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In Melbourne Zorba ran for six weeks at the Athenaeum. Four months later - 6 Jan.1966 - it opened at the Dendy Brighton and
astonished everyone with a 16-week season.
perception of every film’s potential. He the Pacific. He happened to
was one of only two men I knew in the be the son of the founder of
business with absolute integrity, the Deluxe Laboratories.
other being Bill Gray. I met him at Sydney
We received a script for each Airport and he explained
production, something often needed for to me the intended cuts.
censor cuts, but also handy should The Chief Censor Colin
Hoyts require a shorter running time for Campbell had given us
a supporting feature. an A classification
Often there were gratuitous scenes (Adults Only), and
doing nothing to further the story and since the film was to
quite easily removed. Such cuts were be released in school
necessary to co-ordinate Hoyts vacation time a G
important concessions and finishing (General Exhibition)
times. In this task I was aided and would suit us better.
abetted by projectionist Joe Werner and I set up a
his expert cutter and assistant Muriel meeting to explain
Drake who became the longest serving the cuts and to
Fox employee in the world - a record I request a re-
later eclipsed. consideration.
I had many dealings with chief “No way”, said
censors, but will tell only one story. Colin, “After the
After the initial USA release of way Taylor and
Cleopatra, a highly qualified technician Burton carried
was dispatched from Los Angeles to on during production I
reduce the running time of the many would not entertain it”.
prints recalled to Sydney from Asia and
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