Presskit Excerpts

• synopsis
  
• Cast and Crew Comments
  
• Production Notes
  
• History of the Monster Mystery
  

Dr. Jonathan Demsey's (TED DANSON) formerly brilliant career as a zoologist is fading into distant memory. Years of gambling his reputation on 'mythical' animals has all but destroyed his credibility. Now his scheming boss, Dr. Mercer, has blackmailed him into taking over the late Dr. Abernathy's Loch Ness project - disproving once and for all the existence of the legendary monster.

Dempsey arrives in Inverness, and with newly appointed research assistant (JAMES FRAIN) in tow, gets to the lochside hotel to find the monthly monster hunter convention in full swing. Dempsey doesn't intend to hang around long enough to swap stories and takes off into the night.

Immediately he sets local tongues wagging when he elects to stay in the Moffat Arms, whose landlady happens to be a beautiful local lass, Laura MacFeteridge (JOELY RICHARDSON). Initial conflict develops into cautious romance. He also wins the friendship of Laura's daughter, Isabel (KIRSTY GRAHAM), who locals believe possesses a special 'gift.'

But Dempsey has a job to do and as he and Adrian make every effort to commence their super high-tech scan of the Loch, it seems the locals are intent on stopping them. No more monster means no more tourists which is vital to the livelihood of the community. Their first icy encounter is with the wizened and mysterious old Water Baliff (IAN HOLM) who's been policing the Loch for as long as anyone can remember. Then, attempts at sabotaging their boat, serve to make Dempsey more determined than ever to finish the job and leave.

Reaching the end of the biggest sonar sweep in history, it seems that Demsey has the scientific proof he needs to dispel the myth. But his old scientific instincts return as he packs to leave, when he comes across an unprocessed roll of film hidden amongst Abernathy's belongings. As Dempsey develops it, a blurred image of a flipper formation comes into focus. Back out on the Loch, Dempsey and Foote resume their search but while they are looking at some unidentifiable activity on the monitor, the boat is suddenly undersided with the force of a freight train. As Dempsey sinks into the blackness, something large passes him by...

Back at the inn, he tells Laura and, caught up in his excitement, they finally kiss. Unfortunately, Laura's would-be fiancee, Andy (NICK BRIMBLE), a burly fisherman hears about the developing romance. He bursts into the Moffat Arms and floors Dempsey in a jealous rage. Dempsey is physically and emotionally beaten and Laura tends his wounds, but it is a get well card from Isabel with a crayon drawing of the 'water kelpie' - it's flipper formation identical to that in Abernathy's photograph - that sets his mind racing again. Only when Isabel persuades Dempsey that 'you've got to believe it before you can see it' does he agree to let her take him to Castle Urquhart.

Guided by Isabel, Dempsey enters the ancient ruins of the castle on the banks of the Loch. As they desend deeper and deeper, they come upon a subterranean cavern and a deep rock pool. Seeing nothing but a pair of playful sea otters, Dempsey once agains begins to doubt himself. But deep below the surface of the water something stirs and an age old secret is about to be revealed....

Astounded by his discovery, Dempsey reaches for his camera. The flash causes chaos inside the cavern and a tidal wave sweeps Isabel into the water. Dempsey dives in to save her but is relieved to see her climbing out of the water before she flees in tears.

Harsh words from Laura and confused questions from a betrayed child leave Dempsey in turmoil about revealing his sightings. But a glorious comeback beckons and eclipses his doubts. Armed with photographs from inside the cavern, Dempsey hotfoots it to London and the Natural History Museum where Dr. Mercer has called a press conference for the world's media. As Dempsey takes to the conference stage, he faces the biggest dilemma of his life - to gain the accolade for the greatest discovery of the century, a moment he's waited for all of his life, or to preserve the myth and keep the love of Laura and Isabel....

return to top

Joely Richardson
"This film is like a fairy tale. It's very much fantasy but also very much about human beings. The story is innocent and very charming and as a result everyone involved in making this film became enchanted by it. The atmosphere among the crew was very intimate and it felt almost like being back at college with everyone working together on a very special project."

Ian Holm
People involved in this film are really passionate about it. It is not just another monster movie. It's very caring with a gentle aura of mystique about it and because it hasn't been pumped with mega-money or violence it is bucking the trend."

James Frain
"I was attracted to this film because it has a rare gentleness about it, a warm spirit and humour."

John Henderson
"This is not a monster movie in the vein of Jurassic Park, it's a film about people. It will make you laugh, cry and jump for joy and will make people fall in love with Scotland. It's a 'feel good' movie like Four Weddings and a Funeral."

John Fusco
"This was the monster hunt for me, getting this movie made and getting it out there. Having Scottish roots I will always keep one eye on the Loch and as it's my favourite place in the world I'll be going back often to visit. Hopefully Loch Ness will recharge the batteries of the legend for a whole new generation. After all, that's how legends survive..."

return to top

The Loch Ness Monster is one of the greatest mysteries of our time. For thousands of years tales of Scotland's fearsome water kelpie have struck terror in the hearts of Highlanders and struck a cord with children and adults alike, captivated by the possibility of a prehistoric creature still existing in the world today...

Writer John Fusco was one such child, hooked on the history and legend of the Loch Ness monster from the first moment his Scottish grandmother told him the tale. As a boy he nagged her to recount the details while he sat in wide-eyed wonderment, the vivid pictures conjured up in his mind inspiring a lifelong fascination for the monster mystery. "My grandmother Isabel is from Coatbridge and my mother from Glasgow so I grew up with stories about the old country and the water beastie. The Monster has always intrigued me. My grandmother believed in it so I did too. Anyone who called my grandmother a liar would have had a hard time!"

As he grew older Fusco, from Vermont, moved from storybooks to science books to satisfy his obssession. "The marriage of folklore and science is often how most discoveries are made and I remember being intrigued by the evidence and the real possibility of the existence of the monster."

In 1985 he spent two months living neat the Loch at Foyers gathering material for his very own monster movie. He spent hours holed up in local inns gleaning information from people who had had sightings of the beast - and even had a close encounter himself! He says "When I first went to Loch Ness I had a very romantic notion of what it was all about. Whe I was sitting near Castle Urquhart one day I saw the classic three hump phenomenon in the water and I seriously thought I had seen this unique animal. Over the years my perceptions have changed and, examining the evidence again more closely, I now think what I saw was an effect caused by the waves. Now I neither disbelieve nor believe - but I am endlessly intrigued by the possibility of something down there..."

Over the years Hollywood's major movie studios had come knocking on Fusco's door, intent on seeing his script transferred to celluloid, but he had shied away when they insisted on changes to the storyline. "The film companies tried to push me in different directions and wanted a standard monster movie with blood and gore. I'm fascinated by the actual quest for the Monster and interested in the people who have dedicated their lives to it, the mysticism and the folklore. I wasn't going to compromise that, which is why it has taken so long to get the movie made."

Producer Steve Ujlaki first read the script in 1987, optioning it in 1990. He was immediately as passionate about it as Fusco. "It's the most wonderful script - I cried when I first read it. It is an intelligent and beautifully moving modern day fable - a fairy tale for adults, with something of the Brigadoon about it."

Like Fusco, Ujlaki was determined to stick to the script's integrity and, consciously avoiding the American studios, he turned instead to British production company Working Title who, in 1991, snapped it up. Eric Fellner says it fitted the Working Title mould perfectly. "Working Title is a European company based on European ideas with international appeal. The Loch Ness monster is a world wide phenomenon and a magical myth and, of course, the script is wonderful."

Director John Henderson had no doubts about who to cast in the two leading roles. "Ted Danson was ideal for the part of Dempsey because he has a vulnerable side to him. The most important requirement for me in casting Dempsey - apart from the obvious ablity to act - is that the audience would care about him. With Ted, they do. He's warm, witty and generous and these qualities can't help but come over in the film. He also shares the characteristic that all great actors have - an absence of vanity which allows him to go further with a character without worrying about himself."

Henderson continues "When I was making up my dream cast list at the start of production there was only one name for the part of Laura and that was of course Joely Richardson. I wanted someone strong and sexy, someone who had the ability to play both cold and hostile, then switch to warm and gentle. Obviously I had seen her 'English' work and when I saw her play an American with Nick Nolte in 'I'll Do Anything', I saw the range she had to offer."

Of Ian Holm whom Henderson had already worked with on the TV series "The Borrowers", Henderson says "He is the most brilliant actor with an ability to play an enormous range of diverse characters. But his unique strength is his incredible ability to be 'still' on the screen. When I rang Ian to ask whether he would consider playing the Water Bailiff he said that it was unthinkable that I could do a film without him."

Kirsty Graham took the coveted role of Isabel after the film makers had auditioned over a thousand hopefuls. Henderson comments that "despite the enormous depth of talent I saw, Kirsty shone out from the moment I met her. Although she had never acted before, she has an uncanny talent for filling the screen whenever she appears. She was completely unfazed by the presence of major stars and the whole feature film circus." [The eight-year-old is the daughter of professional photographers and a natural in front of a camera.] "For Isabel, I needed someone who we would believe possessed that intangible quality that would make us buy the fact that she holds the secret of the Loch. This girl definitely has 'Bette Davis eyes'."

James Frain had the role of Adrian sewn up after he had read only two lines during the casting, although Henderson says "I never told him that...This was the Adrian I had visualised. The man can pull a performance out of his boots, he goes so deep! It can be quite frightening to watch. He can be witty and light one moment, then rip your heart out the next. His passion was the most fantastic thing to watch."

With casting in place, the cameras started rolling on Loch Ness, near Inverness on 12 September 1994. It had taken just under ten years from the day Fusco finished the script to launch the film on Scotland's most fabled waters. The first day kicked off cold and wet which came as no great surprise to anyone, the largely British cast and crew being accustomed to "typical" British weather. John Henderson knew it would be a worrying factor when trying to stick to the shooting scedule and vowed never to wait for the weather to change or nothing would get done. To add insult to injury it was soon discovered that Loch Ness itself, with it's strong under currents, has it's very own weather system and while calm at one end of the 25-mile long stretch can have breakers battering the other. Filming began and Ted Danson, James Frain and the crew set out on the "Rose Valley", with the production boat chugging alongside, oblivious to this secret side to the Loch. It was to cost them dear....

Filming out by Fort Augustus, where the Loch is reputedly at its most turbulent, a small boat carrying lights, a generator and two of the crew was suddendly capsized by a freak wave. Amazingly, the two electrical men managed to jump to safety but the rest went down - at a cost of over £20,000! As the character Gordon Shoals says in LOCH NESS, "Beware the Ides of March! The Loch never gives up her dead," there was no hope of retrieving anything from the 1,000 feet deep waters.

The incident was reminiscent of one which occurred during the making of Billy Wilder's "The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes", the last major film to use Loch Ness as a backdrop. A fake monster sank to the bottom never to raise it's head again.

Despite the weather, the Loch had everyone enchanted. Surrounded as far as the eye could see by rolling green and craggy hillside, with red and purple heather spilling over from every nook and cranny down to the shore, its beauty was blinding. For many on the team it was their first visit to Scotland. Joely Richardson had enjoyed a brief visit two years previously and was delighted to be able to spend more time there. "Scotland is staggeringly beautiful and so magical. It completely took my breath away. By the end of filmimg I definitely took home with me a part of Scotland. I now plan to go back more often and make it a part of my life." Ian Holm, with Scottish grandparents, had visited as a small boy and Ted Danson had made one trip during his teens. Danson says "I love Scotland. It's so magical with a deep mystery about it. I felt like I was burying myself in creation. I actually have Scottish blood flowing through my veins. My great-grandfather was a MacMaster who emigrated from the Highlands to the States and my mother, who came over to stay while we were rehearsing, htinks she knows where my relatives might be." Ted's great-grandfather is believed at one time to have been a labourer and lived in the Angus area, near Glamis castle, scene of Macbeth's final tragedy."

Opinions differed on the Loch Ness monster theory itself. Holm, Richardson and Frain remained sceptical about it's existence. Says Richardson "I tend to think the Monster doesn't exist or it would have been discovered by now - but that's insulting to a lot of people who have dedicated their lives to looking for it. The Natural History Museum recently discovered a gap in the food chain and a large amount of fish are disappearing from the Loch which can't be explained. It would be nice to think that something is down there." Danson and John Henderson were pitched in the believers camp. Danson admits "I'm from California and therefore believe just about anything is possible. I've shared too many experiences of sightings with people in Scotland to think otherwise. The value of a myth like 'Nessie' is in the possibilities it opens up. It elevates our everyday lives and gives us hope." Henderson even claims to have had a 'sighting' himself. "I have always believed in the Loch Ness Monster and I saw something in Foyers while on recce for the film. I looked out over the bay and saw three buoys bobbing on the water's surface, turned away briefly and when I looked back there was only one buoy remaining. Where had the other two gone...? There is definitely something out there."

Whether they believe in the Monster or not, however, everyone found themselves looking for it. James Frain was watching every day and Joely soon found herself following suit. "I wasn't looking when I first arrived but as the story got under my skin I found myself taking a peek." Ian Holm too was mesmerized by the Loch. "There is something very special about it which rubs off on you and you knock it at your peril. I now hold it very much in awe and this helped a lot with my character who is interested in ecology and reveres the waters."

After two weeks shooting in Inverness the production unit moved 90 miles further north along the west coast to Diabaig in Wester Ross. It had taken location manager Mark Mostyn, travelling the length and breadth of Scotland, almost three weeks to find the sleepy hamlet. "We visited every town and village on the map which touched upon water and found Diabaig at 8am on a Sunday morning. It took our breath away and was just what we had been looking for." There were worries that it's remoteness, surrounded by rugged mountains and nestling at the end of a tortuous single-track road, would create access problems but once the team had found Diabaig they were prepared to go to any lengths to make it work. The cluster of houses were given facelifts, the fishing boats a fresh lick of paint and a holiday cottage transformed into the Moffat Arms with the help of a temporary extension. Prior to filming the production team, armed with alcohol, arranged a drink with the 50-strong population. At first a quiet get together the evening soon turned into a riotous knees-up and the absence of a pub in Diabaig could explain why the locals drank the beer barrels dry!

The crew stayed in hotels, chalets and holiday homes on the shores of picturesque Loch Torridon. Richardson had never been anywhere so remote. "There were no shops or telephones and the villagers only got electricity fairly recently. It was just hill upon hill of wilderness and the air was so pure. I fell in love with it." The weather continued to play up and within days the crew found themselves knee-deep in mud, with their water-proofs rendered almost completely useless. Richardson constantly referred to the crew's 'Dunkirk spirit' and Danson thanked his lucky stars he wasn't entrenched with an American crew. "The British are so much more used to dealing with disastrous weather..."

After two weeks the production again decamped, this time to Pinewood Studios in the UK. They shot interior scenes of the Moffat Arms before a team from Jim Henson's Creature Shop moved in to the subteranean cavern set with the head and neck of 'Nessie.' For the first time, The Creature Shop were to use their own state-of-the-art computer graphics facility, a world-breakthrough in real-time animation.The unique CGI (computer generated imaging) system allowed The Creature Shop to create and direct animated characters alongside Ted Danson, Ian Holm and Kirsty Graham during the shooting of live action. Hitherto the animation had only been added during post-production. This new technology gave the Creature Shop performers the ability to develop fully the computer-generated creature's character while at the same time giving the director full control of the image. As well as real-time animation, The Creature Shop contributed a mix of life-size animatronics. A one-off, full-scale animatronic Loch Ness head (4 ft) and neck (14 ft) were produced and mounted on a moving platforn at water level in the cavern set.

For the sculpting process, Henson's employed sculptors from London's Natural History Museum to ensure anatomical accuracy. The creature was controlled in three stages - facial, head and neck movements - by Creature Shop performers. Splitting up the creature into these areas of control enabled the Henson team to apply the best technology for each section, whilst retaining the fluid, subtle movements of a live creature. Large movements of the creature in the lake were acheived by towing the platform which was mounted on an axis on an underwater rail system.

The Peerless Camera Compand worked alongside Henson's to provide the digital effects and computer graphics representation of the monster. Using more advanced technology than that used for "Jurassic Park", Peerless's team of computer graphic experts worked closely with director John Henderson and The Creature Shop to produce intercut sequences that switch seamlessly between animontronics and computer graphics techniques. Kent Houston, the visual effects supervisor for LOCH NESS said "It was decided to use the Creature Shop monster for close-ups, and Peerless would provide computer graphics for the wider shots. As it turned out, the rapid advances in technology allowed computer graphics to be used for some close-up work as well, much to everybody's surprise and pleasure."

Peerless took rough animated templates on video from The Creature Shop and imported the data into their Softimage CGI systems, where it was refined to work with the complex computer graphics skeletal structure. Skin textures provided by The Creature Shop were scanned into the system, painted, and applied to the CGI creature. Dean Yurke, head of computer graphics at Peerless comments "It's nice for a small British company to be able to prove capabilities in excess of the Hollywood giants; the results are up there on the screen for all to see." The film wrapped at Pinewood after an eight-week shoot.

LOCH NESS is a Polygram Filmed Entertainment presentation of a Working Title Production in association with Stephen Ujlaki Productions. Directed by John Henderson, from an original screenplay by John Fusco, LOCH NESS stars Ted Danson, Joely Richardson, Ian Holm, Harris Yulin, James Frain, Keith Allen, Nick Brimble, and Kirsty Graham as Isabel. The film's producers are Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Stephan Ujlaki.

return to top

Alex Campbell is credited for the beginning of the "Monster Saga." In 1933, Campbell was the water bailiff of Loch Ness and part time reporter for the Inverness Courier. He wrote an article for the Courier on a reported sighting by friends, Mr. and Mrs. Mackay. On the afternoon of 14th April 1933 the Mackays spotted in the centre of the loch a surging mass of water, for several minutes they both watched "an enormous animal rolling and plunging" until it disappeared with a great upsurge of water.

Although the Mackays were convinced of their sighting, Campbell, known for his obsession with the Loch and it's mysterious monster, exaggerated the story, and so although press coverage was extensive, Campbell dd not attract the serious attention he was seeking.

During the early thirties there were approximately four land sightings reported, all of which were questionable. The most dubious on record was in July 1933. Mr. and Mrs. Spicer announced that they had seen "a dragon or pre-historic animal" holding a lamb or goat in it's mouth, crossing the road in front of their car. They told their story first to the Inverness Courier and then live on BBC Radio, but over the months their story changed considerably, including exaggeration of the monster's length from six to eight foot to twenty-five even thirty foot.

After these few land sightings in the thirties there wasn't another until February 1960. A dedicated "monster hunter" Torquil Macleod was travelling from Invermortison to Fort Augustus when his attention was "attracted by a slight movement on the opposite shore." Through his binoculors he saw what looked like an outsized elephant's trunk, being the neck and head swinging side to side scanning the shore of the Loch. Macleod watched the monster for eight to nine minutes before it submerged into the loch. Again, similar to the Spicer episode, in due course, Macleod started to contradict his story and so there was cause to doubt.....

Many of the recorded sightings have been proven hoaxes:

* David James, gave a dramatic account of a "monster" which sized "six to eight feet", sighted from "about 200 yards" (Observer 17th May 1964), but now says he has never seen the beast.

* One of the most famous photographs of the great "monster" is now revealed as a hoax. The picture was taken by Lachlan Stuart in July 1951. Stuart claimed that early one morning he sighted two humps off the shore of Loch Ness. He and a friend rushed to the water's edge and took pictures of what was now three humps.

It has since been revealed that the said "humps" were submrged bales of hay covered in tarpaulin. At the time, the photo was considered authentic and attracted world-wide press. Following this remarkable sighting, the BBC felt inclined to produce a ninety-minute programme consisting of a courtroom trial of the "Monster."

* The one photograph that attracted more publicity than any other and remained (until recently) the most believable sighting, was one taken by Colonel Wilson, a gynaecologist, hence his nickname "the Surgeon."

Early on the morning of 19 April 1934 Colonel Wilson and a friend, Christian Spurling were driving north along the road above Loch Ness. Having left the car to admire the view, Wilson noticed a commotion on the surface of the Loch two to three hundred yards from the shore. His friends immediate reaction was "My God, it's the Monster1" At this, Wilson rushed to get his camera, and took four pictures before the creature had dissappeared. When the film was developed only two shots caught the figure, one being the famous long neck and bent head protruding from the water. Wilson sold his masterpiece to the Daily Mail and it was published on 21 April 1934.

Before Christian Spurling died in November 1994, he told a schoolteacher, who was investigating the legend, that the sighting was a hoax. He and his friend built their "Nessie" using a clockwork toy submarine and plasticine. The model then paddled it's way some hundred yards into the loch, to enable Wilson to catch the perfect shot. An image that convinced the world for sixty years......

Spurling revealed his secret to the schoolteacher only on the understanding that it was not publicised until he had died.

Another well-known photograph, was taken by PA MacNab in 1955. MacNab claims that while standing on the road above Urquhart Castle he saw an enormous water creature cruising on the surface. What is most remarkable about his photograph is that when the size of the "monster" is compared to the sixty-four feet high castle tower, the "monster" is longer. This would make one hump alone at least fifty feet long. Some believers concluded that it was perhaps two animals swimming alongside each other.......

The most famous piece of movie film of an animal inhabiting Loch Ness was taken on the morning of Saturday 23rd April 1960. An aeronautical engineer, Tim Dinsdale, sighted a long oval shape of distinct mahogany colour, the creature stood well above the water, but without visible sign of a fin. It then abruptly began to move and Dinsdale saw ripples break away from the further end, it was then that he was convinced he was looking at an "extraordinary humped back of some huge living creature." Dinsdale managed to catch the creature on film for four minutes.

It was not long before the press heard of Dinsdale's discovery and on 13th June 1960 the Daily Mail published details and stills from the film, and that evening Dinsdale appeared on BBC Television Panorama and the film was shown.

It was this film that made Tim Dinsdale a notorious monster hunter and "Champion of Loch Ness."

Other sightings include:

* On 23rd June 1978 Bill Wright from Camelon revealed that when fishing on the shore below Urquhart Castle an animal surfaced about 30 yards away from him. "Not unlike an upturned boat, black in colour." Moments later a head the size of a football and a neck twelve feet long appeared.....

* 8th February 1974, two Inverness County Council employees sighted "what appeared to be a serpent with a horse's head" travelling through the water opposite Urquhart Castle. It left "a wake like a submarine"......

Even though the Loch Ness Monster has only been publicised legend since the 1930's, there have been sightings for centuries. The first known record of the "Monster" in the Loch Ness dates from 1,400 years ago. In 565 AD it was sighted by Saint Columba.

Until the monster is discovered, there will always be disbelief surrounding it's existence, but can all the thousands of people who credit themselves with having seen the monster really be making it up....

* Loch Ness is twenty-four miles long, and up to one and a half miles wide. For much of it's length the loch is 700 feet deep. The maximum depth of Loch Ness is still uncertain, but depths of 975 feet have been recorded. It is the largest lake in the British Isles.

* The Loch contains, prior to their spawning, 13 million adult salmon, (of some 65,000 tons) - certainly sufficient for a "monster's" appetite!

* The majority of "monster" sightings have been beneath Urquhart Castle and 90% of the known sightings have taken place when the loch is calm.

* For the past 25 years following Tim Dinsdale's film, numerous organisations and individuals have been inspired by the loch. The most well-known of these is the Loch Ness Phenomena Investigation Bureau, formed in 1962.

* The Loch Ness Phenomena Bureau were the first to take a picture of a "suspicious being" under water, by methods of sophisticated equipment they captured a shot of a flipper-like object.

*note from webmaster -- If you are still curious and want to explore more about this mystery you can visit this website -- Nessie.co.uk

return to top