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Christopher Wicking
Christopher Wicking (10 January 1943 – 13 October 2008), also known as Chris Wicking, was a British screenwriter, often in the horror and fantasy genres, notably for the British arm of American International Pictures and with Hammer Film Productions, for whom he was the last 'resident script editor'.All's Well That Ends: an interview with Chris Wicking Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 55, Iss. 658, (1 November 1988): 322. Early life Wicking was born in London and educated at Coopers' Company's School. While studying at St Martin's School of Art, London, he determined to break into the film industry. Movies He began as a film booking clerk for Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors and, while working as an assistant film editor on documentaries in London, he began writing profiles of directors for the influential French movie magazine '' Cahiers du cinéma''. He was a lifelong fan of westerns and wrote movie feature articles and interviews about the genre for various Britis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 14.9 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years. Its ancient core and financial centre, the City of London, was founded by the Roman Empire, Romans as Londinium and has retained its medieval boundaries. The City of Westminster, to the west of the City of London, has been the centuries-long host of Government of the United Kingdom, the national government and Parliament of the United Kingdom, parliament. London grew rapidly 19th-century London, in the 19th century, becoming the world's List of largest cities throughout history, largest city at the time. Since the 19th cen ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Westerns
The Western is a genre of fiction typically set in the American frontier (commonly referred to as the "Old West" or the "Wild West") between the California Gold Rush of 1849 and the closing of the frontier in 1890, and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. The frontier is depicted in Western media as a sparsely populated hostile region patrolled by cowboys, outlaws, sheriffs, and numerous other stock gunslinger characters. Western narratives often concern the gradual attempts to tame the crime-ridden American West using wider themes of justice, freedom, rugged individualism, manifest destiny, and the national history and identity of the United States. Native American populations were often portrayed as averse foes or savages. Originating in vaquero heritage and Western fiction, the genre popularized the Western lifestyle, country- Western music, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arvon Foundation
The Arvon Foundation is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom that promotes creative writing. Arvon is one of Arts Council England's National Portfolio Organisations. Andrew Kidd is the Chief Executive Officer, and Patricia Cumper is Chair of the board of trustees. History Arvon was founded in 1968 by two young poets, John Fairfax (poet), John Fairfax and John Moat. It runs residential writing courses at writing houses in three rural locations: Totleigh Barton, a 16th-century manor house in Devon; The Hurst, a manor house in Shropshire, which formerly belonged to the playwright John Osborne; and the former home of Ted Hughes, Lumb Bank, a 17th-century mill-owner's house hear Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the organisation established Arvon at Home, an online offering of courses. Due to its success, Arvon at Home is now considered a permanent "fourth house." The courses and writing retreats, some open to all-comers, others specially or ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Royal College Of Art
The Royal College of Art (RCA) is a public university, public research university in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in South Kensington, Battersea and White City, London, White City. It is the only entirely postgraduate art and design university in the United Kingdom. It offers postgraduate degrees in art and design to students from over 60 countries. History The RCA was founded in Somerset House in 1837 as the Government School of Design or Metropolitan School of Design. Richard Burchett became head of the school in 1852. In 1853 it was expanded and moved to Marlborough House, and then, in 1853 or 1857, to South Kensington, on the same site as the South Kensington Museum. It was renamed the Normal Training School of Art in 1857 and the National Art Training School in 1863. During the later 19th century it was primarily a teacher training college; pupils during this period included George Clausen, Christopher Dresser, Luke Fildes, Kate Greenaway and Gertrude Jekyll. In S ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Powers (UK TV Series)
''Powers'' is a British science fiction television series first broadcast in 2004 on BBC One. Produced by Chris Le Grys and directed by Emma Bodger and Brian Farnham for BBC Children's, the series was created by Jim Eldridge, who wrote episodes alongside co-writers Stephen Hallett, Christopher Wicking, Carolyn Sally-Jones, and John Jackson. Centring around two teens with telepathic, telekinetic, and extrasensory psychic powers, ''Powers'' was promoted as a children's version of ''The X-Files'', although many regarded it as a successor to ''The Tomorrow People''. It ran for one 13-episode season, and was also broadcast in Australia. ''Powers'' has never been commercially released. Overview The series follows the adventures of The Powers Project, a group of researchers led by Professor Henry Powers (portrayed by Rupert Holliday-Evans), who investigate mysteries concerned with the paranormal. The other members of the project are Mark Roberts (Adam Jessop) and Song-Li Harris ( Am ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jemima Shore
Jemima Shore is a fictional character created by Antonia Fraser, and is portrayed as TV's consummately professional investigative journalist. She is featured in a series of crime novels. Novels * '' Quiet as a Nun'' (1977) * ''The Wild Island'' (1978) * ''A Splash of Red'' (1981) * ''Cool Repentance'' (1982) * '' Oxford Blood'' (1985) * ''Jemima Shore's First Case, and Other Stories'' (1986; short story collection with 5 JS stories and 8 others) * ''Your Royal Hostage'' (1987) * ''The Cavalier Case'' (1990) * '' Jemima Shore at the Sunny Grave'' (1991) * ''Political Death'' (1995) Television Fraser's creation has been the basis of two television series which were broadcast in the United Kingdom: the 1978 '' Armchair Thriller'' serial '' Quiet as a Nun'' with Maria Aitken as Jemima Shore, and an omnibus series, '' Jemima Shore Investigates'', starring Patricia Hodge Patricia Ann Hodge (born 29 September 1946) is an English actress. She is known on-screen for playing Phyll ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Professionals (TV Series)
''The Professionals'' is a British crime-action television drama series produced by Avengers Mark1 Productions for London Weekend Television (LWT) that aired on the ITV network from 1977 to 1983. In all, 57 episodes were produced, filmed between 1977 and 1981. It starred Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins and Gordon Jackson as agents of the fictional "CI5" (Criminal Intelligence 5, alluding to the real-life MI5 and CID). ''The Professionals'' was created by Brian Clemens, who had been one of the driving forces behind '' The Avengers''. The show was originally to have been called ''The A-Squad''. Clemens and Albert Fennell were executive producers, with business partner Laurie Johnson providing the theme music. Sidney Hayers produced the first series in 1977, and Raymond Menmuir the remainder. Overview Criminal Intelligence 5 (CI5) is a British law enforcement department, instructed by the Home Secretary to use any means to deal with crimes of a serious nature that go beyond t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blood From The Mummy's Tomb
''Blood from the Mummy's Tomb'' is a 1971 British horror film starring Andrew Keir, Valerie Leon and James Villiers. It was director Seth Holt's final film, and was loosely adapted by Christopher Wicking from Bram Stoker's 1903 novel ''The Jewel of Seven Stars''.Gary A. Smith, ''The American International Pictures Video Guide'', McFarland 2009 p 28 The film was released as the support feature to '' Dr. Jekyll and Sister Hyde''. Besides providing a rare leading role for Valerie Leon, the film is notable for its troubled production. It has also been called one of Hammer's best films of the 1970s. Plot An expedition led by Professor Fuchs locates the unmarked tomb of Tera, an evil Egyptian queen. A cabal of priests drugged her into a state of suspended animation and buried all of her relics with her. Fuchs is obsessed with Tera and takes her mummy and sarcophagus back to England, where he secretly recreates her tomb under his house. Four days "before her birthday", his daughter M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gordon Hessler
Gordon Hessler (12 December 1925 – 19 January 2014) was a German-born British film and television director, screenwriter, and producer. Biography Early years Born in Berlin, Germany, Katz, Ephraim. ''The Film Encyclopedia'', Harper Perennial, 1994, 2nd Edition, pg. 622. he was raised in England and studied at the University of Reading. While a teenager, he moved to the United States and directed a series of short films and documentaries.McGee, Mark Thomas. ''Faster and Furiouser: The Revised and Fattened Fable of American International Pictures'', McFarland & Company, Inc., 1996, pgs. 278–281. Television Universal Studios hired Hessler as a story reader for the ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' television series. He became story editor for two seasons (1960–1962) for that series, then served as the associate producer for ''The Alfred Hitchcock Hour'' from 1962 until its cancellation in 1965. He also directed episodes of that series. Hessler then directed his first feature ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Reeves (director)
Michael Reeves (17 October 1943 – 11 February 1969) was an English film director and screenwriter. He is best remembered for the 1968 film ''Witchfinder General'' (known in the US as ''Conqueror Worm''). A few months after the film's release, Reeves died in London at the age of 25 from an accidental alcohol and barbiturate overdose. Early life and career Reeves was born in London on 17 October 1943, related to the family who founded the paint manufacturing company Reeves and Sons. He was educated at King's Mead and Radley College, English public schools, where he was obsessed by films and started his own school film club. He worked in films in various minor capacities for his idol Don Siegel, and then on ''The Long Ships'' (1964) for Jack Cardiff and ''Genghis Khan'' (1965) for Henry Levin. He subsequently went to work in Italy for producer Paul Maslansky on '' Castle of the Living Dead'' (1964), and then as director and co-writer of '' The She Beast'' (1966), whic ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Oblong Box (film)
''The Oblong Box'' is a 1969 British gothic horror film directed by Gordon Hessler, starring Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Alister Williamson. This was the first film to star both Price and Lee. Taking its title from the 1844 short story " The Oblong Box", it explores and combines several themes typical to the work of Edgar Allan Poe, such as premature burial and masked figures, with the non-Poe theme of voodoo ritual killings. Plot In 1865 England, having been disfigured in an African voodoo ceremony for a transgression against the native populace, Sir Edward Markham is kept locked in his room by his guilt-ridden brother, Julian. Tiring of his captivity, Sir Edward plots to escape by faking his death. Aided by family lawyer Trench, he hires witchdoctor N'Galo to concoct a drug to put Sir Edward into a deathlike trance. Before Trench has time to act, Julian finds his "dead" brother and puts him in a coffin. Embarrassed by his brother's appearance, Julian asks Trench to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midi Minuit Fantastique
''Midi Minuit Fantastique'' (1962–1972) was a French film magazine published by Eric Losfeld (publisher of Adonis Kyrou and film magazine '' Positif''). Michel Caen and Alain Le Bris started it, accompanied by Jean Boullet and Jean-Claude Romer. The headquarters of ''Midi Minuit Fantastique'' was in Paris. The magazine was dedicated to the fantastique, horror and science fiction films of the 1960s. It had a guide to the cinemas in Paris that showed films in those genres. Some ''Midi Minuit Fantastique'' issues were dedicated to special themes (King Kong, Dracula, ''The Most Dangerous Game''). In later days, when acceptance of alternative canons of cinema had grown, ''Midi Minuit Fantastique'' sometimes dealt with more mainstream subject matter, publishing profiles on Samuel Fuller, Otto Preminger or Federico Fellini. Literary fiction was also a subject of ''Midi Minuit'', including an essay on Gaston Leroux by Jean Rollin. A total of twenty-four issues were produced. Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
