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In Remembrance: George
MacDonald Fraser
George
MacDonald Fraser, the novelist who penned a handful of screenplays
including the 1983 James Bond adventure Octopussy, has passed
away on January 2, 2008 in Strang, Isle of Man, Great Britain. He
was 82.
MacDonald
Fraser rose to prominence as a writer on his Flashman series
of historical adventures. Taking the bullying character from the 19th
century novel Tom Brown’s Schooldays, MacDonald Fraser thrust
the womanizing anti-hero Sir Harry Flashman into some of the most
important events of the 19th century, from the Charge of
the Light Brigade to fighting on both side of the American Civil
War. Although a coward and a liar, the roguish Flashman would emerge
from each adventure covered in further glory and fame. The first
book was published in 1969 and the series ran for another 11
installments.
The second
Flashman book, Royal Flash, was adapted for the screen in
1975 with Malcolm McDowell in the role of Flashman. The book and
film’s plot was a reworking of The Prisoner of Zenda with the
conceit that author Anthony Hope wrote his novel after hearing about
the “true story” from Flashman. MacDonald Fraser wrote the
screenplay for the film himself, which was directed by Richard
Lester.
Born in
Carlisle, England on April 2, 1925, MacDonald Fraser served in the
British Army during World War Two, seeing action in Burma and India.
After the war, he worked as a journalist
in Scotland, eventually becoming deputy editor of the Glasgow Herald
newspaper.
The film version of Royal Flash was not the first
collaboration between MacDonald Fraser and director Lester as the
writer penned the screenplays for the director’s The Three
Musketeers (1973) and The Four Musketeers (1974).
MacDonald Fraser, Lester and several of the films’ cast members
reunited for 1989’s The Return Of The Musketeers.
Additionally, MacDonald Fraser wrote the screenplays for
1977’s Crossed Swords (aka The Prince And The Pauper),
the James Bond adventures Octopussy (1983) and the fantasy
film Red Sonja (1985). He also wrote a draft for 1978’s
Force 10 From Navarone, though his work went uncredited.
MacDonald
Fraser wrote about his Hollywood experiences in his 2002 memoir
The Light’s On At Signpost. He was awarded an Order of the
British Empire in 1999. |
