Daijiworld Media Network - London
London, Oct 1: British film editor John Grover, who worked on six James Bond films and contributed to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, has died aged 87.
Grover died on Monday at his home in Buckinghamshire, England, following a short illness, his son Tim told The Hollywood Reporter.
Grover served as film editor on For Your Eyes Only (1981), The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989). He also worked on the assembly of The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), Moonraker (1979) and Octopussy (1983).
A longtime vice-chairman of the British Film Editors, Grover received the organisation’s Lifetime Achievement Award in April.
His other credits included The Wild Geese (1978), The Sea Wolves (1980), The Final Option (1982), Tobe Hooper’s Lifeforce (1985), the 1984 NBC miniseries The First Olympics and Jim Henson’s Labyrinth (1986), which he described as his favourite film.
Early in his career, Grover worked as an uncredited assistant editor on several acclaimed films, including Robert Wise’s The Haunting (1963), David Lean’s Doctor Zhivago (1965), John Frankenheimer’s Grand Prix (1966), Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and Herbert Ross’s Goodbye, Mr Chips (1969).
Speaking at an editing conference in 2016, Grover recalled his experience working with Kubrick, describing the director as a perfectionist. Grover also gave a candid and critical assessment of 2001: A Space Odyssey, despite acknowledging its innovative use of music and visual imagination.
One of the film’s distinctive sound elements was the heavy breathing heard during scenes involving astronauts Dave Bowman and Frank Poole. Grover later said he had performed the breathing himself while working on the film. A spokesperson for the British editors guild said recordings by both Kubrick and Grover were made and that Grover’s recording was believed to have been used in the film.
Grover later worked as assembly editor on Moonraker alongside John Glen. The production involved around 800,000 feet of film, with the final cut completed over 10 months, just a day before the premiere.
For The Spy Who Loved Me, Grover edited the pre-credit sequence featuring Roger Moore’s James Bond skiing down a mountain before parachuting from a cliff. He also incorporated a music box he had received while working on Doctor Zhivago, which played “Lara’s Theme” in the Bond film.
Born on October 24, 1938, in Barnet, Middlesex, Grover served in National Service before joining MGM Studios as a numbering boy. His uncle was the studio’s supervising editor.
Grover later recalled working with David Lean on Doctor Zhivago, describing him as an opinionated but collaborative filmmaker who listened to suggestions when they were supported by a clear answer.
During the Los Angeles premiere of Doctor Zhivago in 70mm, Grover also witnessed a technical mishap when a gearbox in the projection booth exploded during the first reel changeover, leaving the audience in darkness for eight minutes.
Grover co-edited The Living Daylights, Timothy Dalton’s first film as James Bond, with Peter Davies. A work print containing dialogue sequences was leaked and circulated on VHS, prompting Grover to be questioned by Bond producers. He later said identifiable symbols had been marked on individual frames sent outside the editing room, helping trace the leaked material to a trailer company in New York.
Grover is survived by his wife of 62 years, Jenny; son Tim; daughter Camilla; five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
After retiring, Grover reflected on the appeal of the Bond films, saying the franchise had been built around family entertainment. Roger Moore was his favourite Bond actor, while his favourite 007 sequence was the car and circus-train chase in Octopussy.