Quest in Audio:

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast: Quest for Fire at 40

As part of the Burgess Foundation’s fortieth anniversary celebrations for Jean-Jacques Annaud’s film Quest for Fire, we have recorded a special Quest for Fire podcast episode.

Will Carr talks to Peter Elliott, who played Mikr, one of the Ulam tribe, and was the movement coach for the film. Quest for Fire was Peter’s first film, and over the course of more than fifty credits, he has become the film industry’s leading expert in movement direction and choreography, especially of animal and non-human characters.

He specialises in primate behaviour and movement and this work can be seen in films such as Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Gorillas in the Mist and The Island of Doctor Moreau. His choreography often works hand-in-hand with visual effects, and he has collaborated with the Jim Henson Creature Shop (Buddy; Where the Wild Things Are) and SFX-master Rick Baker (Bigfoot and the Hendersons). He is currently in pre-production on the fantasy film The Legend of Ochi, which tells the story of a young girl who learns how to communicate with animals.

In this episode of the podcast, Peter reminisces about his time on the set of Quest for Fire, meeting Anthony Burgess and Desmond Morris, and dealing with stampeding woolly mammoths in the highlands of Scotland.

The Burgess Foundation Podcast explores Anthony Burgess’s life and work through thematic discussions and interviews with writers, literature experts, and other people who have encountered Burgess and his work in different contexts.

You can subscribe to the Burgess Foundation Podcast wherever you usually get your podcasts. Alternatively, here are the links for Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud and Spotify. Or stream the Quest for Fire podcast episode below.

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