Ronald Neame: A Life Behind the Camera
Ronald Neame (1911-2010) was a highly versatile craftsman of British and American cinema whose exceptional career spanned over six decades as a cinematographer, screenwriter, producer, and director. This comprehensive career interview explores his foundational mastery of the medium, beginning as an assistant cameraman on Alfred Hitchcock’s BLACKMAIL (1929), before transitioning into Oscar-nominated screenwriting collaborations with David Lean on classics like BRIEF ENCOUNTER (1945) and GREAT EXPECTATIONS (1946). The documentary also details Neame’s prolific work as a director, highlighting both his close, multi-film partnership with actor Alec Guinness in features like TUNES OF GLORY (1960) and his massive Hollywood box-office triumph helming the definitive disaster masterpiece, THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE (1972). German filmmaker Eckhart Schmidt talked to Ronald Neame in November 2003 at the latter’s home in Beverly Hills.