Lost but not Forgotten (2017) in post production
Played sole character: Donald
Progress Films/Short Film Series
Director: Stuart Hackshaw
BUILDINGS (2016)
Short film, played Professor Franz Kapra
Director: Favio Vinson
Lapsley Music Video (2016)
Played The Older Man, 1recordings.com, Producer: Cherise Payne
CLASH OF LOYALTIES (2016)
Documentary about the shooting of the feature film in Baghdad 1982
THE CARER (2016)
With Peter Eyre. Played Neville; Director: Christine Templeton-Parker.
Five Awards of Excellence in The LA Film Festival
THE EARTH BELONGS TO NO-ONE (2015)
Played Joseph; Director: Ani Laurie.
Nominated for Best British Short Film 2015 at London’s Raindance Festval
FRANCIS (2014)
Docu-drama. Played Pope Innocent III and Francis’ Father;
Director: Paul Alexander. Production Company: Little Portion Productions.
MALEFICENT (2014)
Played the General; with Angelina Jolie.
Director: Robert Stromberg;
THE WAGER (2013 Short)
Played Harry, alongside Ian Hogg. Director Joss Maines.
Producers Bill Oliver Windsor and Mark Davis.
Retro-Juice Productions
THE HOOLIGAN FACTORY (2013)
Played The Governor; directed by Nick Nevern of Think Big Productions.
TRAINED (2012)
Directed by Anthony Jerjen of Paradox Film, Geneva, this is the story of a magician who decides to stop a train with the power of his mind. Shot as a “short” in Switzerland with Peter Brooke, Stephan Chase and Garrick Hagon. The trailer is “Currently Showing“. Trained won Best Film at the L.A. Film Festival and Best History at the Honolulu Film Festival and was selected for screening at the London Rainbow Film Festival.
..and the entire film:
THE CHILD (2011)
Film “short”. Playing: Harry Pryce. Based on a short story by Ali Smith, adapted by Amy Neil, the film’s director. Producers: Isibeal Balance (“Killing Bono”) and Andrew J Bonner.
THE BLACK ARROW (1984)
“The Black Arrow”, written by Robert Louis Stevenson, was shot in Spain as a Disney production. Locations were in the Guaderramas mountains near Segovia and in the ancient cities of Avila and Toledo, which were also seen in “El Cid”. Also starring were Oliver Reed, Donald Pleasence and Fernando Rey, who starred as the drug baron in the Oscar winning “The French Connection” with Gene Hackman. In the cathedral in Avila Fernando, who voiced the Laurence Olivier films of “Hamlet” and “Henry V” into Spanish, gave us his rendition – and wonderful it was. How well great Shakespeare translates into other cultures! Another highlight was eating jugged hare with Donald’s best fine wine in the famous restaurant under the viaduct in Segovia. Stephan Chase was lucky enough to have Sophia Loren’s suite in Hotel Los Sirenas – bath night has never been better after a day in the saddle. And Oliver Reed was a doddle. YouTube!
MACBETH (1970)
“Macbeth” was directed by Roman Polanski who directed “Chinatown”, starring Jack Nicolson, one of the all-time great American films. “Macbeth” starred Jon Finch and Francesca Annis, with Martin Shaw as Banquo and a host of established classical actors in support. The location shooting was in winter in Northumberland (Holy Island and Bamburgh Castle were used as atmospheric backdrops) and North Wales, where cast and crew stayed in Portmeirion, the Italianate village created by Clough Williams Ellis. The producer was Victor Lownes of The Playboy Club, who spent much time perfecting his backgammon technique in location trailers during freezing downpours halfway up Welsh mountains, while Maisie, Witch 1 and half blind with witch make-up, led The Three down the mountain path for endless Polanski “takes” (eventually he gave up and asked Maisie to follow the horse!). Meanwhile fearful actors were galloping about on Blackrock Sands, with Vic Armstrong, on his way to stunt stardom, attempting to order them. Visitors to the set, and louche nights in the Town Hall with movies after dinner, included Clement Freud and Kenneth Tynan, the great theatrical critic down from the National Theatre, who was script advisor. The film was shot shortly after the notorious Manson murders when Sharon Tate, Roman Polanski’s wife, was savagely killed. This production was certainly steeped in blood … albeit pig’s blood! (A familiar loud cry on moorland locations was Polanski’s voice shouting to Tom Smith, the legendary make-up man, “More blood, Tom, more blood!” Buckets of it were used. One could hardly avoid thinking that Roman knew more about the coverage of blood than the rest of the crew …)
Tom Smith made a wonderful Macbeth head for the last scene. And who knows where it is now?
THE NIGHTINGALE SAGA (1985)
“The Nightingale Saga” (or “Florence Nightingale”) is a film saga about Florence Nightingale’s life and starred the beautiful Jaclyn Smith from Charlie’s Angels. An international cast included Claire Bloom, Brian Cox and Timothy Dalton. For his performance as John Sutherland, Flo’s constant admirer and mentor, Stephan Chase was proposed for Nomination for an Emmy Award. JS was a delight to work with. Directed by Daryl Duke.
NIJINSKY (1980)
The great Russian dancer Nijinsky was the star of Sergei Diagilev’s Ballets Russes which toured Europe from 1911 to huge critical acclaim. This innovative and exciting company brought together some of the greatest creative names in music, theatre design and dance.
However, when “L’après-midi d’un faune”, a ballet written for Nijinsky, was first performed to a shocked audience in Paris, it created a famous scandal.
Alan Bates starred as Diaghilev with a fine international cast in support, including Jeremy Irons and Anton Dolin, himself a one-time member of the Diaghilev company. The movie was directed by Academy Award nominated Herbert Ross, who directed “Funny Girl” with Barbra Streisand and “Turning Point” with Shirley MacLaine. He was married to the dancer Nora Kaye.
THE DIVINE SARAH (1976)
Sarah Bernhardt, the Divine Sarah, with her golden voice and huge emotional performances, though controversial, was considered the finest actress of the Victorian era. Born in Paris, she moved to London where with her plays, books, menagerie and lovers, her domestic life was somewhat eccentric. Sarah was played by Oscar winner Glenda Jackson in this internationally cast biopic. Only goes to show what mundane lives actors really live!
CRY OF THE BANSHEE (1969)
Cult horror. Vincent Price starred in this film from AIP which was in a similar vein to his great success “The Witchfinder General”. Shot at Grim’s Dyke, a huge and melancholy mansion at Stanmore which had been built for W S Gilbert (of Gilbert and Sullivan), it included one of the last performances by the great Austrian actress Elisabeth Bergner. She appeared in a light robe in a frozen garden in December as a coven leader. When her young witches shivered, she called out to them, “Think warm, darlings!” Essy Persson, who had an international hit with Radley Metzger’s “Therèse and Isabelle”, played Sean’s mother, Vincent’s wife!
Gordon Hessler directed.
A DISTANT SCREAM (1983)
Part of The Hammer House of Horror series. Shot on location around the Lizard in Cornwall in winter, the film starred David Carradine and Stephanie Beacham. Stephan Chase spent several years living in Cornwall as a child and proudly claims to be part Cornish. His seagoing experience was put to good use as the boatman in this ghostly tale!
WHITE MISCHIEF (1988)
“White Mischief” starred the lovely Greta Scacchi as Diana, wife of Sir Jock Delves Broughton, played by Joss Ackland. Charles Dance was The Earl of Errol and lover of Diana. This is the real- life story of the unsolved murder of Errol and is set in Kenya, around the louche ‘Happy Valley’ set, during WW2.
Directed by Michael Radford.
THE GOLDEN LADY (1977)
“The Golden Lady” was a sort of female James Bond adventure. Probably the best thing about the film was the soundtrack by Charles Aznavour. Jose Larraz directed.
Stephan Chase 