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A Life Behind the Scenes: From Pinewood to Hollywood
Discover the inside story of London-born producer Paul Hitchcock and his Hollywood blockbusters from the 1970s to the 2000s.
Paul spent most of his childhood living outside London near Pinewood Studios. After one of his teachers suggested to Paul’s father that his son look for work there, Paul joined the studio as a junior in their Accounts Department. After he served his film apprenticeship between 1946 and 1962, he joined United Artists to work on five major productions. Later, he joined Paramount Pictures to oversee all international production, and then he served for over twenty years as Head of International Production for Warner Bros.
Paul oversaw scores of movies ranging from A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), Outland (1981), Firefox (1982), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Empire Of The Sun (1987), Gorillas In The Mist (1988), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), and Batman (1989).
There were also unproduced films, such as David Lean’s version of The Bounty and his ill-fated Nostromo, and a multi-million-dollar biopic of the Polish President, which the studio believed would be the “next Driving Miss Daisy.”
As an independent producer and executive producer, he helmed First Knight (1995), Mission Impossible (1996), Mission Impossible II (2000), The Saint (1997), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), Phantom of the Opera (2004), and Fred Claus (2007).
Stanley Kubrick, Clint Eastwood, Richard Attenborough, David Lean, Richard Donner, Roman Polanski, and John Woo were just a few of the directors Paul worked with; Laurence Olivier, Julie Andrews, Woody Allen, Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Leonardo DiCaprio, Vince Vaughn, and Jack Nicholson were a few of the stars. In this candid memoir, Hitchcock pulls no punches about how some were a total delight, yet others were absolute nightmares!
Over 100 photographs, including many personal behind the scenes shots from film sets, publicity images, and movie posters. Filmography. Index.
Paul spent most of his childhood living outside London near Pinewood Studios. After one of his teachers suggested to Paul’s father that his son look for work there, Paul joined the studio as a junior in their Accounts Department. After he served his film apprenticeship between 1946 and 1962, he joined United Artists to work on five major productions. Later, he joined Paramount Pictures to oversee all international production, and then he served for over twenty years as Head of International Production for Warner Bros.
Paul oversaw scores of movies ranging from A Clockwork Orange (1971), Barry Lyndon (1975), Outland (1981), Firefox (1982), Full Metal Jacket (1987), Empire Of The Sun (1987), Gorillas In The Mist (1988), Superman (1978), Superman II (1980), Little Shop of Horrors (1986), and Batman (1989).
There were also unproduced films, such as David Lean’s version of The Bounty and his ill-fated Nostromo, and a multi-million-dollar biopic of the Polish President, which the studio believed would be the “next Driving Miss Daisy.”
As an independent producer and executive producer, he helmed First Knight (1995), Mission Impossible (1996), Mission Impossible II (2000), The Saint (1997), The Man in the Iron Mask (1998), Phantom of the Opera (2004), and Fred Claus (2007).
Stanley Kubrick, Clint Eastwood, Richard Attenborough, David Lean, Richard Donner, Roman Polanski, and John Woo were just a few of the directors Paul worked with; Laurence Olivier, Julie Andrews, Woody Allen, Michael Caine, Christopher Reeve, Sigourney Weaver, Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Leonardo DiCaprio, Vince Vaughn, and Jack Nicholson were a few of the stars. In this candid memoir, Hitchcock pulls no punches about how some were a total delight, yet others were absolute nightmares!
Over 100 photographs, including many personal behind the scenes shots from film sets, publicity images, and movie posters. Filmography. Index.
296 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2016
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September 6, 2025
Amusing if not politely British tales of producing movies over several decades. (Pet peeve alert: people who write memoirs and don’t fact-check name spellings; the author covers working with “Vincent” Minnelli, “Beverley” D’Angelo, and meeting Adnan “Kershowgi.”)
Displaying 1 of 1 review