The Peaches
Encyclopedia
The Peaches, is a British Short Film, narrated by Peter Ustinov
In 1964 the film was the British choice for the Cannes Film Festival
and is a sensual, surreal fantasy about a beautiful woman and her passion for peaches. The 15-minute story, which opens with a woman splayed on a bed rubbing her face with a ripe peach is a mostly forgotten piece of British Sixties Cinema.
Directed by Michael Gill
and written by Yvonne Gilan
, his then wife, it stars Juliet Harmer
as the Very Beautiful Girl, and is narrated by Peter Ustinov. It also features a cameo from a very young, bespectacled A.A. Gill, son of the director and writer, now the restaurant and TV critic of The Sunday Times
.
The film charts the coming of age of this clever and beautiful girl and her fetish for fruit . In search of kindred spirits of like intellect, she goes to live in the city, but finds herself cleaning in the Ministry. She then falls in love, and the peaches become less important as her love grows. Bizarrely she transfers her craving to pickled onions.
The film won several awards and made Michael Gill consider Hollywood. Happily, he chose to remain at the BBC
, where he created the first adult educational art series and later approached Sir Kenneth Clark to make the television series Civilisation .
That the film exists at all is thanks to it gaining funding from the bfi’s Experimental Film Fund, invented by Sir Michael Balcon, maestro of Ealing Studios
.
Peter Ustinov
Peter Alexander Ustinov CBE was an English actor, writer and dramatist. He was also renowned as a filmmaker, theatre and opera director, stage designer, author, screenwriter, comedian, humourist, newspaper and magazine columnist, radio broadcaster and television presenter...
In 1964 the film was the British choice for the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
and is a sensual, surreal fantasy about a beautiful woman and her passion for peaches. The 15-minute story, which opens with a woman splayed on a bed rubbing her face with a ripe peach is a mostly forgotten piece of British Sixties Cinema.
Directed by Michael Gill
Michael Gill
George Michael Gill was a television producer and television director responsible for creating 'ground-breaking' documentaries for the BBC....
and written by Yvonne Gilan
Yvonne Gilan
Yvonne Gilan is an English actress who is best remembered for her portrayal of Mrs. Peignoir in Fawlty Towers.In 1964 she wrote a short fantasy film, The Peaches, starring Juliet Harmer, with a small cameo role for her son, Adrian as a bespectacled chess player...
, his then wife, it stars Juliet Harmer
Juliet Harmer
Juliet Harmer is an English actress who was best known in the role of Georgina Jones in the BBC TV series Adam Adamant Lives! .-Early career:...
as the Very Beautiful Girl, and is narrated by Peter Ustinov. It also features a cameo from a very young, bespectacled A.A. Gill, son of the director and writer, now the restaurant and TV critic of The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
.
The film charts the coming of age of this clever and beautiful girl and her fetish for fruit . In search of kindred spirits of like intellect, she goes to live in the city, but finds herself cleaning in the Ministry. She then falls in love, and the peaches become less important as her love grows. Bizarrely she transfers her craving to pickled onions.
The film won several awards and made Michael Gill consider Hollywood. Happily, he chose to remain at the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, where he created the first adult educational art series and later approached Sir Kenneth Clark to make the television series Civilisation .
That the film exists at all is thanks to it gaining funding from the bfi’s Experimental Film Fund, invented by Sir Michael Balcon, maestro of Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios
Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever since...
.