William MacQuitty

William MacQuitty (15 May 1905 – 4 February 2004) was a British film producer and also a writer and photographer. He is most noted for his production of the 1958 Rank Organisation / Pinewood Studios film, A Night to Remember, which recreates the story of the sinking of RMS Titanic, based on the book of the same name by Walter Lord. MacQuitty had seen Titanic being launched, when he was a child.

Early life MacQuitty was born as William Baird McQuitty at 5 St John's Avenue in Rosetta, Belfast, the son of James McQuitty, the managing director of the Belfast Telegraph, and Henrietta Little. He was educated at Rockport School and at Campbell College. MacQuitty had seen Titanic being launched on 31 May 1911 and still remembered the occasion vividly. He also watched the maiden voyage departure the following year. MacQuitty attained employment with the Chartered Bank of India, Australia and China (known today as the Standard Chartered), at the age of 18, where he remained until 1939.

In 1926, he was posted to the Far East, joining the Auxiliary Punjab Light Horse at Amritsar, who were a handful of volunteer soldiers whose job was to defend the memsahibs and the children in a city that was widely regarded as one of the most seditious in India. However the proposal was rejected and by a massive feat of archaeological engineering the temples were raised above water level. MacQuitty's plan has always been regarded as supremely elegant and probably the best in terms of conservation of the temples.

Writer and photographer MacQuitty's first book, Abu Simbel, was based on his experiences. Published in 1965, The Times called it "lavishly illustrated with his own photographs". He went on to produce almost a book a year on a variety of subjects, reflecting his interests in the Orient, all illustrated with his award-winning photographs from a library of a quarter of a million taken by him over 60 years in 75 different countries. Buddha, published in 1969 included a foreword by the Dalai Lama, and in 1971 the Shah of Iran sponsored a large volume to commemorate the 2,500th anniversary of his country.

His most successful book, published in 1972, was Tutankhamun: The Last Journey, which sold half a million copies. His definitive photograph of Tutankhamun's funerary mask was seen all over the world, as it was used as the poster for the 1972 British Museum exhibition of the tomb's treasures.

Later life In 2002 the Royal Photographic Society described him as "a phenomenon in film", and he was awarded the Society's Lumière Award for distinction in film and photography.

Throughout his life, MacQuitty was endlessly delighted to learn from the people he met all around the world, particularly the Orient and the Middle East and was enthralled by the exotic contrast with his homeland. He had no time for racial hatred. He enjoyed multiple career paths and amassed a huge tally in what he referred to as "The Banquet of Life". He published his autobiography, A Life to Remember, at age 86 in 1991. He died in London, in 2004 aged 98.

Books As author and photographer: Abu Simbel, 1965 (foreword by I.E.S. Edwards) Budda, 1969 (foreword by The Dalai Lama) Tutankhamun: The Last Journey, 1972 The World in Focus, 1974 (foreword by Arthur C. Clarke) Island of Isis, 1976 The Joy of Knowledge/Random House Encyclopedia, 1977 (major contributor) The Wisdom of the Ancient Egyptians, 1978 Ramesses the Great, Master of the World, 1979 A Life to Remember, 1991 (autobiography, foreword by Arthur C. Clarke) Survival Kit: How to Reach Ninety and Make the Most of It, 1996

As photographer: Irish Gardens, with Edward Hyams, 1967 Great Botanical Gardens of the World, with Edward Hyams, 1969 Persia, the Immortal Kingdom, with texts by Roman Girshman, Vladimir Minorsky and Ramesh Sanghvi, 1971 Princes of Jade, with Edmund Capon, 1973 Inside China, with Malcolm MacDonald, 1980 The Glory of India, with commentary by Chandra Kumar 1982 (foreword by John Masters)

Selected filmography The Happy Family (1952) The Black Tent (1956)