Stoke Aldermoor native, Kevin Conway, has written to us to about his plans to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the filming of the Italian Job.
On Friday 18th October there is a plan to erect and unveil a commemorative plaque to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the making of the film ‘The Italian Job’.
A scene from iconic film was actually filmed in the Stoke Aldermoor area of Coventry. In the film there was a car chase involving that great British car the ‘Mini’.
During the chase there was a scene where the vehicles were driven through a sewer pipe. This part of the film was actually filmed in Stoke Aldermoor on the park next to The Lindfield.
To film this scene, the crew lowered the mini cars into the sewer by crane. The person driving the crane was a Neville Goode, a local driver who still lives in Stoke Aldermoor.
Kevin says “We want to raise awareness of the making of this iconic film and its significance to the local area. We feel that erecting a commemorative plaque will not only increase local peoples’ awareness of this piece of history, but it will also attract visitors from all over the country.
“On the day of the unveiling we have arranged for the Oscar winning film producer, Michael Deeley, who has also produced films such as ‘The Deer Hunter’ and ‘Blade Runner’, to come to Coventry to unveil the plaque. Also accompanying him will be David Salamone who drove the red mini in the film.”
Also at the event will be Remy Julienne, the French Motorcross Champion who was a stunt driver for the film . In his homeland his driving skills were recognised as some of the best and his charismatic driving led him to become France’s most respected stunt drivers. Eventually he set up his own stunt driving company ‘Remy Julienne L’Equipe’, a self-contained team of highly skilled drivers and mechanics. His break onto the international stage came when he was asked to complete the stunt work on The Italian Job, since then Remy Julienne L’Equipe hasn’t looked back. Half a dozen Bond films and other similar action movies have benefited from his stunt work and the impressive portfolio continues to grow.
The plaque will be unveiled at 2 p.m. on Friday 18th October and flowers will be presented to some key people. A signed pair of gloves will be presented to the local crane driver who lent his pair to Remy during filming. The will then be photo sessions and introductions and the event will finish at around 3.30 p.m.
Kevin added “This is a small springboard event we are holding for the City of Culture 2021. We are organizing minis to drive through surface laid tunnels along the original route (parallel with the Linfield). The response to this has been fantastic. Hollywood is coming to Stoke Aldermoor (who would have thought it). Stoke Aldermoor will be a mecca for film buffs and mini enthusiasts around the world.”
Anyone who would like to be involved, or who is able to help in any way, can contact Kevin by calling him on 07434 562909 or emailing [email protected]