Film sound technician John W. Mitchell dies aged 88

John W. Mitchell, film sound technician, was born on June 14, 1917. He died on November 21, 2005, aged 88.

John W. Mitchell was one of the most prominent sound recorders and mixers in British film. He served on more than 100 films from the 1930s, when he was boom operator on Rembrandt (1936) and Goodbye, Mr Chips (1939), to the 1980s when he was responsible for sound on David Lean’s swansong A Passage to India (1984). He also recorded four different James Bonds: Sean Connery, George Lazenby and Roger Moore on the “official” series, and David Niven on the “unofficial” version of Casino Royale (1967).

John William Mitchell was born in Yorkshire in 1917, he began his career in the film industry at Ealing Studios while still in his teens. During the Second World War he served in the Royal Navy and his experience with submarines was put to good use on Morning Departure (1950) and Above Us the Waves (1955).

He and his microphone found themselves two miles down a South African mine in Gold (1974), on top of a pyramid in Death on the Nile (1978) and between the breasts of a troublesome Marilyn Monroe on The Prince and the Showgirl (1957), in an attempt to make sure she did not have to rerecord lines later - reports The Times.

He was nominated for Oscars for Diamonds are Forever (1971) and A Passage to India. Other films include Great Expectations (1946), Reach for the Sky (1956), Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) and The Bounty (1984). His memoirs, Flickering Shadows, were published in 1997 and he was appointed MBE in 2001.

Thanks to `Allen` for the alert.

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