THE
UNMUTUAL WEBSITE
CAST & CREW INTERVIEWS
NOREEN ACKLAND - FILM EDITOR
Adapted from an interview conducted by Dave Jones, and transcribed by Dave Healey in 1993, with their kind permission.
DAVE JONES: Noreen, I know you had a very tough time when you were working on "Fall Out".
NOREEN ACKLAND: "Fall Out", yes, but "Living in Harmony" was a marvellous episode to work on. Pat was directing "Fall Out" and that was my first film for him as a director. And the director always sits with the editor at rushes. He just wouldn't come and sit next to me because I was a female. (laughs) He did finally, but he wouldn't to begin with.
DJ: Living In Harmony. Noreen, you edited that episode, didn't you? Was there much taken out? Did we see what was basically filmed?
NA: Yes, you did.
DJ: Because it looked a fairly complicated production, for a two weeks shoot.
NA: I suppose it was. It was shot fast and I kept up with them.
DJ: Were you sole editor on that?
NA: Yes, I was working in a caravan, because all the cutting rooms were full.
DJ: Did McGoohan supervise the editing of that one?
NA: No, he didn't do very much, because he was in America, when it was being shot and when it was being cut.
DJ: Did David Tomblin supervise the editing?
NA: Yes, he was the director. That was his first, wasn't it? A pity he didn't stick to directing. It was great fun to cut. It was an interesting subject.
DJ: The jukebox sequence in "Fall Out". I've seen stills from that sequence and it was originally a much longer walk down. Did you have to cut all that out?
NA: Yes, that was really the only one in which we reduced anything. He just couldn't get that right. It wasn't thought out properly when we were shooting. It just didn't go together.
DJ: He gave you a very difficult time on that, didn't he?
NA: That was the sequence he didn't know what to do with any more than I did.
DJ: You got a present at the end.
NA: Yes, I did. He sent me a beautiful bouquet of flowers; they just went across the back of my VW
DJ: Did you find, Noreen, that amongst the production crew you were a lone figure almost?
NA: I didn't feel it. I probably was, but I've always got on quite well working with men. Because I do the job. If I've got to carry ten cans, I'll carry ten cans. But there are a lot of women who wouldn't do that.
AUDIENCE: Where do the outtakes go?
NA: Well, as far as I'm concerned they go into the vaults, clearly marked up. Afterwards the librarian or the producer will say can it, save it or throw it away, destroy it.
AUDIENCE: So where would any additional footage be now?
NA: It's probably destroyed.
AUDIENCE: There is a speech given in Fall Out that is deliberately obscured by the soundtrack. As McGoohan is talking they bring up the sound of the hooded men who all shout out "I, I, I, L.." drowning him out. Did you actually hear what the speech was?
NA: No, I don't think you could. I think it was shot like that so that you couldn't hear what he was saying.