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Frenzy
''Frenzy'' is a 1972 British thriller film directed by Alfred Hitchcock. It is the penultimate feature film of his extensive career. The screenplay by Anthony Shaffer was based on the 1966 novel ''Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square'' by Arthur La Bern. The film stars Jon Finch, Alec McCowen and Barry Foster and features Billie Whitelaw, Anna Massey, Barbara Leigh-Hunt, Bernard Cribbins and Vivien Merchant. The original music score was composed by Ron Goodwin. The plot centres on a serial killer in contemporary London and the ex-RAF serviceman he implicates. In a very early scene there is dialogue that mentions two actual London serial murder cases: the Christie murders in the 1940s-1950s and the Jack the Ripper murders in 1888. Barry Foster has said that, in order to prepare for his role, he was asked by Hitchcock to study two books about Neville Heath, an English serial killer who would often pass himself off as an officer in the RAF. ''Frenzy'' was the third ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred Hitchcock
Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 feature films, many of which are still widely watched and studied today. Known as the "Master of Suspense", he became as well known as any of his actors thanks to his many interviews, his cameo roles in most of his films, and his hosting and producing the television anthology '' Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' (1955–65). His films garnered 46 Academy Award nominations, including six wins, although he never won the award for Best Director despite five nominations. Hitchcock initially trained as a technical clerk and copy writer before entering the film industry in 1919 as a title card designer. His directorial debut was the British-German silent film '' The Pleasure Garden'' (1925). His first successful film, '' The Lodger: A Story of the London F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ron Goodwin
Ronald Alfred Goodwin (17 February 19258 January 2003) was an English composer and conductor known for his film music. He scored over 70 films in a career lasting over fifty years. His most famous works included ''Where Eagles Dare'', ''Battle of Britain'', ''633 Squadron'', Margaret Rutherford's Miss Marple films, and ''Frenzy''. Born in Plymouth, Devon, England, Goodwin learned to play the piano and trumpet from the age of five which allowed him to join the school band. When he was nine, the family moved to Harrow, London, where he attended Willesden County School and Pinner County Grammar School, in Middlesex. From there he went on to study the trumpet in London at the Guildhall School of Music. Whilst working as a copyist, he formed his own orchestra in his spare time and began arranging and conducting recordings for over fifty artists, which resulted in more than 100 chart successes. He wrote his first feature film score for ''Whirlpool'', with screenplay by Lawrence P. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barbara Leigh-Hunt
Barbara Leigh-Hunt (born 14 December 1935) is a British actress. Her numerous theatre credits include Broadway productions of ''Hamlet'' (1958) and ''Sherlock Holmes'' Justice (1973) (1974), and she won the 1993 Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress for the National Theatre production of ''An Inspector Calls''. Her film appearances include ''Frenzy'' (1972), ''Henry VIII and His Six Wives'' (1972), '' Bequest to the Nation'' (1973) and ''Billy Elliot'' (2000). Early life Leigh-Hunt was born in Bath, Somerset. Career On stage, Leigh-Hunt has appeared in many productions as well those with the Bristol Old Vic, the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre. Her early film roles have included Catherine Parr in ''Henry VIII and His Six Wives'' (1972), '' Bequest to the Nation'' (1973) and ''Oh Heavenly Dog'' (1980). Her most famous movie role is probably in Alfred Hitchcock's penultimate film ''Frenzy'' (1972), as a woman raped and strangled by a serial killer, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jon Finch
Jon Finch (2 March 1942 – 28 December 2012) was an English stage and film actor who became well known for his Shakespearean roles. Most notably, he starred in films for directors Roman Polanski (''Macbeth'', 1971) and Alfred Hitchcock (''Frenzy'', 1972). Early life Finch was born on 2 March 1942, in Caterham in Surrey, the son of a merchant banker. Education Between 1950 and 1960, Finch was educated at Caterham School, an independent school in Caterham. Upon leaving school he turned down the offer of a place at the London School of Economics. Early acting and SAS After performing in amateur theatre groups and singing in a folk group, Finch did his National Service in The Parachute Regiment and stayed on as a member of the SAS Reserve Regiment, training at weekends and several nights a week. He resigned from the military as his acting commitments became more demanding, and said he was relieved to not have to go to Borneo during the Indonesian Confrontation (1963–66). He ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anna Massey
Anna Raymond Massey (11 August 19373 July 2011) was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel ''Hotel du Lac'', a role that one of her co-stars, Julia McKenzie, has said "could have been written for her". Massey is best known for her role as Babs Milligan in Alfred Hitchcock's 1972 film, ''Frenzy''. Early life Massey was born in Thakeham, Sussex, England, the daughter of British actress Adrianne Allen and Canadian-born Hollywood actor Raymond Massey. Her brother Daniel Massey was also an actor. She was the niece of Vincent Massey, a Governor General of Canada, and her godfather was film director John Ford. Career Although she had no formal training at either drama school or in repertory, Anna Massey made her first appearance on stage in May 1955 at the age of 17, at the Theatre Royal, Brighton, as Jane in '' The Reluctant Debutante'', subsequently making her first London appearance in the same pla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Barry Foster (actor)
John Barry Foster (21 August 1927 – 11 February 2002) was an English actor who had an extensive career in film, radio, stage and television over almost 50 years. He was best known for portraying the title character in the British crime series ''Van der Valk'' (1972–1992) and Bob Rusk in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Frenzy'' (1972). Early life Foster was born on 21 August 1927 in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, the son of a toolsetter. His family moved to Hayes, Middlesex when he was a few months old. He received his formal education at Southall County School. After leaving school, Foster trained as a plastics organic chemist at the local EMI Central Research Laboratories, while unsuccessfully submitting ideas to advertising agencies. Having been "called to the Colours" under the National Service Act 1948, Foster served with the Royal Air Force. He subsequently trained as an actor, having won a scholarship to train at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He arrived there ag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Neville Heath
Neville George Clevely Heath (6 June 1917 – 16 October 1946) was an English murderer who killed two young women in the summer of 1946. He was executed in Pentonville Prison, London, in October 1946. Early life and career Neville Heath was born in Ilford, Essex. Although he came from a lower middle class background, his father, who was a barber, made considerable financial sacrifices so that his son could attend Rutlish School, a prestigious grammar school in Merton Park, London. Heath joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1937, but was dismissed for going absent without leave. He was later caught obtaining credit by fraud, and six months later was sent to a borstal for housebreaking and forgery. Heath used a number of aliases, including Lord Dudley and Lieutenant-Colonel Armstrong. At the beginning of the Second World War, Heath joined the Royal Army Service Corps (RASC) and was posted to the Middle East. After less than a year he was shipped home, but escaped the guard during ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vivien Merchant
Ada Brand Thomson (22 July 1929 – 3 October 1982), known professionally as Vivien Merchant, was an English actress. She began her career in 1942, and became known for dramatic roles on stage and in films. In 1956 she married the playwright Harold Pinter and performed in many of his plays. Merchant achieved considerable success from the 1950s to the 1970s, winning the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress in 1964. For her role in the film ''Alfie'' (1966), she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and won the BAFTA Award for Most Promising Newcomer. In 1967, she starred in the Broadway production of Pinter's ''The Homecoming'', and received a Tony Award nomination. Her other films included ''Accident'' (1967), ''The Offence'' (1972), ''Frenzy'' (1972), ''The Homecoming'' (1973), and ''The Maids'' (1975). Suffering from depression and alcoholism as her marriage ended, she died in 1982, two years after her divorce. Career Merchant took her stage name as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square
''Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square'' is a 1966 novel by Arthur La Bern, which was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's film ''Frenzy'' (1972). Plot The novel and film tell the story of Bob Rusk, a serial killer in London who rapes and strangles women. Because of circumstantial evidence, however, the police come to suspect Rusk's friend Richard Blamey. Film adaptation The novel was adapted for the screen by Anthony Shaffer. The title is taken from a line in the popular British music hall hit "It's a Long Way to Tipperary". La Bern expressed his dissatisfaction with the adaptation in a letter to the editor of ''The Times''. There are significant differences between the original novel and Hitchcock's film. The scenes between Inspector Oxford and his wife are not in the book. In La Bern's novel, the first murder is depicted from the murderer's viewpoint, with the reader unaware of his identity. A later scene also begins from the murderer's viewpoint, but midway through the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bernard Cribbins
Bernard Joseph Cribbins (29 December 1928 – 27 July 2022) was an English actor and singer whose career spanned over seven decades. During the 1960s, Cribbins became known in the UK for his successful novelty records " The Hole in the Ground" and "Right Said Fred" and for his appearances in comedy films including ''Two-Way Stretch'' (1960) and the ''Carry On'' series. His other screen roles include the astronaut Vincent Mountjoy in ''The Mouse on the Moon'' (1963), Albert Perks in ''The Railway Children'' (1970), the barman Felix Forsythe in Alfred Hitchcock's ''Frenzy'' (1972) and the pretentious hotel guest Mr Hutchinson in the ''Fawlty Towers'' episode "The Hotel Inspectors" (1975). On television, he was a regular and prolific reader for the BBC series '' Jackanory'' from 1966 to 1991, he narrated the children's programme ''The Wombles'' (1973–1975) and he played the title role in the CBeebies series ''Old Jack's Boat'' (2013–2015). In the 1966 film ''Daleks' Invasion ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1972 Cannes Film Festival
The 25th annual Cannes Film Festival was held from 4 to 19 May 1972. The Palme d'Or went to the Italian films ''The Working Class Goes to Heaven'' by Elio Petri and ''The Mattei Affair'' by Francesco Rosi. The festival opened with the French film ''L'aventure, c'est l'aventure'' by Claude Lelouch and closed with the British film ''Frenzy'' by Alfred Hitchcock. Jury The following people were appointed as the Jury of the 1972 feature film competition: Feature films *Joseph Losey (UK) Jury President *Bibi Andersson (Sweden) *Georges Auric (France) *Erskine Caldwell (USA) *Mark Donskoi (Soviet Union) *Miloš Forman (USA) * Giorgio Papi (Yugoslavia) * Jean Rochereau (France) (journalist) *Alain Tanner (Switzerland) *Naoki Togawa (Japan) Short films *Frédéric Rossif (France) President * Istvan Dosai (Hungary) (Cinématographie official) * Vicente Pineda (Italy) (journalist) Official selection In competition - Feature film The following feature films competed for the Palme d'Or: * ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Christie (murderer)
John Reginald Halliday Christie (8 April 1899 – 15 July 1953), known to his family and friends as Reg Christie, was an English serial killer and alleged necrophile active during the 1940s and early 1950s. Christie murdered at least eight people—including his wife, Ethel—by strangling them in his flat at 10 Rillington Place, Notting Hill, London. The bodies of three of Christie's victims were found in a wallpaper-covered kitchen alcove soon after he had moved out of Rillington Place during March 1953. The remains of two more victims were discovered in the garden, and his wife's body was found beneath the floorboards of the front room. Christie was arrested and convicted of his wife's murder, for which he was hanged. Two of Christie's victims were Beryl Evans and her baby daughter Geraldine, who, along with Beryl's husband Timothy Evans, were tenants at 10 Rillington Place during 1948–49. This case sparked huge controversy after Evans was charged with both murders, found ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
