Christopher Wicking (10 January 1943 – 13 October 2008), also known as Chris Wicking, was a British screenwriter, often in the horror and fantasy genres, notably for the British arm of American International Pictures and with Hammer Film Productions,[1] for whom he was the last 'resident script editor'.[2][3]
Christopher Wicking | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1943 |
| Died | 2008 |
| Occupation(s) | Film and television screenwriter |
| Spouse | the stage director Lily Susan Todd |
Early life
editWicking was born in London and educated at Coopers' Company's School.[1] While studying at St Martin's School of Art, London, he determined to break into the film industry.[2]
Movies
editHe began as a film booking clerk for Anglo-Amalgamated Film Distributors and, while working as an assistant film editor on documentaries[4] in London, he began writing profiles of directors for the influential French movie magazine Cahiers du cinéma.[2] 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.[4] He also continued to write for French magazines including Cahiers du cinéma, Positif[4] and Midi Minuit Fantastique.[5]
His first credit as a screenwriter[1] was on the 1969 movie The Oblong Box, initially with Michael Reeves and, after Reeves' death, for director Gordon Hessler.[2] Although Wicking was only credited for "additional dialogue", Hessler later verbally credited him as writing the entire filmed script.[4]
Television
editWicking also wrote episodes[2] for British TV series The Professionals (1979–1982),[4] Jemima Shore Investigates and the TV dramas The Way to Dusty Death (1995),[4] On Dangerous Ground (1996).[4] and Powers (2004).[6]
Later years
editHe taught screenwriting at various UK institutions including the Royal College of Art, the Arvon Foundation,[2] the National Film and Television School, Leeds Metropolitan University and King Alfred's College, Winchester; and, in Ireland, at University College Dublin,[2] the Dublin Institute of Technology and the Irish Film Institute's Education Department.[5] It was said that he had a fondness for "termite art" - less "precious" work that valued personal vision and idiosyncrasy.[2]
Wicking died of a heart attack[2] in Toulouse, France, on 13 October 2008.
Works
editFeature films
edit- The Oblong Box (1969) (additional dialogue)[1][4]
- Scream and Scream Again (1970)
- Cry of the Banshee (1970)
- Venom (1971)
- Murders in the Rue Morgue (1971) (co-writer)[1]
- Blood from the Mummy's Tomb (1971)
- Demons of the Mind (1972)
- Medusa (1973)
- To the Devil a Daughter (1976) (co-writer)[1][4]
- Lady Chatterley's Lover (co-writer) (1981)[4]
- Absolute Beginners (1986) (co-writer)[1][4]
- Dream Demon (1988)
Television Episodes
edit- The Professionals
The Madness of Mickey Hamilton (1979);[7] The Gun (1980);[8] Discovered in a Graveyard (1982)[9]
Book
edit- 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
edit- ^ a b c d e f g Jeremy, John (25 October 2008). "Christopher Wicking: Screenwriter and critic who wrote for Hammer and worked on the adaptation of 'Absolute Beginners'". The Independent. London. Retrieved 15 February 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Gaughan, Gavin (6 February 2009). "Guardian, 6th February, 2009". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ All's Well That Ends: an interview with Chris Wicking Monthly Film Bulletin; London Vol. 55, Iss. 658, (1 November 1988): 322.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "The Times, 1st November, 2008". London. 1 November 2008. Archived from the original on 23 May 2010. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ a b "Wicking's incomplete official website, written by Wicking himself, shortly before his death". Retrieved 7 February 2009.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Action TV Online - Powers episode guide".
- ^ "The Madness of Mickey Hamilton (1979)". BFI. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019.
- ^ "The Gun (1980)". BFI. Archived from the original on 27 July 2021.
- ^ "Discovered in a Graveyard (1982)". BFI. Archived from the original on 15 August 2019.