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Peter Whitehead (filmmaker)

December 15, 2023

For other people named Peter Whitehead, see Peter Whitehead (disambiguation).

Peter Lorrimer Whitehead (8 January 1937 – 10 June 2019) was an English writer and filmmaker who documented the counterculture in London and New York in the late 1960s.

Early life and career edit

Peter Whitehead was born in Liverpool, England. He was from a working class background and was awarded a scholarship to attend Ashville College, Harrogate. He was top of his class in almost all subjects, and was both captain of the rugby team and the church organist. This led him to receive another scholarship from Peterhouse, Cambridge, to study mathematics, physics and chemistry, but upon arriving there after completing National Service he switched instead to physiology, mineralogy and crystallography.[1] He later studied art and film at the Slade School of Art in London.[1]

After leaving Cambridge Whitehead developed a career as a film maker. He is best known during this period for his work as a director of promotional film clips (precursors to the modern music video), including a version of "Interstellar Overdrive" for Pink Floyd and several clips for The Rolling Stones. In 1966 Whitehead, together with the novelist and historian Andrew Sinclair, founded Lorrimer Publishing, which published the original screenplays of classic films. Sheridan Morley wrote: "Their format is a simple one: the script itself, with detailed descriptions where action takes over from the words, published with a brief introduction and sideline notes where necessary."[2]

In 1969, Whitehead abandoned film making and escaped to the desert in Morocco, at which time his career as a falconer began.

The Falconer edit

In 1997, Iain Sinclair collaborated with Chris Petit, sculptor Steve Dilworth, digital artist Dave McKean and others to make The Falconer, a 56-minute semi-fictional "documentary" film about Whitehead, set in London and the Outer Hebrides. This film was described by Sinclair in 2003 as "Initially he (Whitehead) loved the film... his determination to tell his story was such that he kept bombarding us with amazing fragments and endless images, because he's one of the few people whose entire life was documented in images".[3] The film also features Stewart Home, Kathy Acker and Howard Marks.

Books edit

Whitehead's books include Nora (1990), Hartshead Revisited: A Fiction? (1993) and Bronte Gate (1999). His novels include The Risen (1994) and Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine Arts (2007).

In 1997 Whitehead published Baby Doll (Velvet, 1997), drawing on photographs he took in 1972 during production of his feature-length film Daddy (made with artist Niki de Saint Phalle). Many of the photographs are of model/actress/heiress Mia Martin (known for her appearances in the Benny Hill shows and Hammer films such as The Satanic Rites of Dracula). The writer Iain Sinclair later described Daddy as a "nightmarish film... shot in some chateau in France... unspeakable... I couldn't even bring myself to look at the material in the book".[3]

Documentary edit

Paul Cronin’s two-part documentary In the Beginning Was the Image: Conversations With Peter Whitehead (2006) consists of new and archival interviews with Whitehead plus extracts from his work.

Personal life and later years edit

While a student at Cambridge, Whitehead met Diane Cottrill and had two daughters, Tamsin and Sian. In 1959 he met Swedish student Britt Svensson and married her in Stockholm in 1960. They moved to London and divorced in 1964. In the 1960s he met the actress Coral Atkins and had a son, Harry.[4][5] In 1979 he had a friendship with Deanna Jones and they had a daughter Joanna Woodrow.

In 1980, he met Dido Goldsmith, the daughter of Teddy Goldsmith and niece of Sir James Goldsmith. They were married six weeks after meeting. The couple had four daughters, Robin, Leila, Charlene and Rosetta.[5] Robin Whitehead, a film maker and photographer, died from a heroin overdose on 24 January 2010 at the age of 27.[6] Her family alleged that Robin's involvement with the musician Pete Doherty and his circle of friends contributed to her death.[7]

Whitehead died in London on 10 June 2019, aged 82.[1]

Filmography edit

Music Promos edit

Bibliography edit

  • Godard, Jean-Luc (1966). Alphaville: A Film. Translated by Whitehead, Peter. Lorrimer Films: London. (also Simon & Schuster, New York) English translation and description of action by Whitehead
  • Godard, Jean-Luc (1969). Pierrot Le Fou. Translated by Whitehead, Peter. Lorrimer Films: London. (also Simon & Schuster, New York) English translation and description of action by Whitehead
  • Whitehead, Peter (1990). Nora and... Brookside Press. ISBN 978-0851730127.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Whitehead, Peter (1993). Hartshead Revisited: A Fiction?. Hathor Publishing. ISBN 978-0952203506.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Whitehead, Peter (1994). The Risen. Hathor Publishing. ISBN 978-0952203513.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Whitehead, Peter (1997). Baby Doll. Velvet Publications: London. ISBN 978-1871592788.
  • Whitehead, Peter (1999). BrontëGate: The Memoirs of MI5 Agent Milton Crookshank, Edited by Peter Whitehead. A Gothic Romance. Hathor Publishing. ISBN 978-0952203520.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Whitehead, Peter (1999). Tonite Let's All Make Love In London. Hathor Publishing. ISBN 978-0952203582.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Whitehead, Peter (2007). Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine Arts. Hathor Publishing. ISBN 978-0952203568.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Whitehead, Peter; Sorensen, John (2015). The Mystical Filmmaker: An Encounter. Sticking Place Books. ISBN 978-1942782186.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

References edit

  1. ^ a b c Sweeting, Adam (13 June 2019). Peter Whitehead obituary, The Guardian. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  2. ^ Morley, Sheridan (2011). "Wholly Experience: Lorrimer Series Review, "Films and Filming", 1966". Framework: The Journal of Cinema and Media. Drake Stutesman; Wayne State University Press. 52 (1): 362–3. doi:10.1353/frm.2011.0000. JSTOR 41553490. S2CID 194097455.
  3. ^ a b "The Verbals", Kevin Jackson in Conversation with Iain Sinclair, Worple Press, 2003
  4. ^ Mikhail, Kate (16 February 2003). "Significant others". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b Fabian, Jenny (November 1996). . Harpers & Queen. Archived from the original on 16 May 2016. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
  6. ^ Alleyne, Richard (7 September 2011). "Overdose victim Robyn Whitehead knew she was in danger hanging out with Pete Doherty, inquest hears". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2019.
  7. ^ Alderson, Andrew (30 January 2010). "Goldsmith death: Robin Whitehead was 'sucked into the mad world of Pete Doherty'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2019.

External links edit

  • Peter Whitehead at IMDb
  • Official website
  • Career overview from Film Comment by Henry K Miller
  • Obituary for Sight & Sound by William Fowler
  • Music Video Database – Peter Whitehead
  • His feature-length film Daddy on YouTube – made with Niki de Saint Phalle

December 15, 2023
peter, whitehead, filmmaker, other, people, named, peter, whitehead, peter, whitehead, disambiguation, peter, lorrimer, whitehead, january, 1937, june, 2019, english, writer, filmmaker, documented, counterculture, london, york, late, 1960s, contents, early, li. For other people named Peter Whitehead see Peter Whitehead disambiguation Peter Lorrimer Whitehead 8 January 1937 10 June 2019 was an English writer and filmmaker who documented the counterculture in London and New York in the late 1960s Contents 1 Early life and career 2 The Falconer 3 Books 4 Documentary 5 Personal life and later years 6 Filmography 7 Music Promos 8 Bibliography 9 References 10 External linksEarly life and career editPeter Whitehead was born in Liverpool England He was from a working class background and was awarded a scholarship to attend Ashville College Harrogate He was top of his class in almost all subjects and was both captain of the rugby team and the church organist This led him to receive another scholarship from Peterhouse Cambridge to study mathematics physics and chemistry but upon arriving there after completing National Service he switched instead to physiology mineralogy and crystallography 1 He later studied art and film at the Slade School of Art in London 1 After leaving Cambridge Whitehead developed a career as a film maker He is best known during this period for his work as a director of promotional film clips precursors to the modern music video including a version of Interstellar Overdrive for Pink Floyd and several clips for The Rolling Stones In 1966 Whitehead together with the novelist and historian Andrew Sinclair founded Lorrimer Publishing which published the original screenplays of classic films Sheridan Morley wrote Their format is a simple one the script itself with detailed descriptions where action takes over from the words published with a brief introduction and sideline notes where necessary 2 In 1969 Whitehead abandoned film making and escaped to the desert in Morocco at which time his career as a falconer began The Falconer editIn 1997 Iain Sinclair collaborated with Chris Petit sculptor Steve Dilworth digital artist Dave McKean and others to make The Falconer a 56 minute semi fictional documentary film about Whitehead set in London and the Outer Hebrides This film was described by Sinclair in 2003 as Initially he Whitehead loved the film his determination to tell his story was such that he kept bombarding us with amazing fragments and endless images because he s one of the few people whose entire life was documented in images 3 The film also features Stewart Home Kathy Acker and Howard Marks Books editWhitehead s books include Nora 1990 Hartshead Revisited A Fiction 1993 and Bronte Gate 1999 His novels include The Risen 1994 and Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine Arts 2007 In 1997 Whitehead published Baby Doll Velvet 1997 drawing on photographs he took in 1972 during production of his feature length film Daddy made with artist Niki de Saint Phalle Many of the photographs are of model actress heiress Mia Martin known for her appearances in the Benny Hill shows and Hammer films such as The Satanic Rites of Dracula The writer Iain Sinclair later described Daddy as a nightmarish film shot in some chateau in France unspeakable I couldn t even bring myself to look at the material in the book 3 Documentary editPaul Cronin s two part documentary In the Beginning Was the Image Conversations With Peter Whitehead 2006 consists of new and archival interviews with Whitehead plus extracts from his work Personal life and later years editWhile a student at Cambridge Whitehead met Diane Cottrill and had two daughters Tamsin and Sian In 1959 he met Swedish student Britt Svensson and married her in Stockholm in 1960 They moved to London and divorced in 1964 In the 1960s he met the actress Coral Atkins and had a son Harry 4 5 In 1979 he had a friendship with Deanna Jones and they had a daughter Joanna Woodrow In 1980 he met Dido Goldsmith the daughter of Teddy Goldsmith and niece of Sir James Goldsmith They were married six weeks after meeting The couple had four daughters Robin Leila Charlene and Rosetta 5 Robin Whitehead a film maker and photographer died from a heroin overdose on 24 January 2010 at the age of 27 6 Her family alleged that Robin s involvement with the musician Pete Doherty and his circle of friends contributed to her death 7 Whitehead died in London on 10 June 2019 aged 82 1 Filmography edit1964 The Perception of Life 1965 Wholly Communion 1966 Charlie Is My Darling 1967 Tonite Let s All Make Love in London 1967 London The Beach Boys 1967 Benefit of the Doubt 1967 The Little Bastard Immediate 1969 The Fall 1973 Daddy with Niki de Saint Phalle 1977 Fire in the Water 1995 London 66 67 2009 Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine ArtsMusic Promos edit1964 St Pauls Cathedral Notting Hill Jimmy James and the Vagabonds 1965 I m Not Sayin Nico 1966 1972 Have You Seen Your Mother Baby Standing in the Shadow two versions The Rolling Stones Lady Jane The Rolling Stones Let s Spend the Night Together The Rolling Stones We Love You The Rolling Stones Tumbling Dice The Rolling Stones Get Off of My Cloud The Rolling Stones Seven Drunken Nights The Dubliners Hey Joe Jimi Hendrix The Time Has Come P P Arnold Dandelion The Rolling Stones Ruby Tuesday The Rolling Stones Interstellar Overdrive Pink Floyd Pink Floyd in London Pink Floyd If You Think You re Groovy P P Arnold amp The Small Faces Get Yourself Together The Small Faces Itchycoo Park The Small Faces She Was Perfection Murray Head It Brings Me Down Billy Nichols Maroc 7 The Shadows Bombay Duck The Shadows When I Was Young Eric Burdon and the New Animals Bath Festival Led Zeppelin Royal Albert Hall Mike Oldfield Royal Albert Hall Julie Felix Bibliography editGodard Jean Luc 1966 Alphaville A Film Translated by Whitehead Peter Lorrimer Films London also Simon amp Schuster New York English translation and description of action by Whitehead Godard Jean Luc 1969 Pierrot Le Fou Translated by Whitehead Peter Lorrimer Films London also Simon amp Schuster New York English translation and description of action by Whitehead Whitehead Peter 1990 Nora and Brookside Press ISBN 978 0851730127 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Whitehead Peter 1993 Hartshead Revisited A Fiction Hathor Publishing ISBN 978 0952203506 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Whitehead Peter 1994 The Risen Hathor Publishing ISBN 978 0952203513 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Whitehead Peter 1997 Baby Doll Velvet Publications London ISBN 978 1871592788 Whitehead Peter 1999 BronteGate The Memoirs of MI5 Agent Milton Crookshank Edited by Peter Whitehead A Gothic Romance Hathor Publishing ISBN 978 0952203520 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Whitehead Peter 1999 Tonite Let s All Make Love In London Hathor Publishing ISBN 978 0952203582 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Whitehead Peter 2007 Terrorism Considered as One of the Fine Arts Hathor Publishing ISBN 978 0952203568 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Whitehead Peter Sorensen John 2015 The Mystical Filmmaker An Encounter Sticking Place Books ISBN 978 1942782186 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link References edit a b c Sweeting Adam 13 June 2019 Peter Whitehead obituary The Guardian Retrieved 11 May 2021 Morley Sheridan 2011 Wholly Experience Lorrimer Series Review Films and Filming 1966 Framework The Journal of Cinema and Media Drake Stutesman Wayne State University Press 52 1 362 3 doi 10 1353 frm 2011 0000 JSTOR 41553490 S2CID 194097455 a b The Verbals Kevin Jackson in Conversation with Iain Sinclair Worple Press 2003 Mikhail Kate 16 February 2003 Significant others The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 11 May 2021 a b Fabian Jenny November 1996 Peter Whitehead profile Harpers amp Queen Archived from the original on 16 May 2016 Retrieved 11 May 2021 Alleyne Richard 7 September 2011 Overdose victim Robyn Whitehead knew she was in danger hanging out with Pete Doherty inquest hears The Telegraph Retrieved 30 July 2019 Alderson Andrew 30 January 2010 Goldsmith death Robin Whitehead was sucked into the mad world of Pete Doherty The Telegraph Retrieved 30 July 2019 External links editPeter Whitehead at IMDb Official website Career overview from Film Comment by Henry K Miller Obituary for Sight amp Sound by William Fowler Music Video Database Peter Whitehead His feature length film Daddy on YouTube made with Niki de Saint Phalle Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Peter Whitehead filmmaker amp oldid 1182912606, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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