Oswald "Ossie" Morris & Film - Part 2

This is the second extract from an interview with Ossie Morris (see Part 1, posted 10th November 2008, with introductory details.)

All of the interview is Copyright © Oswald Morris & Barrie Gordon 2008.

Barrie (B): Ossie, what happened next after you were helping in the projectionist room?

Ossie (O): Well, it was when I was 16 years of age I was at a secondary school, and I decided that after the examinations - which in those days were called the school certificate or metriculation, I would opt out and I got to get in a film studio, somehow or other. I met there my ... eventually my first wife ... we were in the same class together, and we were really childhood sweethearts and she stayed on for another year, and when we were married about 4 or 5 years later, she never stopped telling me that she had a better education than I did and that I must listen to her ... real child sweethearts because it was a co-ed school, and so I decided to leave at 16 and now question: 'how do I get into a studio?' I had no idea, no contacts, so talked to my father and he said 'well why don't you write to the studio'. So I wrote a letter to 4 or 5 of the major studios, and to my total surprise quite quickly I got one back from a studio saying 'Dear Mr. Morris, Thank you very much for your letter. We haven't anything for you at the moment but we will bear your name in mind' and naïve as I was I thought 'great', I'm in' - I'm going to get a phone call ... and 2 or 3 days later I got another one from another studio, almost exactly the same, and then a third, and then I realised to my total disgust really, I was being fobbed off, there wasn't anything ... depression set-in, and after a few weeks my father said to me 'look why don't you write to some of the smaller studios'. So, I did that. To my surprise I got a letter back from the chief engineer of Wembley Studios, saying 'I think I might have something for you in the way of an apprenticeship - would you like to come in and see me?' Well I couldn't wait, and I had to borrow money from my parents to get from Ruislip where we lived to Wembley on the Metropolitan Railway. I went to Wembley and he said he could offer me a form of apprenticeship and the first thing he said to me was 'now, we can't pay you any money', but he said 'in this studio, we're making these cheap films and we work very long hours, and what we will pay you is 1s 3d (that's old money).

B: Oh, these are the 'quota quickies'?

O: Yes, that's right, the 'quota quickies'. 1s 3d in old money, every time we work late, and that's how I started.

B: ... can I just jump on a bit ... I understand then you went on to become an assistant cameraman, and then a cameraman?

O: Yes, well, assistant cameraman, then camera operator.

B: Alright, OK.

O:There are two people at the camera - the one who does all the focussing and threading and that, and there's the one who looks through and operates the camera. So you have to go up the ladder: starts clapper-boy, camera assistant, camera operator, director of ...

B: Did you know all that, before you went into...

O: Oh yes, ...

B: Just going on a bit, I understand one of the films you worked as cameraman was on 'Oliver Twist' with David Lean as the director?

O: I was camera operator.

B: Right, OK, and was that 1948?

O: That's right, after the war.

B: OK, and how was that, how much do you remember of ...

O: David Lean is the most wonderful director I've ever worked with, and it's so wonderful to work with David because he really makes you think there's nothing better than it being perfect. No 'ifs' or 'buts' - it's right or it's wrong and David quizzes, David plays a scene, photographs it, and then stops and he says to the actors 'how do you feel?' and they say 'OK', and then he turns round to the sound people and says 'how was the sound?' - 'fine', he turns to the director of photography, Guy Green (who was a great chum of mine) 'fine' and he turns ... to me 'Ossie, how was it?'. Now, this was my first film with him, and he was testing me out, and I said 'David, it was fine'. 'Are you absolutely sure?' 'Yes'.

B: He had to have everything ticked off.

O: Yes, and I have to go into detail, just to show you what it ... he said 'now, when he came in the door and you panned him over to the 2 shot, weren't you a bit late?' - 'No, David' .. 'when you came on the 2 shot did you get the woman's first line?'. 'Yes, David' ... you know, and things like that, and once you go through the ringer with David for 2 or 3 weeks he's testing you out. Once he trusts you, you don't have that sort of 3rd degree.

... to be continued .....

Oswald "Ossie" Morris & Film - Part 1

Last Friday, 7th November 2008, I interviewed Oswald "Ossie" Morris - a man who has had a lifetime of passionate interest and involvement in Film. Over time, I will be publishing extracts from that interview, as postings on this blog. The first relatively short extract published here, is of the beginning of the epic journey - one that saw him become one of the leading cinematographers, working with eminent directors such as John Huston and David Lean.

Ossie is 92, and will be 93 in two week's time. When he started the interview, I was a little anxious that he would be hesitant, and dry up when answering the questions. Little did I know him at that stage! As soon as I asked the first question, he was off! The only slight problem was then to get a word in edgeways! Ossie was very gracious, and the interview was great fun for both of us.

A note on the presentation of the interview: at times it will be edited. There may be sections omitted, or re-arranged, out of chronological order etc. This first extract is pretty much exactly as it took place.

So, now we'll get on with it ... this is Part 1. All of the interview is Copyright © Oswald Morris & Barrie Gordon 2008.


Barrie (B): Hello, I'm very glad to have Oswald Morris here in Blandford Forum, Dorset, and he's kindly come to talk to me about his life and career... and 'hello Ossie'.

Ossie (O): Hello.

B: Where did your career in film start?

O: Well, I actually entered the studio, as an unpaid clapper-boy in 1932, but before that I was very keen on movie making. My father had a 9.5 Pathescope camera and with my brother and he, we used to make little one minute movies ... and I quite liked doing that - in fact I became fascinated by it, and then my father knew the Manager of our local cinema, and it was a 2nd or 3rd rate cinema on circuits, so we only got films 3 weeks after they were released and he asked the Manager if I'd be allowed up into the projection box, which I was keen to do.

B: How old were you at that stage?

O: I was about 14 I should think, yes, and the Manager said 'well, I can't let him go up there during a public showing', but he said 'I rehearse the films as they come in', and in those days they change the programme twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays - there was no Sunday viewing and he said 'but he can come up for one of the rehearsals'. So I went into the projection box, and I thought it was absolutely wonderful, unbelievable.

B: Had you already been taking photographs?

O: Err, no, not much, no. My Dad used to do that and he used to get my brother and I involved. We used to go into the bathroom, much to my mother's disgust and completely isolate the bathroom, and do the developing and printing there and we had to leave the prints in the water to clear the chemicals for about an hour. My mother used to complain that there was no wash basin she could use in the bathroom.

B: Out of action!

O:Out of action, yes - it was all very primitive but ...

B: Did you ever take photos later, or was it always film?

O:Oh no, whenever ... as I progressed in the industry, we would go on location and I'd take a camera then, and do stills, and often if I got a lovely sunset there, which was nothing to do with the film, I'd photograph that - I liked doing that.

B: For your own personal...

O: Yes.

... to be continued .....