Letter

A ‘Crew Pass’ hangs around my neck as I write: I have just come back to the office from the film set of Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, F block, Ealing Studios, London W5. It has certainly been a day to remember. At 10am Nicola and myself, Henrietta Twycross-Martin (who ‘discovered’ Miss Pettigrew and wrote the preface), as well as Keith and Sandy Pickering, Winifred Watson’s son and daughter-in-law, met at Ealing Broadway underground station and walked the ten minutes to the studios. Sodden but excited, we arrived at the gate and were led into the front office, where we met the production staff and Maggi, the associate producer, gave us our passes before taking us to the set.

We went straight into the stunning entrance hall of Miss Delysia LaFosse’s flat. Here – surrounded by dozens of 1930s-style extras who were waiting for the day’s filming to begin – we admired the incredibly designed and constructed set with its gold and marble and satin and glasses of champagne and bowls of fruit, all fake but all completely realistic. Beyond the terrace, the scene of the day’s action, hung a stunningly painted backdrop of the London skyline along the Embankment; each window was lit from behind and as the scene went on, we were told, the lights would begin to go out. One of the buildings was Shell-Mex House, looking exactly as it does in the 1930s Henry Rushbury poster we have in the shop

Before we could get too comfortable in the 1930s, however, we were taken backstage to the producers’ viewing area. Here, feeling quite special, we sat down in front of small television screens (cameras A and B), put on headphones, and, script in hand, followed along in the action beside the producers and choreographer, who were incredibly kind and helpful in explaining the process. They allowed us to watch the ‘takes’ from the side of the stage as well, so we could see Frances McDormand, Christina Cole, Tom Payne and Ciaran Hinds right there in the flesh.

What quickly became evident was the amount of time required to set up a scene. The lighting, the costumes, the make-up, the set pieces – all must be just right before filming can start, and then a practice run through, or two or three, must be completed before the actual filming starts. And even then, there could be anywhere from three to twenty ‘takes’ before a scene has been filmed to everyone’s (the producers, directors, choreographers, etc) satisfaction. After that the ‘rush’, or compilation disk of the day’s filming is made and from there, the real editing begins.

Before the break for lunch (we wondered how the actors and crew kept going until 2.00pm, especially as they have to be on set at 7.00am), we talked to Frances McDormand, about the film and about her affection for the book and the project. Lunch itself (salmon, potatoes and broccoli) was in a coach with tables; it was next to another coach with the ‘extras’, which meant that we could look through the window at everyone in 1930s cocktail party clothes eating a meal exactly like ours but with huge plastic bibs tied under their chins. This was, perhaps, the most surreal moment of the day.

Afterwards we watched some rushes of the previous month’s filming and looked at the photographs of the various London locations that had been used (the Savoy Hotel, the Rivoli dance hall in Brockley, the Freemasons Hall in Covent Garden). Then, prosaically, it was the Central line back from Ealing Broadway to Holborn. It was a truly thrilling, unforgettable day.

Do look at Anne Sebba’s website. She wrote the prefaces for The Shuttle and Little Boy Lost, and also interviewed Winifred Watson for The Times shortly before Winifred died; this interview is on her website.

And, in honour of Be Nice to Nettles Week (16-27 May), why not make the Nettle Soup recipe on page 19 of Vicomte de Mauduit’s They Can’t Ration These (which also has other excellent nettle recipes)?

Finally, we have a new neighbour opposite and she has taken this picture of the shop; you can see the flowers have been blooming in the showery weather:

Photograph by Megan Wilson

Emily Hill
15 May 2007
Lamb’s Conduit Street