1989, Andrey Konchalovsky as Andrei Konchalovsky, Albert Magnoli, uncredited); producer
Graffiti Bridge (1990, Prince); producer
Shining Through (1992, David Seltzer); 2nd unit director
Radio Flyer (1992, Richard Donner and David M. Evans); 2nd unit director
Mo’ Money (1992); director
Nowhere to Run (1993, Robert Harmon); 2nd unit director
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, TV series (1993); director
The NeverEnding Story 3: Return to Fantasia (1994); director
The Quest (1996, Jean-Claude Van Damme); 2nd unit director
Tales from the Crypt, TV series, 1 episode (1996); director
Batman and Robin (1997, Joel Schumacher); 2nd unit director
Supply and Demand, TV movie (1997); director
Legionnaire (1998); director
Cleopatra, TV mini series (1999); 2nd unit director
The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: The Phantom Train of Doom, video (1999); director
The Extreme Adventure of Super Dave, video (2000); director
Harbour Lights, TV series, one episode (2000); director
The Monkey King, TV movie (2001); director
Just Visiting (2001, Jean-Marie Poire); 2nd unit director
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2001, Chris Columbus); 2nd unit director, uncredited
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002, Chris Columbus); 2nd unit director
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004, Alfonso Cuaron); 2nd unit director
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005, Mike Newell); 2nd unit director
Eragon (2006, Stefen Fangmeir); 2nd unit director
The Bourne Ultimatum (2007, Paul Greengrass); 2nd unit director
The Golden Compass (2007, Chris Weitz); 2nd unit director
X-men Origins: Wolverine (2009, Gavin Hood); 2nd unit director
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010, Chris Columbus); 2nd unit director
Wrath of the Titans (2012, Jonathan Liebesman); 2nd unit director
Jack the Giant Slayer (2013, Bryan Singer); 2nd unit director
Gaurdians of the Galaxy (2014, James Gun); 2nd unit director
Mortdecai (2014, David Koepp); 2nd unit director
Awards
Rambo 3 (1988) 1989: Nominated. Worst Director. Razzie award
The NeverEnding Story 3 (1994) 1995: Nominated for Best Film. International Fantasy Film Award, Fantasporto