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Fergus McDonell

March 13, 2023

Fergus McDonell (1910-1974) was an English film editor and director.[1] He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Odd Man Out (1947),[2] and his film The Hideout (aka The Small Voice) received a nomination for Best British Film at the 1949 BAFTA Awards.

Fergus McDonell
Born(1910-10-06)6 October 1910
Ticehurst, East Sussex
Died3 January 1984(1984-01-03) (aged 73)
Norwich, Norfolk
Occupation(s)Film editor and director
Years active1937-1974

Early life

Fergus McDonell was one of five children born to Angus MacDonnell, Judge of Trichonopoly, Madras and his wife Elsie Murdoch. His grandfather was Lord Aeneas Ranald MacDonell, 19th Chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry. Members of this family variously spell their surname ‘MacDonnell’, ‘Macdonnell’ and ‘McDonell’; Fergus used the latter spelling throughout his life.

As was the custom among members of the Indian Civil Service during the Raj, it is likely that McDonell spent his early childhood in India and was sent back to England for his education.[3] His brother Angus died at age two; he and his three other brothers attended Sedbergh School in Cumbria.

Career

In 1937, McDonell entered the film world as an editor on The Claydon Treasure Mystery, one of a series of B movies or ‘Quota Quickies’ which he would make between 1937 and 1950. Quota Quickies were a response to the protectionist Cinematograph Films Act 1927, which was intended to limit Hollywood imports and ensure that a healthy percentage of films screened in British cinemas were of British origin. American producers got around it by setting up shell companies in the UK to make low-budget films, often shot on two-week schedules. Their quality was so poor that it was not unusual for theatre owners to apologize to their customers, in advance. These ‘B’ films did not intend to be serious but they offered a springboard for talent, and a way for filmmakers to hone their craft.[4]

The films that McDonnel worked on, however, were of a better quality; his last B movie, Private Information (1952), was one of 15 films selected by Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane in their book The British 'B' Film, as among the most meritorious of the British B films made in Britain between World War II and 1970. Chibnall and McFarlane praise McDonell's "sensitive regard for human relationships and for the ways in which the pressure of circumstance highlights aspects of character", and they note that he "had a knack for obtaining striking performances from his leading ladies".[5]

Private Information was the third film McDonell directed; by now, he was accomplished enough as an editor that Carol Reed’s 1947 film Odd Man Out garnered McDonell an Academy Award nomination for the Best Film Editing. The first film he directed, 1948’s The Hideout (also released as The Small Voice) received a nomination for Best British Film at the 1949 BAFTA Awards.

McDonell’s achievements caught the attention of the National Film Board of Canada and he was offered a job. In 1951, he moved to Ottawa and became an NFB editor. As an editor, he worked on 84 documentaries and short films; he became an NFB director in 1956 and made 31 films.

In 1959, McDonell left the NFB to take the job of directing some of the episodes of the CBC series R.C.M.P.. He was simultaneously working on four episodes of a 12-film psychiatric series by his NFB colleague Robert Anderson called The Disordered Mind, which would also air on the CBC. He made two additional psychiatric films for Anderson and Geigy Pharmaceuticals, returned to the NFB as editor on two documentaries and, in 1961, moved back to England.

McDonell would not direct again, but he would act as editor of another 17 films, including the wildly popular What's New Pussycat? (1962). That was followed by, among others, The Caretaker, 1965’s Four in the Morning (which would win Judi Dench the 1966 BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer), Stephen Frears first film Gumshoe (1971) and the critically-acclaimed Khartoum (1966). His last film was Terence Donovan’s Yellow Dog; he retired in 1974.

Personal life and death

In 1931, McDonell married Wendy Hamblin. They had three children, including the producer and editor Robin Murdoch McDonell.[citation needed] Fergus McDonnel died in Norfolk in 1984, at age 74.[6][7]

Filmography

National Film Board of Canada

Editor,[19] Director[20]

  • Canada’s Atom Goes to Work - documentary short, Roger Blais 1952 - editor
  • Beyond the Frontier - documentary short, Ronald Dick 1952 - editor
  • Singing Champions - documentary short, Roger Blais 1952 - co-editor with Arshad Mirza
  • The Mountain Movers - documentary short, Ron Weyman 1952 - editor
  • Citizen Varek - documentary short, Gordon Burwash 1953 - editor
  • Les deux pieds sur terre - documentary short, Larry Gosnell 1953 - editor
  • Canada at the Coronation - documentary, Allen Stark 1953 - co-editor with Eldon Rathburn and Kenneth Heeley-Ray
  • The Harbour - documentary short, Ernest Kirkpatrick 1953 - editor
  • The Newcomers - documentary short, David Bennett 1953 - co-editor with Douglas Tunstall
  • Farewell Oak Street - documentary short, Grant McLean 1953 - editor
  • The Ballot-o-Maniac - documentary short, Stanley Jackson 1953 - editor
  • Let’s Talk About Films - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1953 - editor
  • In Search of Home - documentary short, Ron Weyman 1953 - editor
  • Mission Ship - documentary short, Robert Anderson 1953 - editor
  • Inland Seaport - documentary short, Roger Blais 1953 - editor
  • Man Is a Universe - documentary short, Ron Weyman 1954 - editor
  • Bottleneck - documentary short, Leslie McFarlane 1954 - editor
  • The War on Want - documentary short, Gordon Burwash 1954 - editor
  • Vigil in the North - documentary short, 1954 - editor, director
  • College in the Wilds - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1954 - editor
  • Frontier College - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1954 - editor
  • Men at Work - documentary short, Donald Peters 1954 - editor
  • Diggers of the Deeps - documentary short, Grant McLean 1954 - editor
  • High Tide in Newfoundland - documentary short, Grant McLean 1954 - co-editor with Marion Meadows
  • British Empire and Commonwealth Games - documentary short, Jack Olsen 1954 - editor
  • The Curlers - documentary short, William Davidson 1955 - editor
  • Prairie Profile - documentary short, Gordon Burwash 1955 - editor
  • Problem Clinic - documentary short, Ron Weyman 1955 - editor
  • Road of Iron - documentary, Walford Hewitson 1955 - editor
  • The Dikes - documentary short, Roger Blais 1955 - editor
  • In This Dark World - documentary short, Jean Lenauer 1955 - editor
  • Strike in Town - documentary short, Leslie McFarlane 1955 - editor
  • The Shepherd - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1955 - editor
  • The Pony - short film, Lawrence Cherry 1955 - editor
  • Airwomen - documentary short, Ian MacNeill 1956 - editor
  • L'homme à l'âge de la machine - documentary short, Donald Peters 1956 - editor
  • Stress - documentary short, Ian MacNeill 1956 - editor
  • Operation Life Saver - documentary short, Isobel Kehoe 1956 - editor
  • Frontiers to Guard - documentary short, Ian MacNeill 1956 - editor
  • Are People Sheep? - documentary short, Julian Biggs 1956 - editor
  • Crash Rescue and Firefighting - documentary short, 1956 - editor, director
  • Train 406 - documentary short, 1956 - editor, director
  • Back into the Sun - documentary short, 1956 - director
  • Methods of Instruction - documentary short, 1956 - director
  • Morning Incident - documentary short, 1956 - director
  • The Nativity Cycle - documentary short, 1956 - director
  • The Cage - short film, 1956 - director
  • The Longer Trail - short film, 1956 - director
  • The Yellow Leaf - short film, 1956 - director
  • Borderline - documentary short, 1957 - director
  • Double Verdict - documentary short, 1957 - director
  • Capital City - documentary short, 1957 - director
  • Flagged for Action - documentary short, 1957 - director
  • Test Pilot -short film, 1957 - director
  • The Two Kingstons - documentary short, 1957 - director
  • The Happy Fugitive - short film, 1957 - director
  • The Street - short film, 1957 - director
  • None but the Lonely - short film, 1957 - director
  • The Harvest - short film, 1957 - director
  • The Ticket - documentary short, 1958 - director
  • Western Brigade - documentary short, 1958 - director
  • Un héritage, une tradition, une marine - documentary short, Kirk Jones 1960 - editor
  • An Enduring Tradition - documentary, Kirk Jones 1960 - editor
  • Canada’s Navy - documentary short, Kirk Jones 1962 - editor

References

  1. ^ Fergus McDonell at the British Film Institute
  2. ^ "The 20th Academy Awards | 1948". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
  3. ^ Mason, Michael; Allen, Charles (1975). Plain Tales from the Raj. ISBN 9780233967103. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  4. ^ Chibnall, Steve. "Quota Quickies: The Birth of the British 'B' Film". screeningthepast.com. Screening the Past. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  5. ^ Steve Chibnall & Brian McFarlane, The British 'B' Film, Palgrave Macmillan, London, 2009, p. 267–68.
  6. ^ "Search Results for England & Wales Births 1837-2006 | findmypast.co.uk". www.findmypast.co.uk.
  7. ^ "Search Results for England & Wales Deaths 1837-2007 | findmypast.co.uk". www.findmypast.co.uk.
  8. ^ "The Medial Use of Hypnosis". screenculture.org. CESIF. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  9. ^ "Voices in Space". screenculture.org. CESIF. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  10. ^ "New North : Part 2. New Patterns in Flight". screenculture.org. CESIF. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Man's Adaptability to Cold (Polar People)". screenculture.org. CESIF. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  12. ^ "The Faces of Depression : A Phenomenological Approach to the Depression Syndrome". screenculture.org. CESIF. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  13. ^ "Pathological Anxiety". archive.org. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  14. ^ "A Coronary". worldcat.org. Worldcat. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Pathological Anxiety". archive.org. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  16. ^ "A Depression". screenculture.org. CECIC. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  17. ^ "Psychopath". archive.org. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Emotional Factors in General Practice". psychiatryonline.org. Psychiatry Online. doi:10.1176/ps.13.3.181. Retrieved 14 February 2023.
  19. ^ "Fergus McDonell, Editor". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 18 February 2023.
  20. ^ "Fergus McDonell, Director". onf-nfb.gc.ca. National Film Board of Canada. Retrieved 18 February 2023.

External links

  • Fergus McDonell at IMDb


March 13, 2023
fergus, mcdonell, 1910, 1974, english, film, editor, director, nominated, academy, award, best, film, editing, 1947, film, hideout, small, voice, received, nomination, best, british, film, 1949, bafta, awards, born, 1910, october, 1910ticehurst, east, sussexdi. Fergus McDonell 1910 1974 was an English film editor and director 1 He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for Odd Man Out 1947 2 and his film The Hideout aka The Small Voice received a nomination for Best British Film at the 1949 BAFTA Awards Fergus McDonellBorn 1910 10 06 6 October 1910Ticehurst East SussexDied3 January 1984 1984 01 03 aged 73 Norwich NorfolkOccupation s Film editor and directorYears active1937 1974 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 3 Personal life and death 4 Filmography 5 References 6 External linksEarly life EditFergus McDonell was one of five children born to Angus MacDonnell Judge of Trichonopoly Madras and his wife Elsie Murdoch His grandfather was Lord Aeneas Ranald MacDonell 19th Chief of Clan MacDonell of Glengarry Members of this family variously spell their surname MacDonnell Macdonnell and McDonell Fergus used the latter spelling throughout his life As was the custom among members of the Indian Civil Service during the Raj it is likely that McDonell spent his early childhood in India and was sent back to England for his education 3 His brother Angus died at age two he and his three other brothers attended Sedbergh School in Cumbria Career EditIn 1937 McDonell entered the film world as an editor on The Claydon Treasure Mystery one of a series of B movies or Quota Quickies which he would make between 1937 and 1950 Quota Quickies were a response to the protectionist Cinematograph Films Act 1927 which was intended to limit Hollywood imports and ensure that a healthy percentage of films screened in British cinemas were of British origin American producers got around it by setting up shell companies in the UK to make low budget films often shot on two week schedules Their quality was so poor that it was not unusual for theatre owners to apologize to their customers in advance These B films did not intend to be serious but they offered a springboard for talent and a way for filmmakers to hone their craft 4 The films that McDonnel worked on however were of a better quality his last B movie Private Information 1952 was one of 15 films selected by Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane in their book The British B Film as among the most meritorious of the British B films made in Britain between World War II and 1970 Chibnall and McFarlane praise McDonell s sensitive regard for human relationships and for the ways in which the pressure of circumstance highlights aspects of character and they note that he had a knack for obtaining striking performances from his leading ladies 5 Private Information was the third film McDonell directed by now he was accomplished enough as an editor that Carol Reed s 1947 film Odd Man Out garnered McDonell an Academy Award nomination for the Best Film Editing The first film he directed 1948 s The Hideout also released as The Small Voice received a nomination for Best British Film at the 1949 BAFTA Awards McDonell s achievements caught the attention of the National Film Board of Canada and he was offered a job In 1951 he moved to Ottawa and became an NFB editor As an editor he worked on 84 documentaries and short films he became an NFB director in 1956 and made 31 films In 1959 McDonell left the NFB to take the job of directing some of the episodes of the CBC series R C M P He was simultaneously working on four episodes of a 12 film psychiatric series by his NFB colleague Robert Anderson called The Disordered Mind which would also air on the CBC He made two additional psychiatric films for Anderson and Geigy Pharmaceuticals returned to the NFB as editor on two documentaries and in 1961 moved back to England McDonell would not direct again but he would act as editor of another 17 films including the wildly popular What s New Pussycat 1962 That was followed by among others The Caretaker 1965 s Four in the Morning which would win Judi Dench the 1966 BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer Stephen Frears first film Gumshoe 1971 and the critically acclaimed Khartoum 1966 His last film was Terence Donovan s Yellow Dog he retired in 1974 Personal life and death EditIn 1931 McDonell married Wendy Hamblin They had three children including the producer and editor Robin Murdoch McDonell citation needed Fergus McDonnel died in Norfolk in 1984 at age 74 6 7 Filmography EditThe Claydon Treasure Mystery feature Manning Haynes 1938 editor I Met a Murderer feature Roy Kellino 1939 editor Asking for Trouble feature Oswald Mitchell 1942 editor The Dummy Talks feature Oswald Mitchell 1943 co editor with Jack Harris On Approval feature Clive Brook 1944 editor The Way Ahead feature Carol Reed 1944 editor The Way to the Stars aka Johnny in the Clouds feature Anthony Asquith and Charles Saunders 1945 editor Odd Man Out feature Carol Reed 1947 editor The Small Voice aka The Hideout feature 1948 director Prelude to Fame feature 1950 director Private Information feature 1952 director L Homme a l age de la machine short film Donald Peters 1956 editor R C M P Little Girl Lost series episode 1959 director R C M P Day of Reckoning series episode 1960 director R C M P Trackdown series episode 1960 director The Medical Use of Hypnosis documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 8 Voices in Space documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 9 New North Part 2 New Patterns in Flight documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 10 Man s Adaptability to Cold Polar People documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 11 Faces of Depression documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 12 Pathological Anxiety documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 13 The Disordered Mind Psychosomatic Disorders A Coronary documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 14 The Disordered Mind Psychoneurotic Conditions A Pathological Anxiety documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 15 The Disordered Mind Psychotic Conditions A Depression documentary short Robert Anderson and Henwar Rodakiewicz 1960 editor 16 The Disordered Mind Anti Social Personality Disorders A Psychopath documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 17 Emotional Factors in General Practice documentary short Robert Anderson 1960 editor 18 They Took Us to the Sea documentary short John Krish 1961 editor Some People feature Clive Donner 1962 editor The Caretaker aka The Guest feature Clive Donner 1963 editor Nothing but the Best feature Clive Donner 1964 editor Four in the Morning feature Anthony Simmons 1965 editor What s New Pussycat feature Clive Donner 1965 editor The Three Musketeers TV series 10 episodes Peter Hammond 1966 editor Khartoum feature Basil Dearden 1966 editor Only When I Larf feature Basil Dearden 1966 editor Charlie Bubbles feature Albert Finney 1968 editor Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush feature Clive Donner 1968 editor Alfred the Great feature Clive Donner 1969 editor Spring and Port Wine feature Peter Hammond 1970 editor Unman Wittering and Zigo feature John Mackenzie 1971 editor Gumshoe feature Stephen Frears 1971 supervising editor Mistress Pamela feature Jim O Connolly 1973 supervising editor Yellow Dog feature Terence Donovan 1973 editorNational Film Board of CanadaEditor 19 Director 20 Canada s Atom Goes to Work documentary short Roger Blais 1952 editor Beyond the Frontier documentary short Ronald Dick 1952 editor Singing Champions documentary short Roger Blais 1952 co editor with Arshad Mirza The Mountain Movers documentary short Ron Weyman 1952 editor Citizen Varek documentary short Gordon Burwash 1953 editor Les deux pieds sur terre documentary short Larry Gosnell 1953 editor Canada at the Coronation documentary Allen Stark 1953 co editor with Eldon Rathburn and Kenneth Heeley Ray The Harbour documentary short Ernest Kirkpatrick 1953 editor The Newcomers documentary short David Bennett 1953 co editor with Douglas Tunstall Farewell Oak Street documentary short Grant McLean 1953 editor The Ballot o Maniac documentary short Stanley Jackson 1953 editor Let s Talk About Films documentary short Julian Biggs 1953 editor In Search of Home documentary short Ron Weyman 1953 editor Mission Ship documentary short Robert Anderson 1953 editor Inland Seaport documentary short Roger Blais 1953 editor Man Is a Universe documentary short Ron Weyman 1954 editor Bottleneck documentary short Leslie McFarlane 1954 editor The War on Want documentary short Gordon Burwash 1954 editor Vigil in the North documentary short 1954 editor director College in the Wilds documentary short Julian Biggs 1954 editor Frontier College documentary short Julian Biggs 1954 editor Men at Work documentary short Donald Peters 1954 editor Diggers of the Deeps documentary short Grant McLean 1954 editor High Tide in Newfoundland documentary short Grant McLean 1954 co editor with Marion Meadows British Empire and Commonwealth Games documentary short Jack Olsen 1954 editor The Curlers documentary short William Davidson 1955 editor Prairie Profile documentary short Gordon Burwash 1955 editor Problem Clinic documentary short Ron Weyman 1955 editor Road of Iron documentary Walford Hewitson 1955 editor The Dikes documentary short Roger Blais 1955 editor In This Dark World documentary short Jean Lenauer 1955 editor Strike in Town documentary short Leslie McFarlane 1955 editor The Shepherd documentary short Julian Biggs 1955 editor The Pony short film Lawrence Cherry 1955 editor Airwomen documentary short Ian MacNeill 1956 editor L homme a l age de la machine documentary short Donald Peters 1956 editor Stress documentary short Ian MacNeill 1956 editor Operation Life Saver documentary short Isobel Kehoe 1956 editor Frontiers to Guard documentary short Ian MacNeill 1956 editor Are People Sheep documentary short Julian Biggs 1956 editor Crash Rescue and Firefighting documentary short 1956 editor director Train 406 documentary short 1956 editor director Back into the Sun documentary short 1956 director Methods of Instruction documentary short 1956 director Morning Incident documentary short 1956 director The Nativity Cycle documentary short 1956 director The Cage short film 1956 director The Longer Trail short film 1956 director The Yellow Leaf short film 1956 director Borderline documentary short 1957 director Double Verdict documentary short 1957 director Capital City documentary short 1957 director Flagged for Action documentary short 1957 director Test Pilot short film 1957 director The Two Kingstons documentary short 1957 director The Happy Fugitive short film 1957 director The Street short film 1957 director None but the Lonely short film 1957 director The Harvest short film 1957 director The Ticket documentary short 1958 director Western Brigade documentary short 1958 director Un heritage une tradition une marine documentary short Kirk Jones 1960 editor An Enduring Tradition documentary Kirk Jones 1960 editor Canada s Navy documentary short Kirk Jones 1962 editorReferences Edit Fergus McDonell at the British Film Institute The 20th Academy Awards 1948 Oscars org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Mason Michael Allen Charles 1975 Plain Tales from the Raj ISBN 9780233967103 Retrieved 18 February 2023 Chibnall Steve Quota Quickies The Birth of the British B Film screeningthepast com Screening the Past Retrieved 18 February 2023 Steve Chibnall amp Brian McFarlane The British B Film Palgrave Macmillan London 2009 p 267 68 Search Results for England amp Wales Births 1837 2006 findmypast co uk www findmypast co uk Search Results for England amp Wales Deaths 1837 2007 findmypast co uk www findmypast co uk The Medial Use of Hypnosis screenculture org CESIF Retrieved 14 February 2023 Voices in Space screenculture org CESIF Retrieved 14 February 2023 New North Part 2 New Patterns in Flight screenculture org CESIF Retrieved 14 February 2023 Man s Adaptability to Cold Polar People screenculture org CESIF Retrieved 14 February 2023 The Faces of Depression A Phenomenological Approach to the Depression Syndrome screenculture org CESIF Retrieved 14 February 2023 Pathological Anxiety archive org Retrieved 14 February 2023 A Coronary worldcat org Worldcat Retrieved 14 February 2023 Pathological Anxiety archive org Retrieved 14 February 2023 A Depression screenculture org CECIC Retrieved 14 February 2023 Psychopath archive org Retrieved 14 February 2023 Emotional Factors in General Practice psychiatryonline org Psychiatry Online doi 10 1176 ps 13 3 181 Retrieved 14 February 2023 Fergus McDonell Editor onf nfb gc ca National Film Board of Canada Retrieved 18 February 2023 Fergus McDonell Director onf nfb gc ca National Film Board of Canada Retrieved 18 February 2023 External links EditFergus McDonell at IMDb Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Fergus McDonell amp oldid 1142371240, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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