Sophie Neville

One of the first things I bought when I finally got a job many years ago was the complete 12-book set of Arthur Ransom's wonderful, heartwarming books in which children were really children and political correctness and health and safety paranoia hadn't yet muted their inquisitive and bold sense of adventure. I immediately read them all at once, one after the other. I'd already seen the 1974 film of Swallows & Amazons, which continues to intensify my pure joy and appreciation of a bygone show more time and the magnificence of the Lake District each time I watch it.

The Making of Swallows & Amazons is a marvel and a brightly shining gem of a book that once again allowed me to experience and treasure the happy childhood I missed out on vicariously through the eyes of the Walkers and the Blacketts. And Sophie Neville in particular. Titty was always my favourite Swallows & Amazons character, making this book all the more enjoyable and precious. Apart from bringing back fond memories, Sophie takes us through the arduous, complicated and sometimes hazardous and uncomfortable process of making a film on location back in the early 1970s. Sophie's pleasant and engaging writing style, interspersed with diary entries written during filming, consistently maintained my interest and is certainly an eye-opener for anyone who sees a career in films and television solely as a glamorous and exciting way to make a living.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who relishes an occasional nostalgic trip back in time to a magical place such as the Lake District, along with possessing a keen curiosity about film making, particularly back in the day. show less

This is the story of what happened behind the scenes while filming the 1974 British movie Swallows and Amazons. As seen from a childs POV. I was completely engrossed on what it was like to see how a movie was made back in the early 1970s. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. 5 stars!!

This is a charming and readable account of the making of the film, from the viewpoint of one of the leading actors, who was 12 years old at the time, but kept a full diary, and had access to other diaries and records; so it’s not based merely on old memories.

To make sense of it, I suppose you need to have read the book or seen the film. If you’ve done both, so much the better, but it’s not essential. The story is much the same, in book and film.

Sophie Neville wasn’t a dedicated show more actress and didn’t proceed with an acting career; even at the time, she seemed more interested in the process of film-making.

I suppose this book is of interest mainly to fans of the film, fans of the books, and anyone who is, like the author, interested in the process of film-making.

The process of making this film was unusual because the leading actors were children and because boats are important to the story—some of it had to be filmed on the water. Also, the film was made in 1973, which is quite a long time ago, so the technology and the legal and social environment were different from today’s.

The book contains plenty of details of daily life, down to (for example) what they ate. You may find that it tells you more than you wanted to know in some respects; but perhaps too much information is better than too little.

Swallows and Amazons has been filmed several times: natural enough, as it was the first of the series of books. But it’s unfortunate that it gets all the attention, because various later books in the series have better stories and might make better films. The first book has a plot, but it develops slowly and gently. Also, of course, the children are at their youngest here: they become gradually more capable as time goes on.

Another film of Swallows and Amazons was released in 2016, which tries to make the story more exciting by adding new elements to the plot. I haven’t seen it. show less