James Kennaway
Encyclopedia
James Kennaway was a Scottish
writer. He was born in Auchterarder
in Perthshire
and attended Glenalmond College
.
starring Alec Guinness
and John Mills
. It was a realistic work, set in the army just after the Second World War, and drawing to some extent on Kennaway's own experiences. This was not entirely typical of his later output, some of which was more experimental in nature.
His other works were Household Ghosts (1961), The Mindbenders
(1963), The Bells of Shoreditch (1963), Some Gorgeous Accident
(1967), The Cost of Living Like This (1969) and Silence
(1972) - the final two works were posthumous. Household Ghosts was adapted as a feature film entitled Country Dance
, while a short story, The Dollar Bottom
, was adapted as a short film, winning an Academy Award in 1981.
A stage adaptation of Some Gorgeous Accident was presented at the Assembly Rooms
as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2010.
He was also a successful screenwriter
. His films include Violent Playground
(1958), Tunes of Glory
(1960) and Battle of Britain
(1969).
Kennaway died of a heart attack while driving home to Lechlade, Gloucestershire from London at the age of only 40.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
writer. He was born in Auchterarder
Auchterarder
Auchterarder is a small town located north of the Ochil Hills in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, and home to the famous Gleneagles Hotel. The 1.5 mile long High Street of Auchterarder gave the town its popular name of "Lang Toon"....
in Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
and attended Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College
Glenalmond College is a co-educational independent boarding school in Perth and Kinross, Scotland, for children aged between 12 and 18 years. It is situated on the River Almond near the village of Methven, about west of the city of Perth. The school's motto is Floreat Glenalmond...
.
Career
His best known novel was his first, Tunes of Glory (1956), which was turned into a well-known film of the same nameTunes of Glory
Tunes of Glory is a 1960 British film directed by Ronald Neame, based on the novel and screenplay by James Kennaway. The film is a "dark psychological drama" centring on events in a Scottish Highland regimental barracks in the period following World War II...
starring Alec Guinness
Alec Guinness
Sir Alec Guinness, CH, CBE was an English actor. He was featured in several of the Ealing Comedies, including Kind Hearts and Coronets in which he played eight different characters. He later won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai...
and John Mills
John Mills
Sir John Mills CBE , born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills, was an English actor who made more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades.-Life and career:...
. It was a realistic work, set in the army just after the Second World War, and drawing to some extent on Kennaway's own experiences. This was not entirely typical of his later output, some of which was more experimental in nature.
His other works were Household Ghosts (1961), The Mindbenders
The Mindbenders
The Mindbenders was a 1960s beat group from Manchester, England. They were part of the mid 1960s British Invasion with their chart-toppers "Game of Love" and "A Groovy Kind of Love"....
(1963), The Bells of Shoreditch (1963), Some Gorgeous Accident
Some Gorgeous Accident
Some Gorgeous Accident was James Kennaway's fifth novel and the last to be published during his lifetime. It is a virtuoso portrait of a triangular relationship between photographer James Link, journalist Susan Steinberg and doctor Richard David Fiddes.A stage adaptation of Some Gorgeous Accident...
(1967), The Cost of Living Like This (1969) and Silence
Silence
Silence is the relative or total lack of audible sound. By analogy, the word silence may also refer to any absence of communication, even in media other than speech....
(1972) - the final two works were posthumous. Household Ghosts was adapted as a feature film entitled Country Dance
Country Dance (film)
Country Dance Country Dance Country Dance (also known as Brotherly Love (USA) and The Same Skin (UK) is a 1970 British drama film based on the novel Household Ghosts (1961) by James Kennaway which became a three-act stage play 1967...
, while a short story, The Dollar Bottom
The Dollar Bottom
The Dollar Bottom is a 1980 short film directed by Roger Christian. It won an Academy Award at the 53rd Academy Awards in 1981 for Best Short Subject.-Cast:* Robert Urquhart - Headmaster* Rikki Fulton - Karl* Jonathan McNeil - Taylor 2...
, was adapted as a short film, winning an Academy Award in 1981.
A stage adaptation of Some Gorgeous Accident was presented at the Assembly Rooms
Assembly Rooms (Edinburgh)
The Assembly Rooms is a former assembly rooms located in central Edinburgh, the rooms now host a number of events including the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and the Hogmanay celebrations. There are four rooms that are used year-round and are available for private functions: Music Hall, Ballroom,...
as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2010.
He was also a successful screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. His films include Violent Playground
Violent Playground
Violent Playground is a 1958 British film directed by Basil Dearden starring Stanley Baker, Peter Cushing and David McCallum.-Plot:A British take on the popular genre of J.D. films, Violent Playground centres on a Liverpool street gang led by Johnny Murphy...
(1958), Tunes of Glory
Tunes of Glory
Tunes of Glory is a 1960 British film directed by Ronald Neame, based on the novel and screenplay by James Kennaway. The film is a "dark psychological drama" centring on events in a Scottish Highland regimental barracks in the period following World War II...
(1960) and Battle of Britain
Battle of Britain (film)
Battle of Britain is a 1969 Technicolor film directed by Guy Hamilton, and produced by Harry Saltzman and S. Benjamin Fisz. The film broadly relates the events of the Battle of Britain...
(1969).
Kennaway died of a heart attack while driving home to Lechlade, Gloucestershire from London at the age of only 40.
Further reading
- Susan Kennaway, The Kennaway Papers (Jonathan Cape) 1981 ISBN 0-224018-65-5
- Trevor Royle, James & Jim, A Biography of James Kennaway (Mainstream Publishing) 1983 ISBN 0-906391-46-6
External links
- Article from Canongate.net
- Article from The List magazine's 100 Best Scottish Books of all Time
- ((IMDB title|id=0065581|title=The Same Skin))
- Murphy, Robert "Tunes of Glory", Criterion Collection essay
- Article from The Oscar Site