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Nightrunners Of Bengal
''Nightrunners of Bengal'' is the title of the first novel by John Masters. It is a work of historical fiction set against the background of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. It was published in 1951 in the United Kingdom by Michael Joseph, London, and in the United States (also 1951) by the Viking Press, New York. The novel at first attracted criticism from reviewers, who objected to the depiction of Indians and what they perceived as overly graphic descriptions of acts of violence. However, it was made the American Literary Guild's Book of the Month on publication, and was widely sold. Plot introduction It introduced the fictional Savage family, whose history of service in British India rather resembled that of Masters' ancestors. Plot summary The novel is set in the Presidency of Bengal at the time of the Indian Rebellion of 1857. The central character, Captain Rodney Savage, is an officer in a Bengal Native Infantry regiment, stationed in the fictional city of Bhowani (which ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Masters
Lieutenant Colonel John Masters, DSO, OBE (26 October 1914 – 7 May 1983) was a British novelist and regular officer of the Indian Army. In World War II, he served with the Chindits behind enemy lines in Burma, and became the GSO1 (chief staff officer) of the 19th Indian Infantry Division. Masters is principally known for his historical novels set in India, notably ''Bhowani Junction'', which was turned into a successful film. He also wrote three volumes of autobiography, which were positively received by critics. Life Masters was the son of a regular soldier, a lieutenant-colonel whose family had a long tradition of service in the British Indian Army. He was educated at Wellington and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst. On graduating from Sandhurst in 1933, he was seconded to the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) for a year before applying to serve with the 4th Prince of Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles. He saw service on the North-West Frontier with the 2nd battalion o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Deceivers (Masters Novel)
''The Deceivers'' is a 1952 novel by John Masters on the Thuggee movement in India during the period of British rule during the 19th-century. Synopsis The story shows how British officer and colonial administrator William Savage learns of the thuggee cult, infiltrates their society, learns their ways and code of communication, and destroys them by capturing or killing their key leaders. During his travels with the thuggee, he almost falls prey to the cult's ways as he comes to experience the ecstasy of ritual killings. The story shows how complex the web was in terms of type and stature of people involved with the thuggee cult. Analysis The Deceivers portrays the thuggee cult and corruption during Company rule in India. Historically, the East India Company was the world's first joint-stock company — chartered by Queen Elizabeth I of England in 1601. The main character, William Savage, is an official of the East India Company and tax collector (or, as he would rather view him ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Samuel Bronston
Samuel Bronston (March 26, 1908 – January 12, 1994) was a Bessarabian-born American film producer, film director, and a nephew of socialist revolutionary figure, Leon Trotsky. He was also the petitioner in a U.S. Supreme Court case that set a major precedent for perjury prosecutions when it overturned his conviction. Biography Bronston was born in Kishinev, Bessarabia, Russian Empire (present day Moldova) and educated at the Sorbonne. He worked for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's French unit in Paris before setting up as an independent film producer by the 1940s. Early films Bronston produced two films for Columbia Pictures '' The Adventures of Martin Eden'' (1942) and '' City Without Men'' (1943). His first film for his new production company, Samuel Bronston Productions, was ''Jack London'', (1943) for United Artists followed by '' City Without Men'' (1943). He was to produce '' A Walk in the Sun'', but when United Artists ceased funding of the film so as not to compete with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
John Wayne
Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Golden Age, especially in Western and war movies. His career flourished from the silent era of the 1920s through the American New Wave, as he appeared in a total of 179 film and television productions. He was among the top box-office draws for three decades, and he appeared with many other important Hollywood stars of his era. In 1999, the American Film Institute selected Wayne as one of the greatest male stars of classic American cinema. Wayne was born in Winterset, Iowa, but grew up in Southern California. After losing his football scholarship to the University of Southern California from a bodysurfing accident, he began working for the Fox Film Corporation. He appeared mostly in small parts, but his first leading role came in Raoul Wal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kenneth More
Kenneth Gilbert More, Order of the British Empire#Current classes, CBE (20 September 1914 – 12 July 1982) was an English film and stage actor. Initially achieving fame in the comedy ''Genevieve (film), Genevieve'' (1953), he appeared in many roles as a carefree, happy-go-lucky gent. Films from this period include ''Doctor in the House'' (1954), ''Raising a Riot'' (1955), ''The Admirable Crichton (1957 film), The Admirable Crichton'' (1957), ''The Sheriff of Fractured Jaw'' (1958) and ''Next to No Time'' (1958). He also played more serious roles as a leading man, beginning with ''The Deep Blue Sea (1955 film), The Deep Blue Sea'' (1955), ''Reach for the Sky'' (1956), ''A Night to Remember (1958 film), A Night to Remember'' (1958), ''North West Frontier (film), North West Frontier'' (1959), ''The 39 Steps (1959 film), The 39 Steps'' (1959) and ''Sink the Bismarck'' (1960). Although his career declined in the early 1960s, two of his own favourite films date from this time – ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eric Ambler
Eric Clifford Ambler OBE (28 June 1909 – 22 October 1998) was an English author of thrillers, in particular spy novels, who introduced a new realism to the genre. Also working as a screenwriter, Ambler used the pseudonym Eliot Reed for books cowritten with Charles Rodda. Life Ambler was born in Charlton, South-East London, into a family of entertainers who ran a puppet show, with which he helped in his early years. Both parents also worked as music hall artists. He later studied engineering at the Northampton Polytechnic Institute in Islington (now City, University of London) and served a traineeship with an engineering company. However, his upbringing as an entertainer proved dominant and he soon moved to writing plays and other works. By the early 1930s, he was a copywriter at an advertising agency in London. After resigning, he moved to Paris, where he met and in 1939 married Louise Crombie, an American fashion correspondent. Ambler was then politically a staunch anti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Roy Ward Baker
Roy Ward Baker (born Roy Horace Baker; 19 December 1916 – 5 October 2010) was an English film director. His best known film is ''A Night to Remember (1958 film), A Night to Remember'' (1958) which won a Golden Globe for Golden Globe Award for Best English-Language Foreign Film, Best English-Language Foreign Film in 1959. His later career included many horror films and television shows. Early life and career Born in London where his father was a Billingsgate Fish Market, Billingsgate fish merchant, Baker was educated at a Lycée in Rouen, France, and at the City of London School. Career From 1934 to 1939, Baker worked for Gainsborough Pictures, a British film production company based in the Islington district of London. His first jobs were menial, making tea for crew members, for example, but by 1938 he had risen to the level of assistant director on Alfred Hitchcock's ''The Lady Vanishes (1938 film), The Lady Vanishes'' (1938). He served in the British Army, Army during the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Literary Guild
American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, people who self-identify their ancestry as "American" ** American English, the set of varieties of the English language native to the United States ** Native Americans in the United States, indigenous peoples of the United States * American, something of, from, or related to the Americas, also known as "America" ** Indigenous peoples of the Americas * American (word), for analysis and history of the meanings in various contexts Organizations * American Airlines, U.S.-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas * American Athletic Conference, an American college athletic conference * American Recordings (record label), a record label previously known as Def American * American University, in Washington, D.C. Sports teams Soccer * Ba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhowani Junction
''Bhowani Junction'' is a 1954 novel by John Masters, which was the basis of a 1956 film starring Ava Gardner and Stewart Granger. It is set amidst the turbulence of the British withdrawal from India. It is notable for its portrayal of the Eurasian (Anglo-Indian) community, who were caught in their loyalties between the departing British and the majority Indian population. The Anglo-Indian characters in the novel, like many members of their community, are closely involved with the Indian railway system. Plot summary The book is set in 1946/1947, shortly before India gained independence. Victoria is an Anglo-Indian, the daughter of a railwayman. Patrick Taylor, also an Anglo-Indian, considers himself her boyfriend, but her feelings towards him have become ambivalent since her experience of British Army staff culture (see below). Taylor is represented as a clumsy and resentful personality, tormented by conflicting feelings of social inferiority and racial superiority. In vigor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Great Game
The Great Game is the name for a set of political, diplomatic and military confrontations that occurred through most of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century – involving the rivalry of the British Empire and the Russian Empire over Afghanistan and neighbouring territories in Central and South Asia, such as Turkestan, and having direct consequences in Persia, British India, and Tibet. Britain concluded, from Russia's military expansion in Central Asia and from diplomatic and intelligence information, that Russia planned to invade India as an ultimate goal. Meanwhile, the Russian Empire had analysed Britain's political behavior as planning the expansion of British interests in Central Asia. As a result, there was an atmosphere of deep distrust, and talk of war between these two major European empires of that time, culminating in several regional wars, and years of diplomatic intrigue and negotiations. Britain made it a high priority to protect all approaches ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Ravi Lancers
''The Ravi Lancers'' (1972) is a novel by John Masters. It is part of his series of novels portraying the British Raj through the experiences of members of the Savage family. Many of the incidents portrayed are based on the reminiscences of family-members and veterans in his Gurkha regiment. Plot summary The story concerns an Indian cavalry regiment which is sent to France at the outbreak of the First World War. The Ravi Lancers is unusual in that it is part of the army of a semi-independent Hindu state (a Princely state) attached to British India. It accordingly follows different traditions than the regular regiments of the British Indian Army. These include a semi-feudal relationship between the Indian 'sowars' (cavalrymen) and their ruler. It also means that all officers except for the British regiment commander are Indians, which would not have been the case in a regular regiment at the time. The book centers on the relationship between the regiment's British commander (a m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
