"You're keen on old stones, well I've a mad producer here who wants to make a film of some in Turkey" It was Roy Boulting with one of his more unusual monthly calls. He knew I was still waiting for Melina Mercouri's go-ahead on my Elgin Marbles project, and so he thought I'd be interested.
I met the producer, Bill Burnside, together with John Julius Norwich, who arrived on his bicycle at the Phene pub in Chelsea. Bill introduced us, and a friendship that has lasted since then, was nearly still-born because of the project. Bill claimed he had finance for the film. The old stones were at a Graeco-Roman site called Aphrodisias in Turkey, and were we interested?
First I had to meet Profesor Kenan Erim, and see if we got on, as Bill insisted he was a very difficult man, and without his agreement on who was directing nothing would be possible.
When I arrived at this extraordinary site on a late hot afternoon, and was shown quickly around before dinner, I managed to spot a sculpture of which the remains on the ground were a sandaled foot and end of a club - "Hercules?" I ventured nervously. Kenan smiled, and after a dinner under a huge mosquito net with the other archaeologists, I realised I had been accepted as director. However what John Julius and I had not realised was the nature of Bill Burnside's fund raising techniques, until it was too late.
My old friend Alistair Cameron, and his brilliant crew agreed to join us, as my wife and I had promised to collect Bill in Italy on the way over bringing the Landover camera-car.
Even though it was to be a documentary, Bill said he was going to write (while taking the Italian waters) an introduction for the film to set the scene - when we met up near Ancona, he had written nothing…. the clouds were gathering.
l-r John Julius Norwich waits as the director, with Kenan Erim, times the best moment for the sun's rays to illuminate the inscriptions on the Theatre wall
At 4.30 am John Julius arrived at the site, ready to begin filming almost immediately, as we had to catch the early sunlight glancing on the Theatre Wall to read the Emperor Augustus' great carved inscription. But there was still no script from the producer, however as John Julius knew his history and Kenan knew all there was to know anyway, we add-libbed for the rest of the film, which gave it a freshness and spontaneity.
During filming, Kenan had especially saved for us new discovery, a statue which had not yet been revealed, and which he had excavated for us while we filmed.
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| The hidden statue, preserved between two masonry blocks, is slowly hauled into the light. |
All the site gathers round their latest trophy just below the over-flowing compound.
We then got out of Bill how he financed the film. We already knew that 3/4 of the funds were coming from Asil Nadir, the Turkish Chairman of Polypeck, and I had raised the rest from TSW. Then Bill told us that over dinner with Asil Nadir, his wife Ayshe had asked that if the film was about the city of Aphrodite, who was playing the goddess of love? Bill turned to her and said "I think I am looking at her" …….. so was she coming to play Aphrodite under this false impression? Kenan hoped not.
We heard no more…… then suddenly one afternoon, after a hard morning's work, we were all having a siesta, when a loud rumble of cars was heard. The compound gate was opened and a woman's voice shouted "Helloooo!". Kenan awoke from his bower saying "Who is that?' "Aphrodite!" came the bell-like reply. There was a pause, we were now all awake to hear the professor reply, "There's only one Aphrodite here, and she's made of stone!"
The Turks were now at war. I arranged a compromise solution, for as Ayshe had arrived with a photographer and two assistants, I thought at least she could play a model posing as Aphrodite for a photographer to start the film off. After all she had had a splendid dress made by Madame Grés in Paris. This seemed to work, and when she had left we resumed filming.
Everyone was pleased with the final film - except Mr and Mrs Nadir, who had been led to believe by Bill that a bigger role had been offered, how this was possible with no contract in a serious documentary film, they never explained.
Matters were getting heated between the Nadirs, Kenan Erim and Robin Lowe the Executive Producer, as Kenan refused to have any further footage of Ayshe in the film other than in the introduction. Bill Burnside had disappeared by now, creating more problems. What then happened I detail in 'Carrying the Can', but the extraordinary result before Asil Nadir fled to Cyprus in a private plane, was that he prevented the film from being shown on Television South West, and despite owing me the rest of my salary, it has never been broadcast to this day.
Good did come out of the film in the end. Kenan asked my wife Suzy to become 'peintre en résidence' which she did for several years until Kenan, who became our friend for the rest of his life, died at the British Embassy in Ankara, 1990 after dining with the then Ambassador Sir Timothy and his wife Patricia Daunt.
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Suzy Miles painting the reconstruction workers at Aphrodisias
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