Interview: David Puttnam on St Andrews

In March 2012, shortly before the re-release of Chariots of Fire which would coincide with the London Olympics, Producer David Puttnam returned to St Andrews and spoke to us about his memories of filming on the beach, 32 years earlier. Included here is audio of the discussion we had with him.

First, Puttnam discussed how they came to shoot the film in St Andrews.

Puttnam on finding St Andrews

He further discussed the two days spent filming on the beach.

Filming on West Sands

The shoot took place against the jarring backdrop of international news events.

The Iran hostage crisis

Puttnam also recalled changes that were made to the film’s structure after filming in St Andrews and, in particular, the late addition of Vangelis’ music.

Vangelis and the Moscow Olympics

Puttnam recalled watching the film with Sean Connery, who was quick to point out the presence of St Andrews on screen.

‘That’s not the Carlton Hotel’

Finally, he discussed the film’s longevity and its re-release to coincide with the 2012 Olympics.

Re-release for London 2012

For more on the film’s shoot in St Andrews, visit here.

 

—Tom Rice & Joshua Yumibe