Christopher Wicking
| Christopher Wicking | |
|---|---|
| Born |
1943 London, England United Kingdom |
| Died |
2008 Toulouse, France |
| Occupation | Film and television screenwriter |
| Spouse(s) | the stage director Lily Susan Todd |
Christopher Wicking (born 10 January 1943 in London, England; died of a heart attack[1] in Toulouse, France, 13 October 2008) was a screenwriter often in the horror and fantasy genres, notably for the British arm of American International Pictures and with Hammer Film Productions,[2] for whom he was the last 'resident script editor'.[1]
Background
Wicking was educated at Coopers' Company's School.[2] While studying at St Martin's School of Art, London, he determined to break into the film industry.[1]
Movies
He began as a film booking clerk for Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors and, while working as an assistant film editor on documentaries[3] in London, he began writing profiles of directors for the influential French movie magazine Cahiers du cinéma.[1] He was a lifelong fan of westerns and wrote movie feature articles and interviews about the genre for various British magazines including the Monthly Film Bulletin and Time Out.[3] He also continued to write for French magazines including Cahiers du cinéma, Positif[3] and Midi Minuit Fantastique.[4]
His first credit as a screenwriter[2] was on the 1969 movie The Oblong Box, initially with Michael Reeves and, after Reeves' death, for director Gordon Hessler.[1] Although Wicking was only credited for "additional dialogue", Hessler later verbally credited him as writing the entire filmed script.[3]
Television
Wicking also wrote episodes[1] for British TV series The Professionals (1979–1982),[3] Jemima Shore Investigates and the TV dramas The Way to Dusty Death (1995),[3] On Dangerous Ground (1996).[3] and Powers (2004).[5]
Later years
He taught screenwriting at various UK institutions including the Royal College of Art, the Arvon Foundation,[1] the National Film and Television School, Leeds Metropolitan University and King Alfred's College, Winchester; and, in Ireland, at University College Dublin,[1] the Dublin Institute of Technology and the Irish Film Institute's Education Department.[4] It was said that he had a fondness for "termite art" - less "precious" work that valued personal vision and idiosyncrasy.[1]
Works
Feature films
- The Oblong Box (1969) (additional dialogue)[2][3]
- Scream and Scream Again (1970)
- Cry of the Banshee (1970)
- Venom (1971)
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) (co-writer)[2]
- Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971)
- Demons of the Mind (1972)
- Medusa (1973)
- To the Devil a Daughter (1976) (co-writer)[2][3]
- Lady Chatterley's Lover (co-writer) (1981)[3]
- Absolute Beginners (1986) (co-writer)[2][3]
- Dream Demon (1988)
Television Episodes
- The Professionals
The Madness of Mickey Hamilton (1979);[6] The Gun (1980);[7] Discovered in a Graveyard (1982) [8]
Book
- Vahimagi, Tise + Wicking, Christopher (1979). The American Vein: Directors and Directions in Television. Talisman Books ISBN 0-905983-16-5 / ISBN 978-0-905983-16-5
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Gaughan, Gavin (6 February 2009). "Guardian, 6th February, 2009". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jeremy, John (25 October 2008). "Independent, 25th October, 2008". The Independent. London. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "The Times, 1st November, 2008". London. 1 November 2008. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- 1 2 "Wicking's incomplete official website, written by Wicking himself, shortly before his death". Retrieved 7 February 2009.
- ↑ Action TV Online - Powers episode guides
- ↑ "IMDB listing".
- ↑ "IMDB listing".
- ↑ "IMDB listing".