Lindsay Craig Shonteff
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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Lindsay Shonteff (5 November 1935-11 March 2006) was a Canadian born film director, film producer and screenwriter who achieved fame for low budget films produced in England.
Biography
Lindsay Craig Shonteff was born in Toronto, Ontario and made his directing, producing, editing and screenwriting debut in 1961 with a Canadian made Western (genre) film The Hired Gun/The Last Gunfighter. After the film's release, Shonteff went to England following his friend Sidney J. Furie. Shonteff's English debut was Devil Doll (film) in 1964 that Furie was originally scheduled to direct. Furie was offered a more prestigious film so recommended his fellow Canadian Shonteff. Richard Gordon (film producer) said Furie advised Shonteff throughout the making of the film. Shonteff had to re-edit the horror tale of a ventriloquest's dummy to avoid an X rating. This film led to interest from Columbia Pictures for a contract but Shonteff argued over the matter and the contract didn't come through. Shonteff then filmed the "African horror adventure" Curse of Simba/Curse of the Voodoo for Richard Gordon again starring Bryant Haliday with outdoor sequences filmed in Regents Park in London
In 1965 Shonteff co-wrote and directed a James Bond type film for producer S.J.H. "James" Ward Licensed to Kill (1965 film) with Tom Adams (actor) as agent Charles Vine. The film was picked up for American and international release by Joseph E. Levine; re-edited and retitled The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World with a new title song written by Sammy Cahn and James Van Heusen and performed by Sammy Davis Jr. The American publicity campaign for the James Bond exploitation film echoed the 'Number 2, but tries harder' advertising of the Avis Rent a Car System prevalent at the time. Reportedly Shonteff was offered a contract by 20th Century Fox but disagreed on conditions. Adams reprised Charles Vine in two more films without his Mauser C96 or Shonteff though Shonteff collaborated again with producer James Ward in Run With the Wind with Francesca Annis in 1966. Shonteff directed Harry Alan Towers's The Million Eyes of Sumaru with Shirley Eaton and George Nader based on a story by Sax Rohmer the following year.
With the publicity battle between the rival James Bonds of Albert R. Broccoli's The Spy Who Loved Me (film) and Kevin McClory's projected James Bond of the Secret Service in 1976, Shonteff returned to the secret agent fold with his superspy now calling himself Charles Bind in Number One Of The Secret Service (with Nicky Henson) that was originally titled 008 of the Secret Service, Licenced to Love and Kill (with Gareth Hunt) (1979) and Michael Howe in Number One Gun (1990). Shonteff also directed Len Deighton's Spy Story in 1976 and filmed How Sleep the Brave a Vietnam war film in England in 1981.
Shonteff died on the last day of production of his final film Angels, Devils, and Men. When Lindsay Shonteff died, he was married to his wife of over 44 years Christina Shonteff.
