Jack Bond

Jack Bond born 1937 is a British film producer and director He is best known for his work for The South Bank Show and his creative partnership with the British writer actor and director Jane Arden 19271982 between 1965 and 1979 In 1965 Bond made a documentary film with Salvador Dalí Dali in New York Dalí had been based in New York city particularly the St Regis Hotel with his wife Gala since the 1930s The film revolves around an ongoing interview of Dali by Arden about his creative process This all takes place against the backdrop of social life and work including putting together two exhibitions of his work and a book as well as various performance art displays including a final scene where Dali paints alongside a flamenco duo singer José Reyes and guitarist Manitas de Plata Commenting on the subject of his film Bond observed Dalí always knew exactly what he wanted and he got it The doormen had to pay Dalís taxi fare He was grand in the real meaning of the word He fitted New York like a glove it was made for him and The St Regis was and still is the best hotel in the whole city He was even able to paint there he kept a special room as his studio Working with Arden Bond directed the award winning Separation 1967 produced The Other Side of the Underneath 1972 and codirected AntiClock 1979 These three films were reissued by the British Film Institute on Bluray and DVD on 13 July 2009 Interviewed in 2013 Bond recalled how as a result of the refusal of the UK film industry to screen AntiClock he instead took the film to America At a New York screening one influential critic although refusing to talk to Bond both before and after the screening nonetheless gave the film a five star review As a direct result of this review the film was a hit in the USA and Bond received approaches for distribution for the film from UK distributors who had previously turned the film down offers which were vehemently rejected by Bond In 1988 Bond directed the featurelength film It Couldnt Happen Here featuring Pet Shop Boys as well as the music video for their single Heart Even before the film received a title it was devised as a compilation of interrelated music videos that together would form one ongoing plot in a manner comparable to The Line the Cross and the Curve However once Bond was appointed as producer and cowriter as well as director the project expanded into a full fledged feature film Since Ardens death Bond had primarily worked as a director of TV documentaries primarily on The South Bank Show during which time he covered such topics as Roald Dahl and Catherine Cookson In this context It Couldnt Happen Here marked a return to drama film making for Bond