In this book, Paul Lynch explores the genre of the British conspiracy thriller, a confrontational and dark response to what novelists and filmmakers perceived as an increasingly Orwellian secret state in the political landscape of the time. Through analyses of a variety of film and television productions, Lynch examines the ways in which they were influenced by their Hollywood and European counterparts and the work of John le Carré, conveying the real-world practices of the British intelligence services that served as inspiration and evaluating the genre’s effectiveness in providing meaningful political commentary to mainstream audiences. Lynch draws on extensive interviews with novelists, film producers, screenwriters, and directors to form the basis of detailed and original case studies about films such as Defence of the Realm (1986), The Whistle Blower (1986), and The Fourth Protocol (1987). In addition to these case studies, Lynch also includes declassified intelligence material and interviews with former members of the intelligence community to reveal the extent to which popular television and cinema accurately reflected the inner workings of the security services at that time. Scholars of film studies, cultural history, political science, and adaptation studies will find this book of particular interest.
Looking-Glass Wars: Spies on British Screens since 1960 is a detailed historical and critical overview of espionage in British film and television in the important period since 1960. From that date, the British spy screen was transformed under the influence of the tremendous success of James Bond in the cinema (the spy thriller), and of the new-style spy writing of John le Carré and Len Deighton (the espionage story). In the 1960s, there developed a popular cycle of spy thrillers in the cinema and on television. The new study looks in detail at the cycle which in previous work has been largely neglected in favour of the James Bond films. The study also brings new attention to espionage on British television and popular secret agent series such as Spy Trap, Quiller and The Sandbaggers. It also gives attention to the more ‘realistic’ representation of spying in the film and television adaptations of le Carré and Deighton, and other dramas with a more serious intent. In addition, there is wholly original attention given to ‘nostalgic’ spy fictions on screen, adaptations of classic stories of espionage which were popular in the late 1970s and through the 1980s, and to ‘historical’ spy fiction, dramas which treated ‘real’ cases of espionage and their characters, most notably the notorious Cambridge Spies. Detailed attention is also given to the ‘secret state’ thriller, a cycle of paranoid screen dramas in the 1980s which portrayed the intelligence services in a conspiratorial light, best understood as a reaction to excessive official secrecy and anxieties about an unregulated security service. The study is brought up-to-date with an examination of screen espionage in Britain since the end of the Cold War. The approach is empirical and historical. The study examines the production and reception, literary and historical contexts of the films and dramas. It is the first detailed overview of the British spy screen in its crucial period since the 1960s and provides fresh attention to spy films, series and serials never previously considered.
A detailed examination of the growing genre of British fiction featuring archives and archival research, from A.S. Byatt's Booker Prize-winning Possession to the paperback thrillers of popular novelists.
100 British Crime Writers explores a history of British crime writing between 1855 and 2015 through 100 writers, detailing their lives and significant writing and exploring their contributions to the genre. Divided into four sections: 'The Victorians, Edwardians, and World War One, 1855-1918; 'The Golden Age and World War Two, 1919-1945; 'Post-War and Cold War, 1946-1989; and 'To the Millennium and Beyond, 1990-2015, each section offers an introduction to the significant features of these eras in crime fiction and discusses trends in publication, readership, and critical response. With entries spanning the earliest authors of crime fiction to a selection of innovative contemporary novelists, this book considers the development and progression of the genre in the light of historical and social events.
In this book, Pablo Castrillo Maortua analyzes the emergence of the political thriller in Hollywood at a time of angst and turmoil in the United States. The Cold War, the nuclear age, domestic and international scandals, and an increasingly deceitful political culture catalyzed a filmmaking current that would gradually develop its own narrative form and aesthetics into a new genre. Castrillo Maortua explores the dramatic identity and design of the American political thriller, tracking the close correlation between the evolution of the genre and the history of the United States from the Cuban Missile Crisis to the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the ensuing War on Terror. Ultimately, the author demonstrates how the American political thriller defies Hollywood conventions and cultural presuppositions with an entertaining yet critical view of the state of politics. Scholars of film studies, screenwriting, and genre theory will find this book of particular interest.
Based on the bestselling Oxford Companion to English Literature, this is an indispensable, compact guide to all aspects of English literature. Over 5,500 new and revised A to Z entries give unrivalled coverage of writers, works, historical context, literary theory, allusions, characters, and plot summaries. Discursive feature entries supply a wealth of information about important genres in literature. For this fourth edition, the dictionary has been fully revised and updated to include expanded coverage of postcolonial, African, black British, and children's literature, as well as improved representation in the areas of science fiction, biography, travel literature, women's writing, gay and lesbian writing, and American literature. The appendices listing literary prize winners, including the Nobel, Man Booker, and Pulitzer prizes, have all been updated and there is also a timeline, chronicling the development of English literature from c. 1000 to the present day. Many entries feature recommended web links, which are listed and regularly updated on a dedicated companion website. Written originally by a team of more than 140 distinguished authors and extensively updated for this new edition, this book provides an essential point of reference for English students, teachers, and all other readers of literature in English.
"Shaw analyses key films of the period, including High Treason, which put a British McCarthyism on celluloid; the fascinatingly ambiguous science fiction thriller The Quatermass Experiment; the court-room drama based on the trial of Hungary's Cardinal Mindszenty, The Prisoner; the dystopic The Damned, made by one of Hollywood's blacklisted directors, Joseph Losey; and the CIA-funded, animated version of George Orwell's classic novel Animal Farm. The result is a deeply probing study of how Cold War issues were refracted through British films, compared with their imported American and East European counterparts, and how the British public received this 'war propaganda'."--BOOK JACKET.
Secrets, Lies, Privilege, and Power. An in-depth look at the hidden force and the inner workings of secret societies! Claims and counter-claims. Accusations and allegations. NSA spying and suppressed evidence. Cover-ups and threats. Documented connections and intrigue. Suggestions of a New World Order. Are we to believe the coincidences are mere chance? Might the paranoid be on to something? Who really holds the levers of power? History admonishes us to be vigilant of hidden plots and nefarious agendas of governments and the powerful. Exposing their deep reach into the operations of today's world, Secret Societies: The Complete Guide to Histories, Rites, and Rituals is packed with details on nearly 200 organizations, their histories, founding members, backgrounds, and suspected conspiracies. It uncovers and probes the hidden agendas of these secret cabals. Along the way, it debunks myths and presents the evidence on an invisible world of influence. Powerful cliques, their plots, and their chilling affects are examined, including ... the Illuminati the Freemasons the Bilderberg Group MKUltra Skull and Bones Ordo Templi Orientis FEMA Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn the Knights Templar Ku Klux Klan La Cosa Nostra Rosicrucian Order Crotona Fellowship Council on Foreign Relations Montauk Project World Bankers the Secret Government extraterrestrial invaders and many, many more. With more than 140 photos and other graphics, Secret Societies is richly illustrated, and its helpful bibliography and extensive index add to its usefulness. For skeptics and theorists alike, this thoroughly researched reference overflows with fascinating information to make readers think about—and possibly reconsider—the state of the nation and the world!
When looking into the existence and alleged activities of the infamous Illuminati secret society, one finds an overwhelming amount of conspiracy theories, hidden history, half-truths and hoaxes. But how much truth is there to some of these claims you keep hearing about? What is the real history of the mysterious group? Do they continue to exist today? What is the evidence? And what are they doing? After a decade of research sifting through the facts and the fiction, secret society expert Mark Dice will help you navigate through the complex maze from the original documents to rare revelations by elite politicians, bankers and businessmen, as he takes you Inside the Illuminati. SUBJECTS INCLUDE: How and when the original writings of Adam Weishaupt and the Illuminati were discovered and what they say. See their own contingency plans showing they were prepared to continue operating in the event that they were discovered. The direct link between the Skull & Bones society at Yale University and the Bavarian Illuminati. The connection to communism and Karl Marx’ admission that he was a member of a secret society which commissioned him to write The Communist Manifesto. How they control the mainstream news media and use blockbuster films as propaganda tools to promote their agenda and shape our culture. How they created various front groups like the Bilderberg Group, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Federal Reserve to carry out their plans. Discover the virtually unknown secret society of secretaries and personal assistants who are trusted to serve elite businessmen and politicians. Investigations into the supposed bloodlines of the Illuminati, the Nephilim, and the Divine right of kings. Uncovering the Zodiac Club and their little-known twelve-member intimate dinner parties in New York. The elite secret society of scientists funded by the Department of Defense who were responsible for creating the atomic bomb. The secret of “sex magic” and its alleged capabilities and perverted practitioners. The Jesuits, the Black Pope, and the Vatican’s child molesting mafia. Looking into allegations of child abuse, murder, and snuff films rumored to have taken place at the Bohemian Grove. The all-female version of the Bohemian Grove consisting of America’s most powerful women. Stunning Rockefeller and Rothschild family admissions and the extent of their power and influence. The secret Jekyll Island meeting that gave birth to the Federal Reserve System. Skull & Bones sister societies Scroll & Key and Wolf’s Head at Yale University and the inter-council meetings these “Big Three” hold. The strange spiritual beliefs, philosophies, and occult symbolism of the Mystery Schools and their offshoots. Investigations into alleged ex-members ‘Doc’ Marquis, Leo Zagami, Kevin Trudeau, Brice Taylor, George Green, Mark Cleminson, and others. The Illuminati’s ultimate goal of creating a New World Order, a cashless society, and soon revealing the “royal secret,” admitting that they do in fact worship Satan. Their Transhumanist dream to become immortal Gods using advanced anti-aging technology, cybernetic neural interfaces, and mind uploading for what they see as the final step in human evolution. Their preparation for the arrival of the Illuminati messiah (the Antichrist), believing that he will finally rule planet earth as a God. How you can work to free yourself from mental, spiritual, and financial enslavement and avoid many of the traps set to ensnare ignorant and uniformed people. By the author of The Illuminati: Facts & Fiction
