Fife vintage firm in 7th heaven as its brass padlocks are a bear necessity for Paddington 2 movie

Tuesday 7 November 2017

 

The team at Fife vintage specialist Scaramanga is celebrating with marmalade sandwiches all round after two of its antique brass padlocks proved to be a bear necessity for the Paddington 2 movie, released in the UK today. The celebration is extra special because the major movie props supply role is the second to be screened in two months and seventh in just five years for the award-winning firm based in Cupar, Fife. In September it saw two of its vintage travel trunks and a range of authentic Indian boxes, tins and leather journals appear in major British film Victoria & Abdul.

                                      

The sequel to the global hit family film, starring Hugh Bonneville as Mr Brown and Hugh Grant as celebrity Phoenix Buchanan, finds Paddington and the Browns turn sleuth after a unique pop-up book he saves to buy for his Aunt Lucy’s 100th birthday is stolen from Mr Gruber’s antique shop. The role of the Scaramanga padlocks in the plot is being kept a closely-guarded secret. The new role for the Cupar vintage specialist’s products came about when owner Carl Morenikeji called the props buyer about another project and she mentioned she was looking for two antique padlocks for Paddington 2. As they’re specialists in original vintage and antique items, he was able to dispatch them the same day. Vintage and antique padlocks supplied by Scaramanga were used in The Hobbit, Pan and Celebrity Big Brother 2016.  Other movie props supply roles for the Fife firm have included 2014 Disney Sleeping Beauty prequel Maleficent starring Angelia Jolie – Scaramanga provided 10 medieval-looking pieces – and 2012 Tim Burton epic Dark Shadows - they supplied trunks for Liverpool Docks scenes. The firm also sold one of their iconic leather bags to 2014 Tom Cruise movie Edge of Tomorrow, but it didn’t make it onto the big screen.  The company, which also sells its bags, vintage furniture and homewares online and in its Cupar store, has also been used as a supplier of vintage props for TV shows including Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Big Brother, Peaky Blinders, Jericho, Hollyoaks, 60 Minute Makeover and, most recently, The Only Way Is Essex – where its coloured lanterns were featured in the October 18 episode. Now Carl and his team are looking forward to seeing what role their antique padlocks play in the family film, which Carl’s children Josh (9) and Ella (7) can’t wait to see. Speaking about the firm’s latest movie deal, Carl Morenikeji said: “We’re overjoyed to have seen our products used in seven major movies in just five years and to have two appear in only two months. “When I founded Scaramanga 11 years ago and named it after a Bond movie character (Christopher Lee’s assassin in The Man With The Golden Gun), I never imagined that by now our reputation for original vintage and antique items, as well as our own bags, would be so good we’d become the first-choice supplier for so many leading movie props buyers. “We’d welcome anyone wanting to see the range of things we supply into our store on the outskirts of Cupar to see and buy props just like those we’ve sold to this and other film and TV productions. From a Frodo’s House padlock to a Tarzan vintage travel trunk, we’ve plenty more! Find us on Google Maps. If you can’t pop in, you can shop on our website.” Vintage fans can see the full range of Scaramanga trunks, chests, homewares and bags on their website at www.scaramangashop.co.uk  They can also walk around its Cupar store in Google Street View® via its Google Street View Trusted® tour at https://goo.gl/maps/vi7oYKCxck92