The Making of Alan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold - Zimbabwe 1985

An Account Of Cannon Film Production’s Making Of Alan Quatermain And The Lost City Of Gold – Zimbabwe – Africa September 1985 - Leonard Boucher

I started my career in films as an extra in the Robert Donat, Greer Garson, MGM Production of Goodbye Mr Chips directed by Sam Wood and produced by Victor Saville. It was a good beginning. I was thirteen at the time and just one of thirty or so boys at Brookfield College, but I had the opportunity of seeing film making at its best and I think this inspired me to take interest in film production as well as my work in the ballet.

I later worked on the film the Red Shoes.

When Quatermain went into production I had just finished writing a full feature script set in West Africa and part of it included a large number of extras. When I was asked if I’d like to be one of the citizens of the Gold City it seemed to me an excellent chance to observe how a large number of crowd extras could be used... there were about 125 white extras and 150 Zimbabwe Africans.

At first James Coburn, the son of the well known Hollywood actor of the same name, joined the cast, but he quite the production after a few days. As an extra he found the conditions too exasperating to take. I agreed with him and we formed a committee hoping to improve the situation. It didn’t work. Locally engaged girls were convinced they would be discovered and were willing to appear in the film under any conditions, others were glad to get even the small sum of money they were paid.

The amounts paid were minute compared with what, under trade union ruling; Cannon would have been compelled to pay any where else. For a twelve hour day on the set we received ZWD8.50 (that was about pounds 4.10 in British money). Plus a bonus of ZWD 11.50 to cover lunch and dinner which was not provided. On non-working days we received only the ZWD11.50. With our accommodation we were allowed only breakfast. Although usually a very early breakfast, sometimes at 5:30am, we all ate well hoping to fill up and save cash on buying food throughout the rest of the day. It was the only way anyone one could save a spot of money.

In Britain of America, at this time the fee for an extra was something in the region of ZWD120.00 per day plus accommodation and all meals when on location.

Apart from that many extras were used as ‘bit’ of small part players and those appearing in the night battle scenes often found the work hazardous and dangerous. For that they received no extra pay.

They should have been given at least double salary. Instead they received word from the production office that they would be recompensed by seeing scenes on as large screen when the film was shown! That brought about the first strike!

Before going on I must mention that Alan Quatermain was a sequel to King Solomon’s Mines which was also made in Zimbabwe and also starred Richard Chamberlain and Sharon Stone. The cost of the former film was in the region of 12 million US dollars.

Quatermain would finally cost about 13 million US dollars, roughly the same, although Quatermain was over schedule and cannon had to pay heavy overtime salaries.

Far removed from the original Rider Haggard plot Quatermain and his girlfriend Jesse, played by Sharon Stone, search for the legendary City of Gold. En route and amid numerous supernatural disasters and amazing special effects, they pick up a character names Swarma, a strange mystic played by Robert Donner. Robert Donner, as you may know, became popular in the Mork and Mindy television series. After more blood-chilling adventures they reach the city of gold and there find Quatermain’s long lost brother, Robeson played by Martin Rabbet.

The extras playing the Citizens of the city are an important part of the story. We worked day and night for over five weeks to shoot the sequences. In the City of Gold, which was an enormous set constructed not far from the Victoria Falls, the Citizens live in perfect harmony. They are a very advanced race speaking their own language and knowing nothing of the greed and corruption of life outside their world. They do not know the value of gold which is common to them: they use it as bricks. However, the wicked wild men living in the bush land do realise that the city is full of wealth and they invade the City expecting a quick victory over people who have never known anything but peace.

Then of course, Quatermain saves the situation and the wild men are repulsed. Magic lightning strikes the enormous golden lion overt he dome of the City temple, the lion melts into molten gold and the baddies are petrified into statues of gold. All these effects were made possible by mixing gold powder with water and a cellulose base which thickened the substance. Into this was injected a gas which made the gold appear as if it was boiling.

To get back to the production of the film….The extras went on strike when it was known that their work was rather more than that of ordinary extras and that they were not going to get more pay. They did go back to work but day after day their numbers decreased. They just packed and went back home. Another strike occurred later when they were not given definite break times and after standing in the heat of a very hot sun hour after hour they were given as refreshment only water served from a skin bag and from a few cups handed around from one to another without being washed. The situation was aggravated by the fact that throughout the day the crew were continually served with tea, coffee, orange juice and sandwiches.

To be on the set at 6am the extras had to rise at 4:30 take an early breakfast and then sometimes wait until 2pm before breaking for lunch.

It naturally seemed unfair, and it was a disconcerting experience to be treated hardly better than the cattle. During the first few days a donkey and two small goats died of dehydration.

On entering the tent where lunch was served on the first day of shooting one extra remarked “Is this where they keep the horses?” and it must be admitted it was not a very appetising atmosphere in which to take a much needed meal. To get it we had to line up for some thirty minutes if one was unfortunate enough to be at the end of the line – and all this in the heat of the sun.

There was no shade anywhere and there were several cases of severe sunburn.

After these disagreements several extras left the production. Cannon Productions had put out a written agreement or contract but only a few extras signed. It was very one sided in favour of cannon tying the extras to an indefinite starting and finishing date. I don not think it had any legal value. It was accepted, however, that if we did not stay to the end we would not get our return fare back to where ever we had come from. Those who walked out had to buy their own ticket home.

A few concessions were made but resentment on both sides remained up to the end. Because of this several of the younger extras decided not to bother too much about being an extra and treated the whole episode as a holiday., as much as they possibly could. They would appear on the set, get themselves registered for a working day or night , or both, and then quickly disappear. With so many people on the set, all dressed alike, looking much the same expect for being either white or black, with so much going on, it was rarely that anyone was missed. Some of the younger men came onto the set highly intoxicated. As the number grew smaller and smaller they felt confident that they would not be dismissed and many were in continuity shots. Those who took their work more seriously were more than disgusted by this behaviour.

Cannon producers were very lenient. Only one person was sacked. One afternoon just as we were about to commence shooting, an extra stepped out of the crowd and very rudely assaulted Richard Chamberlain. He did this to draw attention to himself and then proceeded to shout out his grievances concerning the condition s under which we were working. Much that he said was quite right, but of course, it was the wrong way to do it. He was drunk and after he was taken off the set eight other men walked out in sympathy.

Richard Chamberlain was, as always, marvellous. Unruffled, cool, calm and very professional, he took the whole incident without a blink of an eyelid. Only once during the weeks I watched him work did he show any sign of anger and I am sure that often many other actors would have displayed some form of temperament under similar circumstances.

The incident I mention concerned the swords used in a fight scene with Henry Silva. The rubber swords provided were not suitable. Fibre glass swords quickly snapped. Then they brought out real swords. At first Henry refused to continue with the scene, without adequate rehearsing fighting with real swords could be dangerous…..but they did go on and Richard almost ended up with a sword point in his eye.

I was very impressed with Richard Chamberlain. He was always absolutely sure of his technique and ability and this made his work very smooth and polished. As an actor he is superb. As a man he is charming and very easy going.

My agreement with Cannon Films was verbal and whatever happened I intended to stay to the last shot, which I did. But I did refuse to stay on the ramparts of the City Walls one time at night. The ramparts were about 50 feet high, several of the young extras up there were not exactly sober and there was a lot of pushing and jumping about. I did not fancy being knocked over the side. There was no protection at all. The platform on which we had to stand was only about 4 feet wide. Later one of the crew did fall off the wall and broke his back.

Compared with King Solomon’s Mines the production of Quatermain was very disorganised.. There could have been better organisation of the extras and this might have prevented a lot of the antagonism on both sides. There were times when I saw Gary Nelson, our director, and Michael Greenburg, the producer, throw up their arms in despair when attempting to bring about some very necessary order among the extras. It must be said that they were uncontrollable every so often and I doubt that better organisation would have made much difference.

There were a fair percentage who did take the work seriously. Although amateurs, who previously had no idea how a film was made, they quickly realised that film production called for a great deal of patience and could not be treated as a rest cure!

I learnt a lot from the production. Certainly how not to manage a large number of extras!

©Leonard Boucher 1985