Thorold Dickinson: A world of film - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0719078474 ISBN 13: 9780719078477

Publisher: Manchester University Press, 2008

Synopsis

Many distinguished international figures from the worlds of film-making and academia come together in this entertaining and accessible book to revive the reputation of a great neglected figure of British cinema 'a uniquely intelligent and passionate artist ... in the first rank of British filmmakers', as Martin Scorsese contends in his in-depth discussion. The films of Thorold Dickinson (1903-1984), now being rediscovered, engage with major issues including national identity, the post-colonial world, and political violence and they also show a rare mastery of style, a thrilling eroticism, a preoccupation with the psychology of betrayal. But the director of Gaslight, The Next of Kin and The Queen of Spades was also an editor, documentarist, trade unionist, film producer (for the British Army and the UN), pioneering academic and controversialist. His adventurous and truly global involvement in film took him to Paris in the heyday of silent cinema in the 1920s, to Stalin's USSR in 1937, to the Spanish Civil War, to Africa, India, Israel and America. This book gives a lively, multi-angled account of Dickinson's works, life and times, conveying a sense of his own voice and fascinating character. It includes a richly detailed introduction, a film-by-film discussion of Dickinson with Scorsese, vivid personal memoirs of the director, a dossier of Dickinson's original writings and interviews from 1924 to 1973 (some never previously published), critical essays on all the feature films, and a ground-breaking reference section. The book draws on extensive archival research and close consultation with those who knew Dickinson well. Thorold Dickinson: A world of film is an essential guide to the life and work of an undervalued British master of the cinema. Contributors: Martin Scorsese, Gavin Millar, Lutz Becker, Charles Barr, Laura Marcus, Kevin Jackson, Kevin Gough-Yates, Ian Christie, Gregory Dart, Hillel Tryster, Janet Moat.

About this title

Review:

"He had Michael Powell's daring, David Lean's taut editing and Carol Reed's emotional tension, yet he was lost in their shadows. Now Philip Horne and Peter Swaab have brilliantly rescued him from his perplexing obscurity and, in the course of their forensic enquiries, reveal a fascinating man and etch a sharp picture of the times he lived in."-- John Boorman

About the Author:

Philip Horne is Professor of English at University College London. Peter Swaab is Reader in English at University College London

About this edition

• Publisher: Manchester University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0719078474
• ISBN 13: 9780719078477
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 320
• Editor: Philip Horne, Peter Swaab