Stefan Pape In this continuing feature series, whereby we ask talented individuals all about their favourite ever movies, more often than not we’re speaking to filmmakers, be it directors or the stars of the screen. But every so often it’s fun to chat to somebody else, who has talents that lie elsewhere. Step forward Tracy Edwards, who captained the first all-female crew that sailed around the world, and on top of that, was an absolute joy to speak to, when speaking to us to promote the release of documentary Maiden, which chronicled all of her outstanding achievements.
What’s the first film you ever fell in love with? Fried Green Tomatoes. I love the character Idgie, I love that sense of the rebellion and the love between the two women and the sense of not really knowing what kind of love it was. And their strength together, all the parts are so wonderful and it’s such a gloriously made film. One of the most underrated films ever.
What’s the one film you can watch and never get bored? A League of Their Own, with Geena Davis and Tom Hanks. It reminds me of my crew. The whole thing… shit sorry, [wipes away a tear]. Oh my God, sorry. I don’t know where that came from. When Madonna sings This Used to be my Playground. It sets me off when I’m watching the film, and it seems I can’t even talk about it without being set off. It’s that whole thing of being an older person with a younger person inside who has done all that stuff. Of course it’s based on a true story., the girls coming together… and one of the questions we get asked the most is ‘women don’t get on – did you?’ and it’s like, shoot me, shoot me now. I could recite the whole film from beginning to end, I’ve probably watched it over a hundred times.
What’s your favourite soundtrack? Oooh, that’s a very good one. Oh my God it’s so hard. I do like the music in The Shawshank Redemption, again I can play it in my head, which is quite hard to pull out music from a movie and play it in your head. I love that music. But also anything with positive female songs in it, is probably going to do it for me.
What’s your guilty pleasure? I don’t think I have any. Hmm… Animal House, I guess. It’s legendary. It’s gotta be watched.
What’s the one scene that always makes you cry? When Ruth dies in Fried Green Tomatoes. Sorry, [wipes more tears] – I don’t know what is wrong with me today!
What’s your favourite ever film set out at sea? The Bounty with Mel Gibson and Anthony Hopkins. It’s the most likely version I think of what happened. I mean, Fletcher Christian did not look like Mel Gibson, Fletcher Christian was short, had one leg longer than the other, was covered in the pox, and had one gammy eye, so that’s a little bit of poetic licence, but they get Bligh right. One of my favourite books is called The Bad Language of Mister Bligh, and it’s a study of the mutiny, and what it’s saying is that it wasn’t that he was violent of that the men were flogged and all that kind of stuff, it’s saying that men, when men were made of iron and ships were made of wood, a flogging for a man, to be berated and be sworn at and belittled, was so demeaning and caused such a tension within the crew, and I just think Anthony Hopkins portrays what I think happened so incredibly well, and of course the filming was amazing and the music was also amazing, which I have literally just managed to bring into my head. I mean the whole thing with the Tahitian girl is not true, but it gives some context to the story. So yeah that’s probably my best scene set on water. Though I do like Waterworld, and I have sailed on the boat that they use. It was incredible! Not looking like that, it was before they did that do it.
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