by lochfyne » Thu Jul 05, 2012 12:20 pm
Your warning about the ravens and comparing it to Alfred Hitchcock's film Louise reminded me of my encounter with the man himself many years ago in the very same area.
For many years my father ran one of the boats doing trips to Loch Coruisk. The set up wasn't as grand or regulated as it is today although my father's boat was a very fine wooden boat purpose built in Orkney for the Coruisk trips and the odd lobster creel or two!
Anyway, he was asked if he could take Alfred Hitchcock to Loch Coruisk as he wanted to take photos there with a view to using the setting for a film.
My sister and I decided we wanted to be in on the action so were at the Elgol pier along with Dad and Seumas (who still owns and runs the Misty Isle from Elgol), when AH and his wife arrived in their chaffeur driven car from the Lochalsh Hotel where they were staying. Back then the road stopped at the school so they had to walk the distance from the school to the pier.
By the time they reached the boat it was clear neither of them were in the best of health and were struggling, but they clambered in and we set off for Coruisk.
Once there, he was unable to get out of the boat up the rickety steps, so he asked Dad and Seumas to take his camera and take some photos. Well I doubt if either of them had had much dealings with cameras, let alone something as large and complicated looking as that one. We went up to the loch where they took a selection of photos then back to the boat.
They always said that the reason Alfred Hitchcock never shot a film there was down to their photographic skills!
