NationMaster - Encyclopedia: James Clavell

James Clavell, born Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell (10 October 1924 – 7 September 1994) was a British novelist, screenwriter, director and World War II hero and POW. Clavell is best known for his epic Asian Saga series of novels and their televised adaptations, along with such films as The Great Escape and To Sir, with Love. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (493x656, 31 KB)James Clavell in 1986. ... Year 1986 (MCMLXXXVI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link displays 1986 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Switzerland. ... This article is about work. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Year 1958 (MCMLVIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... Promotional poster for The Fly The Fly is a 1958 American sci-fi / horror film, directed by Kurt Neumann. ... King Rat is a 1962 novel by James Clavell. ... is the 283rd day of the year (284th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the rap album, see 1924 (album). ... is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... A novel is an extended work of written, narrative, prose fiction, usually in story form; the writer of a novel is a novelist. ... Screenwriters, scenarists or script writers, are authors who write the screenplays from which movies and television programs are made. ... The film director, on the right, gives last minute direction to the cast and crew, whilst filming a costume drama on location in London. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Geneva Convention definition A prisoner of war (POW) is a soldier, sailor, airman, or marine who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict. ... The Asian Saga is a series of six novels written by James Clavell in the later 20th century. ... The Great Escape, written by James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, and Walter Newman (uncredited), and directed by John Sturges is a popular 1963 World War II film, based on a true story about Allied prisoners of war with a record for escaping from German prisoner-of-war camps. ... To Sir, with Love (1967) is a British film starring Sidney Poitier that deals with social issues in an inner city school, written and directed by James Clavell and based on the memoir of the same name by E.R. Braithwaite. ...

Early life and World War II

Clavell was the son of Commander Richard Clavell, a British Royal Navy officer who was stationed in Australia to help establish the Royal Australian Navy. In 1940, when Clavell finished his secondary schooling at Portsmouth Grammar School, he joined the Royal Artillery to follow his family tradition. This article is about the navy of the United Kingdom. ... The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the naval branch of the Australian Defence Force. ... The Portsmouth Grammar School is an independent school located in Portsmouth, England. ... Tactical Recognition Flash of the Royal Artillery The Royal Regiment of Artillery, generally known as the Royal Artillery (RA), is, despite its name, a corps of the British Army. ...

Following the outbreak of World War II, in 1940, at the age of 16, he joined the British Royal Artillery, and was sent to Malaya to fight the Japanese. Wounded by machine gun fire, he was eventually captured and sent to a Japanese prisoner of war camp on Java. Later, he was transferred to Changi Prison in Singapore. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... The Royal Regiment of Artillery, generally known as the Royal Artillery (RA), is, despite its name, a corps of the British Army It is made up of a number of regiments. ... Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (Malay: Semenanjung Malaysia) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... Changi chapel, built by Australian POWs in 1944, later relocated to Duntroon, Canberra Changi Prison (Simplified Chinese: ) is a prison located in Changi in the eastern part of Singapore. ...

Changi was notorious for its poor living conditions. According to the introduction to King Rat, written by Clavell's daughter Michaela, over 90% of the prisoners who entered Changi never walked out. Clavell was reportedly saved, along with an entire battalion by an American prisoner of war, who later became the model for "The King" in Clavell's King Rat. King Rat is a 1962 novel by James Clavell. ...

By 1946, Clavell had risen to the rank of Captain, but a motorcycle accident ended his military career. He enrolled at the University of Birmingham, where he met April Stride, an actress, whom he married in 1951. Website http://www. ...

Film industry

In 1953, Clavell and his wife emigrated to the United States and settled down in Hollywood. Clavell scripted the grisly science-fiction horror film The Fly and wrote a war film, Five Gates to Hell. Clavell won a Writers Guild Best Screenplay Award for the 1963 film The Great Escape. He also wrote, directed and produced a 1967 box office hit, To Sir With Love, starring Sidney Poitier. ... Charles Herbert and Vincent Price during their infamous spider web scene in 1958s The Fly. ... The Great Escape, written by James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, and Walter Newman (uncredited), and directed by John Sturges is a popular 1963 World War II film, based on a true story about Allied prisoners of war with a record for escaping from German prisoner-of-war camps. ... To Sir, with Love (1967) is a British film which deals with social issues in an inner city school, written and directed by James Clavell and based on a novel of the same name by E.R. Braithwaite. ... Sir Sidney Poitier KBE, (IPA pronunciation: ) (born February 20, 1927), is an Academy Award-winning Bahamian American actor, film director, and activist. ...

Clavell's daughter Michaela appeared briefly as Penelope Smallbone, Moneypenny's successor, in the James Bond 007 movie Octopussy. The character, however, did not catch on and was dropped after that single picture. Michaela Clavell, daughter of author James Clavell, is an actress. ... Miss Penelope Smallbone is Miss Moneypennys asisstant in the James Bond film Octopussy. ... Miss Moneypenny is a fictional character in the James Bond novels and films. ... The James Bond 007 gun logo James Bond, also known as 007 (pronounced double-oh seven), is a sophisticated fictional character and British spy created by writer Ian Fleming. ... For other uses, see Octopussy (disambiguation). ...

Films

Tai-Pan and King Rat have both been adapted as feature films, however Clavell was not directly involved in their writing. Promotional poster for The Fly The Fly is a 1958 American sci-fi / horror film, directed by Kurt Neumann. ... The Tutsi are one of three native peoples of the nations of Rwanda and Burundi in central Africa: the other two being the Twa (or Watwa), a pygmy people, and the original inhabitants; and the Hutu (Wahutu), a Bantu-derived people. ... The Great Escape, written by James Clavell, W.R. Burnett, and Walter Newman (uncredited), and directed by John Sturges is a popular 1963 World War II film, based on a true story about Allied prisoners of war with a record for escaping from German prisoner-of-war camps. ... 633 Squadron 633 Squadron is a World War II film directed by Walter Grauman and produced by Cecil F. Ford for United Artists in 1964 starring Cliff Robertson, George Chakiris and Harry Andrews. ... The Satan Bug (1965) is a science fiction motion picture in which a US government germ warfare lab has had an accident. ... To Sir, with Love (1967) is a British film starring Sidney Poitier that deals with social issues in an inner city school, written and directed by James Clavell and based on the memoir of the same name by E.R. Braithwaite. ... The Last Valley is a 1970 historical film, set during the Thirty Years War in Europe. ... Shogun is an Japanese- United States miniseries based on the namesake novel by James Clavell. ... Noble House is a novel by James Clavell, published in 1981 and set in Hong Kong in 1963. ...

Novelist

Clavell's first novel, King Rat, was a semi-fictional account of his prison experiences at Changi. When the book was published in 1962, it became an immediate best-seller and three years later, it was adapted for film. His next novel, Tai-Pan, was a fictional account of Jardine-Matheson's rise to prominence in Hong Kong, as told through who was to become Clavell's heroic archetype, Dirk Struan. Struan's descendants would inhabit almost all of his forthcoming books. King Rat is a 1962 novel by James Clavell. ... Changi International Airport Sunset at Changi Beach Changi is an area to the east of Singapore. ... Tai-Pan is a novel written by James Clavell about European and American traders who move into Hong Kong in 1841 following the end of the first Opium War. ... Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (SGX: J36), (LSE: JAR), often called Jardines or Jardines, is a multinational company that is incorporated in Bermuda and which trades on the London and Singapore stock exchanges. ... Dirk Struan, main character of James Clavells novel Tai-Pan, is the trade leader in Hong Kong and chief of The Noble House. ... Struan, Isle of Skye Struan is a small village situated on the west coast of the Isle of Skye, on the shores of Loch Beag, which is itself an inlet of Loch Harport. ...

This was followed by Shogun in 1975, the story of an English navigator set in 1600s Japan. When the story was made into a TV series in 1980, produced by Clavell, it became the second highest rated mini-series in history with an audience of over 120 million. In 1981, Clavell published his fourth novel, Noble House, which became a number one best seller during that year and was also made into a miniseries. Following the success of Noble House, Clavell wrote Whirlwind (1986) and Gai-Jin (1993) along with The Children's Story (1981) and Thrump-o-moto (1985). This page is about the James Clavell novel. ... Noble House is a novel by James Clavell, published in 1981 and set in Hong Kong in 1963. ... Whirlwind is a novel by James Clavell, first published in 1986. ... The characters for Gaikokujin, lit. ... The Childrens Story is a short story written by James Clavell circa 1960 and published in 1980. ...

Novels

The Asian Saga consisting of six novels: The Asian Saga is a series of six novels written by James Clavell between 1962 and 1993. ...

As of 2007, Whirlwind and Gai-Jin and Shogun (starring Richard Chamberlain) remain the only Clavell novels yet to be adapted as films or miniseries; although at various times media have reported that such productions are planned, to date nothing has emerged. Shogun was adapted into a computer Interactive Fiction game. King Rat is a 1962 novel by James Clavell. ... Tai-Pan is a novel written by James Clavell about European and American traders who move into Hong Kong in 1841 following the end of the first Opium War. ... This page is about the James Clavell novel. ... Noble House is a novel by James Clavell, published in 1981 and set in Hong Kong in 1963. ... Whirlwind is a novel by James Clavell, first published in 1986. ... This article is about a novel. ... Zork I is one of the first interactive fiction games, as well as being one of the first commercially sold. ...

Similarly, media reports that Tai-Pan is to be adapted as a miniseries have yet to come to pass. As noted above, Tai-Pan has already been adapted as a poorly-received motion picture.

The Childrens Story is a short story written by James Clavell circa 1960 and published in 1980. ... For other uses, see The Art of War (disambiguation). ... Sun Tzu (孫子 also commonly written in pinyin: Sūn Zǐ) was the author of The Art of War, an influential ancient Chinese book on military strategy (for the most part not dealing directly with tactics). ... Whirlwind is a novel by James Clavell, first published in 1986. ...

Politics and later life

Politically, Clavell was said to have been an ardent individualist, anti-fascist and proponent of laissez-faire capitalism, as many of his books' heroes exemplify. For judgements of value about collectivism and individualism, see individualism and collectivism. ... Laissez-faire is short for laissez faire, laissez passer, a French phrase meaning to let things alone, let them pass. First used by the eighteenth century Physiocrats as an injunction against government interference with trade, it is now used as a synonym for strict free market economics. ... For other uses, see Capitalism (disambiguation). ...

Clavell admired Ayn Rand, founder of the Objectivist school of philosophy, and sent Ayn Rand a copy of Noble House in 1981 with the following inscription - "This is for Ayn Rand – one of the real, true talents on this earth for which many, many thanks. James C, New York, 2 Sept 81." Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 â€“ March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher,[1] known for creating a philosophy she named Objectivism and for writing the novels We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and the... This article is about the philosophy of Ayn Rand. ... Ayn Rand (IPA: , February 2 [O.S. January 20] 1905 â€“ March 6, 1982), born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum (Russian: ), was a Russian-born American novelist and philosopher,[1] known for creating a philosophy she named Objectivism and for writing the novels We the Living, The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and the... Noble House is a novel by James Clavell, published in 1981 and set in Hong Kong in 1963. ...

He died of a stroke while suffering from cancer in Switzerland in 1994, one month before his 70th birthday. Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these to spread, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion, or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis (where cancer cells are transported through the bloodstream or lymphatic system). ...

External links

Categories: 1924 births | 1994 deaths | American film directors | American screenwriters | Australian Americans | Royal Artillery officers | British military personnel of World War II | English-language film directors | British historical novelists | Naturalized citizens of the United States | People from Sydney | World War II prisoners of war | Cancer deaths Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Wikiquote is one of a family of wiki-based projects run by the Wikimedia Foundation, running on MediaWiki software. ... The Internet Movie Database (IMDb) is an online database of information about movies, actors, television shows, production crew personnel, and video games. ...

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