Here you can find embedded video content or links to video related to Patrick Leigh Fermor, his life, friends and the places he visited.

Crete: 11th Day – a series of clips from You Tube which include a lengthy explanation by Paddy of his time on Crete and in particular the kidnap of General Keipe aka Ill Met by Moonlight. Press the link or the picture to watch the video.

The Roots of Heaven – Paddy was pressed hard by Darryl F. Zanuck to be the scriptwriter for the 1958 film The Roots of Heaven, an adventure film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by John Huston and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay was by Romain Gary and Patrick Leigh Fermor. The film had a fine cast and starred Errol Flynn, Juliette Gréco, Trevor Howard, Eddie Albert, Orson Welles, Paul Lukas, Herbert Lom and Gregoire Aslan. Press the link or the picture to watch the video.

Paddy on Greek TV in 1972 – reunited once more with his partisan friends from the Kreipe abduction. The highlight must be when the presenter introduces a slightly frail General Heinrich Kreipe. Paddy is delighted to see him again, and immediately starts to talk to the General in German saying how good it is to see him after all these years.I am amused as one of the Cretans takes the General’s arm to help him sit down; maybe he did the same before on that road to the Villa Ariadne, but was perhaps a little less gentle on that occasion! There follows what is one of television’s most wonderful scenes as Paddy acts as translator answering the presenter in Greek and then switching back to German to speak to the General.

The Dowager Duchess of Devonshire, the youngest of the legendary Mitford sisters reminisces about her life and her correspondence with the charismatic Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor, considered to be the finest English travel writer of his generation. An evening filled with wit, eccentric characters, and a celebration of courage and friendship. Charlotte Mosley, her niece and editor, joins the Dowager Duchess in conversation.

This was filmed on November 10 2010 at the Frick Collection in New York to mark the US publication of In Tearing Haste and her new memoire, Wait for Me

Paddy is mentioned at the start and she discusses her friendship with him from minute 35

Paddy interviewed on Michael Berkeley’s BBC Radio 3 “Private Passions” programme for his 90th birthday in 2005. He talks about his life and the music that has inspired him.

I am indebted to Georg Dalidakis for sending this to me. Please click below to listen to the programme. You can download it to your PC from this site.

Happy listening!

(PS – thanks to Richard for passing on this playlist from the programme)

Paddy talks about his home in Kardamyli and the Mani

I doubt this has ever been seen outside of Greece. This video of Paddy is taken from a Greek TV documentary from 1999. We see scenes of Paddy working over his manuscripts, views of the library, dining room and the garden. He talks of his home and the Mani.

I am truly indebted to Nicolas Paissios for sending me this – and there is more to come 🙂

 

 Click the image to play. Let it run for a while and you will be taken on a journey to Paddy’s house.

Patrick Leigh Fermor The Art of Travel broadcast c.1990-1992

A recording of a BBC Radio 4 programme entitled “The Art of Travel” (broadcast c.1990-1992) in which Annette Kobrak interviewed PLF for about 26 minutes concerning his early life and his journey to Constantinople.

I am indebted to David Turner for taking the time to convert this to digital and very successfully too – the sound quality is excellent!

You can listen online or download (press the downwards pointing arrow on the right hand side menu bar of the player).

 

Nico Mastorakis documentary about the Kreipe kidnap. – We have all seen the famous 1972 video of Nico Mastorakis’ TV show “This is Your Life” which brought Kreipe and his old enemies together before the cameras. If you have not seen it you can find it above.

In this newly discovered video Nico Mastorakis presents a documentary about the whole kidnap event, and includes full length and exclusive interviews with Paddy and General Kreipe. The General even says that “next year I will spend my holiday in Crete.” I wonder if he ever did?

Elias Athanassakis – the car spotter – retells the story of Kreipe’s kidnap

Elais Athanassakis, the only remaining survivor of the actual operation, tells the story of the build up to the kidnap and his part in it.

Paddy describes Elias in Abducting a General as “a very bright and enterprising young student working in our town organisation” and it was he who had to commit to memory all the details of the General’s car, even down to the size of the headlight slits, so as to ensure that the correct car was chosen on the busy road. He reconnoitered the route with Paddy and had the task of observing the road to signal back when the General was approaching and whether or not he was accompanied.