Writing
Alasdair Gray
Born December 26, 1934 · Riddrie, Glasgow, Scotland
Died December 27, 2019 · aged 85
Alasdair Gray was a distinguished Scottish novelist and artist, renowned for his groundbreaking works like Lanark and Poor Things. Initially a muralist and painter, he shifted to writing, crafting novels blending realism, fantasy, and satire that earned Guardian and Whitbread Awards. His legacy peaked with Poor Things, adapted into an Oscar-nominated film by Yorgos Lanthimos, who received Gray’s a…
Known For
Poor Things · 2023Poor Things
★ 7.62023
MovieScience FictionRomance
Brought back to life by an unorthodox scientist, a young woman runs off with a lawyer on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, she grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation.
The Story of a Recluse · 1987The Story of a Recluse
1987
MovieComedy
Fragment of a story by Robert Louis Stevenson, completed by Alasdair Gray. A dissolute medical student wakes up in the bedroom of a young woman who fascinates him, in a house where nightly gambling sessions are held.
The Amber Light · 2019The Amber Light
★ 8.32019
MovieDocumentary
The story of whisky has been told many times. But this film takes a different view, showing how it has been shaped by geology and climate, by tales told on the side of the road and in the corners of pubs. Whisky is a product of folklore and myth, of music and alchemy, of chance rather than design. This is the twisting, shifting and multi-layered tale. In this journey through the lesser-known parts of Scottish whisky culture, we follow spirits writer Dave Broom on his quest to gain a deeper understanding of his national drink. While whisky has never been as popular, it is often seen in the context of being a brand which sits outside people’s lives. It’s often thought of as a drink which speaks of the past rather than engaged with a dynamic present.
The Bedfords · 2009The Bedfords
2009
Movie
The Bedfords tells the story of Sir Edwin Landseer, a famed artist and favourite portrait painter of Queen Victoria. The film opens on Landseer as he travels from his studio in London to the Highlands of Scotland to visit The Bedford family whose portrait he has been commissioned to paint. After the long coach journey north Landseer awakes and makes a sleepy entrance to the Highland home of The Bedfords. The domineering Duke of Bedford welcomes Landseer as the family gather in the drawing room to meet this famous London artist, a celebrity of his day.
The Star · 1996The Star
★ 10.01996
MovieDramaComedy
A young boy who has recently lost his mother finds new meaning when a shooting star lands in his garden.
Faces · 1957Faces
1957
Movie
The screening of the short film 'Faces' at the 1961 Edinburgh and London Film Festivals kick started the film career of young McConnell, then studying at Glasgow School of Art. 'Faces', a comment on the personas we adopt, was inspired by a visit to the Brussels Experimental Film Festival of 1958 where McConnell saw the work of many European film makers, films of a genre unseen at that time in Britain. Many were without words, telling their stories in a variety of genres, live action, animation, puppetry, and making social comments on their times.
Thirty-Minute Theatre · 1965Thirty-Minute Theatre
★ 4.31965
SeriesDrama
An anthology of short plays shown on BBC Television between 1965 and 1973, used in part at least as a training ground for new writers, on account of its short length, and which therefore attracted many writers who later became well known.
Theatre 625 · 1964Theatre 625
★ 7.21964
SeriesDrama
Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line format, which only BBC2 used at the time.
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