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Chris Bryant (writer)
Christopher Bryan Spencer Dobson (7 June 1936 – 27 October 2008), who wrote for the screen as Chris Bryant, was an English screenwriter and occasional actor (usually performing in productions he wrote himself). Early life Christopher Brian Spencer Dobson was born in Bolton, Lancashire, a great-grandson of Sir Benjamin Dobson (1847–1898), who made a large fortune as a manufacturer of textile machinery and became mayor of Bolton. Dobson was educated at Radley College, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, where he read law, and finally McGill University, Canada, where he received a Master of Civil Law degree in 1959. Dobson remained in Canada, and in 1960 he was working as a private secretary to Davie Fulton, the Canadian Minister of Justice, while in his spare time appearing as a stand-up comedian. This caused a minor scandal when it was revealed in the House of Commons of Canada. He later returned to England, where he settled at Burford, Oxfordshire, and died on 27 October 2008 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bolton
Bolton (, locally ) is a large town in Greater Manchester in North West England, formerly a part of Lancashire. A former mill town, Bolton has been a production centre for textiles since Flemish people, Flemish weavers settled in the area in the 14th century, introducing a wool and cotton-weaving tradition. The urbanisation and development of the town largely coincided with the introduction of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution. Bolton was a 19th-century boomtown and, at its zenith in 1929, its 216 cotton mills and 26 bleaching and dyeing works made it one of the largest and most productive centres of Spinning (textiles), cotton spinning in the world. The British cotton industry declined sharply after the First World War and, by the 1980s, cotton manufacture had virtually ceased in Bolton. Close to the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is north-west of Manchester and lies between Manchester, Darwen, Blackburn, Chorley, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burford, Oxfordshire
Burford () is a town on the River Windrush, in the Cotswold hills, in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England. It is often referred to as the 'gateway' to the Cotswolds. Burford is located west of Oxford and southeast of Cheltenham, about from the Gloucestershire boundary. The toponym derives from the Old English words ''burh'' meaning fortified town or hilltown and ''ford'', the crossing of a river. The 2011 Census recorded the population of Burford parish as 1,422. Economic and social history The town began in the middle Saxon period with the founding of a village near the site of the modern priory building. This settlement continued in use until just after the Norman conquest of England when the new town of Burford was built. On the site of the old village a hospital was founded which remained open until the Dissolution of the Monasteries by King Henry VIII. The modern priory building was constructed some 40 years later, in around 1580. The town centre's ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Young Catherine
''Young Catherine'' is a 1991 British TV miniseries based on the early life of Catherine II of Russia. Directed by Michael Anderson, it stars Julia Ormond as Catherine and Vanessa Redgrave as Empress Elizabeth. Plot summary In the early 1740s, Elizabeth, Empress of Russia, is seeking a bride for her nephew and heir, Peter. She picks the beautiful Princess Sophie, a teenager from a tiny German-speaking state. It's a huge change of fortune for the naive young girl. After arriving in Russia, she is received into the Russian Orthodox Church under the new name Catherine. Though she feels like an outsider at first, she eventually becomes devoted to her new homeland, its culture and its people. But her personal life is in turmoil. Peter is mentally unbalanced and sometimes vicious. Shortly after the couple's wedding, he makes clear that the marriage will never be consummated. Meanwhile, Empress Elizabeth, whose anger is legendary, expects Catherine to produce an heir or perhaps suffer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stealing Heaven
''Stealing Heaven'' is a 1988 film directed by Clive Donner and starring Derek de Lint, Kim Thomson and Denholm Elliott. It is a costume drama based on the French 12th-century medieval romance (a true story) of Peter Abelard and Héloïse and on a historical novel by Marion Meade. This was Donner's final theatrical film, before his death in 2010. Plot Peter Abelard is a famous teacher of philosophy at the cathedral school of Notre Dame, and a champion of reason. At a time when academics are required to observe chastity, he falls in love with one of his students, Héloïse d'Argenteuil, a sixteen-year-old gentlewoman raised in a convent, who has both intellectual curiosity and a rebellious view of the low status of women in 12th-century Europe. When the relationship is suspected, Heloise's uncle Fulbert, who had other plans for her marriage, works with the bishop of Paris to put a stop to it. Nevertheless, Abelard and Heloise pursue their relationship; they make love in her b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lady Jane (1986 Film)
''Lady Jane'' is a 1986 British costume-drama romance film, directed by Trevor Nunn, written by David Edgar (playwright), David Edgar, and starring Helena Bonham Carter as the title character. It tells the story of Lady Jane Grey, her marriage to Lord Guildford Dudley, and her reign as the "Nine Days' Queen" following the death of Edward VI of England. The story had previously been turned into a 1936 film, ''Tudor Rose (film), Tudor Rose'', and a 1923 silent film, ''Lady Jane Grey; Or, The Court of Intrigue''. Plot The death of King Henry VIII of England throws his kingdom into chaos as his successor, Edward VI of England, is both under-age and in poor health. Anticipating the young king's imminent death from tuberculosis and anxious to keep England true to the Protestant Reformation by keeping the Catholic Mary I of England, Princess Mary from the throne, John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, Lord President of the Council and second only to the king in power, hatches a plan t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sword Of Gideon
''Sword of Gideon'' is a 1986 Canadian television film about Mossad agents hunting down terrorists associated with the 1972 Munich massacre. It was first shown on the CTV Television Network in Canada as a four-hour miniseries and later on HBO in the United States. Directed by Michael Anderson and written by Chris Bryant, the film stars Steven Bauer and Michael York. The film is based on the book '' Vengeance'' by George Jonas, an account of the incident which has been criticized by some intelligence personnel as fictional, though because of its covert nature is difficult to prove or disprove. In some countries the book was titled ''Vengeance: Sword of Gideon'', from which the movie title is drawn. The story was retold in the 2005 film ''Munich'' by Steven Spielberg. Plot Avner, an adept Israeli military officer, is interrupted from his service in the IDF by a special request from Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir to join Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency. Despite warnin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Martin's Day
''Martin's Day'' is a 1985 American drama film directed by Alan Gibson. It stars Richard Harris and Lindsay Wagner. Synopsis The film follows an escaped convict named Martin who kidnaps a boy, also named Martin, while trying to flee via plane. While on the run the two Martins discover that they have many things in common other than just their name and begin to bond. Cast *Richard Harris as Martin Steckert *Lindsay Wagner as Dr. Mennen *James Coburn as Lt. Lardner *Justin Henry as Martin *Karen Black as Karen *John Ireland as Brewer *Saul Rubinek as Hitchhiker * R.H. Thompson as Paul Mennen Production Filming for ''Martin's Day'' took place in Ontario, Canada during the autumn of 1984, and began shortly after Richard Harris completed an eight-city tour of the musical ''Camelot''. The film's script was written by Chris Bryant and Allan Scott. Release Initially intended to release in November 1984, ''Martin's Day'' premiered in the United States on February 22, 1985. Recepti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Awakening (1980 Film)
''The Awakening'' is a 1980 British horror film directed by Mike Newell in his directorial debut and starring Charlton Heston, Susannah York, and Stephanie Zimbalist. It is the third film version of Bram Stoker's 1903 novel ''The Jewel of Seven Stars'', following 1970 television adaptation as ''The Curse of the Mummy'' for the TV series ''Mystery and Imagination'', and the 1971 theatrical film by Hammer, ''Blood from the Mummy's Tomb'' (in which Ahmed Osman also appeared). It was released by Warner Bros. Another adaptation of Stoker's novel was released directly to video in 1997 under the title '' Bram Stoker's The Mummy''. Plot The film opens on an Egyptian archaeological dig in 1961.Cowie, Susan D. and Tom Johnson. ''The Mummy in Fact, Fiction and Film''. North Carolina: McFarland & Company Inc., 2002. Print. Three of the main characters are introduced: Matthew Corbeck (Heston), his wife Anne Corbeck (Jill Townsend), and Jane Turner (Susannah York). Matthew and Jane are di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joseph Andrews (film)
''Joseph Andrews'' is a 1977 British period comedy film directed by Tony Richardson. It is based on the 1742 novel ''Joseph Andrews'' by Henry Fielding. With its rollicking comic plot, period costume and setting, ribald adventures and a dashing young hero, the film was an obvious attempt to follow in the line of such films as '' Tom Jones'' (1963), which was also directed by Tony Richardson. Ann-Margret was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1978 for her performance in the film. Vincent Canby of the ''New York Times'' explains the pretext of Henry Fielding's novel ''Joseph Andrews'': The book "originated as Fielding's answer to what he saw as the hypocritical pieties of ritish novelistSamuel Richardson's ''Pamela''. In ''Pamela'', which was published in 1740, Richardson told the inspiring tale of Pamela Andrews, a serving girl who tenaciously held onto her virginity until her employer, the rich Mr. Booby, came across with a marriage license. Several years later, Mr. Fieldin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Golden Rendezvous
''Golden Rendezvous'' is a 1977 South African action thriller film directed by Ashley Lazarus and starring Richard Harris, Ann Turkel and David Janssen. It was based on the 1962 novel '' The Golden Rendezvous'' by Alistair MacLean. Plot The ''Caribbean Star'', a combination cargo ship and floating casino is hijacked by terrorists led by Luis Carreras (John Vernon), who installs an atomic bomb, holding both the passengers and the bomb hostage, hoping to exchange them for the gold bullion on a U.S. Treasury ship. However, First Officer John Carter (Richard Harris), Susan Beresford ( Ann Turkel), and Dr. Marston ( Gordon Jackson) join forces to foil the plan. Cast * Richard Harris – John Carter * Ann Turkel – Susan Beresford * David Janssen – Charles Conway * Burgess Meredith – Van Heurden * Gordon Jackson – Dr. Marston * John Vernon – Luis Carreras * Dorothy Malone – Mrs. Skinner * Leigh Lawson – Tony Cerdan * John Carradine – Fairweather * Robert Fle ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Spiral Staircase (1975 Film)
''The Spiral Staircase'' is a 1975 British horror mystery thriller film directed by Peter Collinson and starring Jacqueline Bisset and Christopher Plummer. It is a remake of the 1946 film of the same name, which was adapted from Ethel Lina White's 1933 British novel ''Some Must Watch''. Plot Helen Mallory is a beautiful young woman who has been unable to speak a word since seeing her husband and daughter die in a fire. She visits the home of her elderly, invalid grandmother and meets her uncle, Joe Sherman, a respected psychiatrist. The visit turns into a nightmare as she encounters Joe's brash brother Steven, as well as a pretentious Southern belle named Blanche and other mysterious characters in a house where everyone's life seems to be in grave danger. Cast * Jacqueline Bisset as Helen Mallory * Christopher Plummer as Dr. Joe Sherman * John Phillip Law as Steven Sherman * Sam Wanamaker as Lieutenant Fields * Mildred Dunnock as Mrs. Sherman * Gayle Hunnicutt as Blanche * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Girl From Petrovka
''The Girl from Petrovka'' is a 1974 American comedy-drama film starring Goldie Hawn and Hal Holbrook, based on the novel by George Feifer. It is about an American journalist, Joe (Holbrook) who goes to the Soviet Union and meets Oktyabrina (Hawn), an undocumented ballet dancer, which attracts the attention of the authorities. Plot Joe (Hal Holbrook) is a cynical American journalist assigned to work in the Soviet Union, where he meets Oktyabrina (Goldie Hawn), a spirited and erratic Russian ballet dancer who lives illegally without proper documents. Their ensuing romance opens new possibilities for both; but also draws the attention of the Soviet authorities. Cast * Goldie Hawn as Oktyabrina * Hal Holbrook as Joe * Anthony Hopkins as Kostya * Grégoire Aslan as Minister * Anton Dolin as Ignatievitch * Bruno Wintzell as Alexander * Zoran Andric as Leonid * Hanna Hertelendy as Judge * Maria Sukolov as Old Crone * Zitto Kazann as Passport Black Marketeer * Ing ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
