- Malcolm McDowell, Voyage of the Damned, 1975. In a Nazi propaganda exercise – “Nobody loves Jews – so leave them to us”- Germany ships Jews to Havana, in the full knowledge that Cuba won’t accept them. Nor will any other nation. They return home, by which time WWII has begun, and of the 937 passengers, more than 600 die in concentration camps! ThIs is no retread of Katharine Anne Porter’s Ship of Fools, although similar and both featuring José Ferrer and Oskar Werner (in his final film). No, this is a terrible true story, stuffed with stars, too many to deal with. Denholm Elliott has one scene, Orson Welles, four; luckier than the jettisoned Janet Suzman and Jack Warden. A good guy this once, Malcolm McDowell was among the crew instead of (take a breath)… fellow Brits Jon Finch, Anthony Hopkins, Simon MacCorkindale, Ian McShane, John Moulder-Brown. Martin Potter and Hollywood’s Keith Carradine, Jeff Conaway, Raul Julia, Martin Kove, Joe Mantegna, Ryan O’Neal, Robert Redford, John Ritter, John Travolta, Jon Voight.
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David Bowie, Labyrinth, 1985. The #1 problem was who should portray the Goblin King Jareth – an actor or a rock star? Michael Gothard, Kevin Kline or Simon MacCorkindale versus Michael Jackson, Mick Jagger or Prince. Jim Henson (making, alas, his final film) voted Sting. But his kids (one, Brian was voicing Hoggle)), said Bowie, Bowie, Bowie, Bowie, Bowie. (Five kids.. running the Henson combine today). So did Bowie – wanting a kids’ yarn, loving the script, funnier than he’d expected. Well, the humour of Terry Jones of the Monty Pythons was on certain pages.
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Timothy Dalton, The Living Daylights, 1986.
Birth year: 1952Death year: 2010Other name: Casting Calls: 2