Lindsay Craig Shonteff (5 November 1935 – 11 March 2006) was a Canadian born

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

, film producer and

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

who achieved fame for low-budget films produced in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Biography

Lindsay Shonteff was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

and made his directing, producing, editing and screenwriting debut in 1959 with a Canadian made

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

''The Hired Gun''/''The Last Gunfighter'' that he edited in his own home. After the film's release, Shonteff went to England following his friend and fellow Canadian Sidney J. Furie. Shonteff's debut in Britain was '' Devil Doll'' (1964); Furie was originally scheduled to direct, but was offered a more prestigious film and recommended Shonteff. Richard Gordon said Furie advised Shonteff throughout the making of the film. Shonteff had to cut the horror tale of a ventriloquist's dummy for an

X rating An X rating is a film rating that indicates that the film contains content that is considered to be suitable only for adults. Films with an X rating may have scenes of graphic violence or explicit sexual acts that may be disturbing or offensive ...

from the

British Board of Film Censors The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films A film, also known as a movie ...

. This film led to interest from

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...

for a contract but Shonteff argued over the matter and the contract did not come through. Shonteff then filmed the "African horror adventure" '' Curse of Simba'' (aka ''Curse of the Voodoo'') in 1965 for Gordon. The same year, he co-wrote and directed a

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

type film for producer S.J.H. "James" Ward, '' Licensed to Kill''. The film was picked up for American and international release by

Joseph E. Levine Joseph Edward Levine (September 9, 1905 – July 31, 1987) was an American film distributor, financier and producer. At the time of his death, it was said he was involved in one or another capacity with 497 films. Levine was responsible for the ...

; it was re-edited and retitled ''The Second Best Secret Agent in the Whole Wide World''. Reportedly Shonteff was offered a contract by

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

but disagreed on conditions. Shonteff collaborated again with Ward on '' Run with the Wind'' in 1966. He then directed

Harry Alan Towers Harry Alan Towers (19 October 1920 – 31 July 2009) was a British radio and independent film producer and screenwriter. He wrote numerous screenplays for the films he produced, often under the pseudonym Peter Welbeck. He produced over 80 f ...

's ''

The Million Eyes of Sumuru ''The Million Eyes of Sumuru'', also known as ''The Million Eyes of Su-muru'' and ''Sumuru'', is a 1967 British-Hong Kong spy film directed by Lindsay Shonte and starring Frankie Avalon, George Nader and Shirley Eaton. It was produced by Harry ...

'' in 1967. In 1969, Shonteff directed the rarely seen crime film '' Clegg'', followed in 1970 by the horror film '' Night After Night After Night'' and the cult film ''Permissive'' which explored the world of

groupie A groupie is a fan of a particular musical group who follows the band around while they are on tour or who attends as many of their public appearances as possible, with the hope of meeting them. The term is used mostly describing young women, a ...

s. In addition, Shonteff directed the 1971 sex drama '' The Yes Girls'' and the rarely seen crime thriller '' The Fast Kill'' in 1972. He then directed the cult exploitation film '' Big Zapper'' in 1973, and its sequel, '' The Swordsman'', the following year. With the publicity battle between the rival

s of Albert R. Broccoli ('' The Spy Who Loved Me'') and

Kevin McClory Kevin O'Donovan McClory (8 June 1924 – 20 November 2006) was an Irish screenwriter, film producer, and film director. McClory was best known for producing the James Bond film '' Thunderball'' and for his legal battles with the character's cre ...

(the projected ''James Bond of the Secret Service'') in 1977, Shonteff returned to the

secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering, as a subfield of the intelligence field, is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence). A person who commits espionage on a mission-specific contract is called an ''e ...

fold with '' No. 1 of the Secret Service'' (originally titled ''008 of the Secret Service''). He followed this with '' Licensed to Love and Kill'' (1979) and '' Number One Gun'' (1990). He also directed a film adaptation of

Len Deighton Leonard Cyril Deighton ( ; born 18 February 1929) is a British author. His publications have included cookery books and works on history, but he is best known for his spy novels. After completing his national service in the Royal Air Force, D ...

's '' Spy Story'' in 1976.

Later life and death

Shonteff's later work included '' How Sleep the Brave'', a

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

project, filmed in England in 1981.http://www.lindsayshonteff.com Shonteff died on the last day of production of his final film ''Angels, Devils, and Men''. When he died, he was married to his wife of over 44 years, Christina Shonteff.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Angels Devils and Men
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shonteff, Lindsay 1935 births 2006 deaths Canadian male screenwriters Film directors from Toronto Screenwriters from Toronto 20th-century Canadian screenwriters