|
George MacDonald Fraser
George MacDonald Fraser (2 April 1925 – 2 January 2008) was a British author and screenwriter. He is best known for a series of works that featured the character Flashman. Biography Fraser was born to Scottish parents in Carlisle, England, on 2 April 1925. His father was a doctor and his mother a nurse. It was his father who passed on to Fraser his love of reading, and a passion for his Scottish heritage. Fraser was educated at Carlisle Grammar School and Glasgow Academy; he later described himself as a poor student due to "sheer laziness". This meant that he was unable to follow his father's wishes and study medicine. War service In 1943, during World War II, Fraser enlisted in the Border Regiment and served in the Burma campaign, as recounted in his memoir '' Quartered Safe Out Here'' (1993). After completing his Officer Cadet Training Unit (OCTU) course, Fraser was granted a commission into the Gordon Highlanders. He served with them in the Middle East and North Afri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carlisle
Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City of Carlisle district which, (along with Cumbria County Council) will be replaced by Cumberland Council in April 2023. The city became an established settlement during the Roman Empire to serve forts on Hadrian's Wall. During the Middle Ages, the city was an important military stronghold due to its proximity to the Kingdom of Scotland. Carlisle Castle, still relatively intact, was built in 1092 by William Rufus, served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots in 1568 and now houses the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment and the Border Regiment Museum. In the early 12th century, Henry I allowed a priory to be built. The priory gained cathedral status with a diocese in 1133, the city status rules at the time meant the settlement became a city. F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Herald (Glasgow)
''The Herald'' is a Scottish broadsheet newspaper founded in 1783. ''The Herald'' is the longest running national newspaper in the world and is the eighth oldest daily paper in the world. The title was simplified from ''The Glasgow Herald'' in 1992. Following the closure of the '' Sunday Herald'', the ''Herald on Sunday'' was launched as a Sunday edition on 9 September 2018. History Founding The newspaper was founded by an Edinburgh-born printer called John Mennons in January 1783 as a weekly publication called the ''Glasgow Advertiser''. Mennons' first edition had a global scoop: news of the treaties of Versailles reached Mennons via the Lord Provost of Glasgow just as he was putting the paper together. War had ended with the American colonies, he revealed. ''The Herald'', therefore, is as old as the United States of America, give or take an hour or two. The story was, however, only carried on the back page. Mennons, using the larger of two fonts available to him, put it in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Flash (film)
''Royal Flash'' is a 1975 British adventure film based on the second Flashman novel (of the same name, 1970) by George MacDonald Fraser. It stars Malcolm McDowell as Flashman. Additionally, Oliver Reed appeared in the role of Otto von Bismarck, Alan Bates as Rudi von Sternberg, and Florinda Bolkan played Lola Montez. Fraser wrote the screenplay and the film was directed by Richard Lester. Though it received good reviews for its performances and action scenes, ''Royal Flash'' had only a limited release in cinemas. Plot The film begins with Flashman making a patriotic speech to the boys of Rugby School framed by a giant Union Jack, in a scene which appears to be a parody of the opening sequence in the 1970 film ''Patton''. There is a brief flashback to the events of the original '' Flashman'', with the head of Rugby School (Michael Hordern) recounting Flashman's exploits in Afghanistan. The film then follows the plot of the book, which itself largely derives from ''The Prisoner ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flashman At The Charge
''Flashman at the Charge'' is a 1973 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the fourth of the Flashman novels. ''Playboy'' magazine serialised ''Flashman at the Charge'' in 1973 in their April, May and June issues. The serialisation is unabridged, including most of the notes and appendixes and features a few illustrations, collages from various paintings and pictures to depict a period montage of the Charge and Crimea. While George MacDonald Fraser claimed he never had a favourite among the Flashman novels he said his agent, George Greenfield, thought this was the best. Plot introduction Presented within the frame of the supposedly discovered historical Flashman Papers, this book describes the bully Flashman from ''Tom Brown's School Days''. The papers are attributed to Flashman, who is not only the bully featured in Thomas Hughes' novel, but also a well-known Victorian military hero. The book begins with an explanatory note detailing the discovery of these papers. ''Flashman ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Four Musketeers (1974 Film)
''The Four Musketeers'' (also known as ''The Four Musketeers (The Revenge of Milady)'') is a 1974 British swashbuckler film that serves as a sequel to the 1973 film ''The Three Musketeers'', and covers the second half of Dumas' 1844 novel ''The Three Musketeers''. Fifteen years after completion of ''The Four Musketeers'', much of the cast and crew reassembled to film '' The Return of the Musketeers'' (1989), loosely based on Dumas' '' Twenty Years After'' (1845). Plot During the Anglo-French War (1627–29), which involved suppression of the Protestant rebels of La Rochelle, Cardinal Richelieu continues the machinations he began in ''The Three Musketeers'' by ordering the Count de Rochefort to kidnap Constance Bonacieux, dressmaker to the Queen Anne of France. The evil Milady de Winter, who wants revenge on junior musketeer d'Artagnan, seduces him to keep him occupied. He soon discovers her true nature, however, and also that she was once married to his fellow musketeer Ath ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Three Musketeers (1973 Live-action Film)
''The Three Musketeers'' (also known as ''The Three Musketeers (The Queen's Diamonds)'') is a 1973 swashbuckler film based on the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas. It is directed by Richard Lester from a screenplay by George MacDonald Fraser, and produced by Ilya Salkind. It stars Michael York, Oliver Reed, Frank Finlay, and Richard Chamberlain as the titular musketeers, with Raquel Welch, Geraldine Chaplin, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Charlton Heston, Faye Dunaway, Christopher Lee, Simon Ward, Georges Wilson and Spike Milligan. The film adheres closely to the novel, and also injects a fair amount of humor. It was originally proposed in the 1960s as a vehicle for The Beatles, whom Lester had directed in '' A Hard Day's Night'' and ''Help!''. It was shot by David Watkin, with an eye for period detail, in Madrid and Segovia, Spain. The fight scenes were choreographed by master swordsman William Hobbs. The musical score was composed by Michel Legrand. ''The Three Musketeers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Richard Lester
Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director based in the United Kingdom. He is best known for directing the Beatles' films '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964) and '' Help!'' (1965), and the superhero films '' Superman II'' (1980) and '' Superman III'' (1983). His other notable films as director include '' The Running Jumping & Standing Still Film'' (1959), '' The Knack ...and How to Get It'' (1965), ''A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum'' (1966), '' How I Won the War'' (1967), ''Petulia'' (1968), ''The Three Musketeers'' (1973) and its two sequels, '' Robin and Marian'' (1976), and '' Butch and Sundance: The Early Days'' (1979). He is an Honorary Associate of London Film School. According to the British Film Institute, "if any single director can encapsulate the popular image of Britain in the Swinging Sixties, then it is probably Richard Lester. With his use of flamboyant cinematic devices and liking for zany humour, he captured t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Steel Bonnets
''The Steel Bonnets'' (London: Barrie & Jenkins) is a 1971 historical non-fiction book by George MacDonald Fraser about the Border Reivers Border reivers were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scottish and English people, and they raided the entire border country without regard to their v .... Fraser researched the book with his wife.George MacDonald Fraser, ''The Light's On at Signpost'', HarperCollins 2002 p304-307 It concentrates mainly on the 16th century, and seeks to de-glamourise the period in some ways.The age of the Borderers. Hugh Trevor-Roper. The Sunday Times (London, England), Sunday, October 31, 1971; pg. 41; Issue 7743. References {{DEFAULTSORT:Steel Bonnets 1971 non-fiction books 20th-century history books Border Reivers Works by George MacDonald Fraser ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flash For Freedom!
Flash, flashes, or FLASH may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional aliases * Flash (DC Comics character), several DC Comics superheroes with super speed: ** Flash (Barry Allen) ** Flash (Jay Garrick) ** Wally West, the first Kid Flash and third adult Flash ** Bart Allen, the second Kid Flash who also became the adult hero for a time * Flash (G.I. Joe), a character in the G.I. Joe universe * Flash, a robot in the video game ''Brave Saga 2'' * Flash, a character in the comedy film ''Daddy Day Care'' (2003) * Flash, a character in the TV science fiction drama '' Real Humans'' * Flash, a character in the 1989 American action comedy movie '' Speed Zone'' * Flash, a character in the TV sitcom '' Step by Step'' * Flash, a character in the film '' Zootopia'' (2016) * Flash Gordon, the titular hero of science fiction comic strip * Flash Sentry, in ''My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic'' * Flash Thompson, a Marvel comic book character Films * ''Flash'' (1997 film), D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal Flash
''Royal Flash'' is a 1970 novel by George MacDonald Fraser. It is the second of the Flashman novels. It was made into the film '' Royal Flash'' in 1975 and remains the only Flashman novel to be filmed. Plot summary ''Royal Flash'' is set during the Revolutions of 1848. The story features Lola Montez and Otto von Bismarck as major characters, and fictionalises elements of the Schleswig-Holstein Question, 1843, 1847 and 1848. It is set in the fictional Duchy of Strackenz, making it the only Flashman novel to be set in a fictitious location. Other characters include: * Prince Edward *Lola Montez *Ludwig I of Bavaria *John Gully * Nicholas Ward * Lord Conyngham *Richard Wagner *Franz Liszt *Oscar Wilde *Henry Irving *Karl Marx * Lord Palmerston * Viscount Peel *Jefferson Davis The book is loosely based on the plot of ''The Prisoner of Zenda''. Flashman explains that this is because the story was plagiarised from him by its author, Anthony Hope. In a letter, Fraser wr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Weekly Standard
''The Weekly Standard'' was an American neoconservative political magazine of news, analysis and commentary, published 48 times per year. Originally edited by founders Bill Kristol and Fred Barnes, the ''Standard'' had been described as a "redoubt of neoconservatism" and as "the neocon bible." Its founding publisher, News Corporation, debuted the title on September 18, 1995. In 2009, News Corporation sold the magazine to a subsidiary of the Anschutz Corporation. On December 14, 2018, its owners announced that the magazine was ceasing publication, with the last issue published on December 17. Sources attribute its demise to an increasing divergence between Kristol and other editors' shift towards anti-Trump positions, and the magazine's audience's shift towards Trumpism. Many of the magazine's articles were written by members of conservative think tanks located in Washington, including the American Enterprise Institute, the Ethics and Public Policy Center, the Foundation ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
On First Looking Into Chapman's Homer
"On First Looking into Chapman's Homer" is a sonnet written by the English Romantic poet John Keats (1795–1821) in October 1816. It tells of the author's astonishment while he was reading the works of the ancient Greek poet Homer, who was freely translated by the Elizabethan playwright George Chapman. The poem has become an often-quoted classic that is cited to demonstrate the emotional power of a great work of art and the ability of great art to create an epiphany in its beholder. Background information Keats's generation was familiar enough with the polished literary translations of John Dryden and Alexander Pope, which gave Homer an urbane gloss similar to Virgil but was expressed in blank verse or heroic couplets. Chapman's vigorous and earthy paraphrase (1616) was put before Keats by Charles Cowden Clarke, a friend from his days as a pupil at a boarding school in Enfield Town. They sat up together till daylight to read it: "Keats shouting with delight as some passage o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
