"The Secrets of Filming Swallows and Amazons" by Sophie Neville

Sophie Neville was cast as Titty in the 1974 film adaptation of Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome. This book, adapted from her contemporary diaries, describes the filming day by day and then tells what happened afterwards: the actor who played Susan became a film actress but 'John' started an engineering firm and 'Roger' became a hermit. Ms Neville herself has mostly worked on the other side of the cameras but has also written books and been a missionary.

I adored the Swallows and Amazons books, all twelve of which are reviewed on this blog. But a day by day account of the filming has little in it to interest anyone other than a fan. 

Selected quotes:

"We were so lucky, so few inches further and we would have been under the steamer. Anyone could have been killed" (Ch 5: Friday 8th June ~ Twenty-second day of filming)

September 2023

This review was written by the author of Bally and Bro, Motherdarling  and The Kids of God

The Swallows and Amazon series contained twelve books:

• Swallows and Amazons: Children camping on an island in a lake have sailing based adventures
• Swallowdale: More sailing adventures are threatened when the Swallow sinks
• Peter Duck: The Swallows and Amazons and Captain Flint sail on a big yacht into the Caribbean in search of pirate treasure; pirates pursue
• Winter Holiday: the lake freezes allowing a sledge-based expedition to the 'north pole'; the 'D's are introduced
• Coot Club: The Ds join the Death and Glory kids in the Norfolk Broads but the excitement is just as great when birds have to be protected from rowdies.
• We Didn't Mean to go to Sea: The Swallows accidentally find themselves at sea in a yacht they scarcely know: for my money this is the most dramatic and exciting book of the series.
• Secret Water: The Swallows are joined by the Amazons in an expedition to map some tidal mud-flats
• The Big Six: The Death and Glory kids have to be cleared of accusations of crime; the Ds help.
• Missee Lee: The Swallows and Amazons and Captain Flint are shipwrecked near China and captured by a lady Chinese pirate with a taste for Latin.
• Pigeon Post: The Swallows and Amazons and Ds search for gold in the hills above the Lake; one of my favourites
• The Picts and the Martyrs: The Ds have to hide in the hills when the Great Aunt comes to stay with the Amazons
• Great Northern: The Swallows and Amazons and Ds and Captain Flint are protecting birds in the far north of Scotland