John Morlar
Encyclopedia
John Frederick Morlar is a fictional character
in the novel and film The Medusa Touch
. The novel was written by Peter Van Greenaway
and published in 1973; the film
was released in 1978, starring Richard Burton
as Morlar.
Morlar himself is a novelist, author of The Incinerator, Skeleton Keys, The Green Enemy and others. His books are powerfully written and often dissect the workings of the British establishment in a highly discomforting manner. The Green Enemy is partly autobiographical
, with the character of a Lieutenant Pickering explicitly based on Morlar; in the novelist's words, "He hated the Army and the Army hated him." His fourth book, described in detail by Morlar's publisher, Townely, to the detective investigating the near-fatal attack on the writer, chronicles the rise of a Hitler
-like figure in the present-day (1970s) United Kingdom
.
Morlar described his family background as "pseudo middle class". He attended a private school which was destroyed in a fire; served in the Army during the Second World War; trained as a barrister
; married and had one child, which was born so badly deformed that it survived only a short time. Morlar's wife, Patricia, was later killed in a car crash with one of her numerous lovers. As he neared the age of fifty Morlar began to realise that he possessed formidable and highly destructive telekinetic abilities which, at the end of The Medusa Touch, are still active despite serious injuries resulting from two attempts on his life.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the novel and film The Medusa Touch
The Medusa Touch
The Medusa Touch is a 1973 novel by Peter Van Greenaway, which was adapted fairly faithfully into a feature film in 1978.The novel tells the story of a radically disenchanted novelist with highly destructive telekinetic powers. Its dialogue was described in Kim Newman's book Nightmare Movies as...
. The novel was written by Peter Van Greenaway
Peter Van Greenaway
Peter Van Greenaway was a British novelist, the author of numerous thrillers with elements of horror and satire.He was born and educated in London, worked briefly in commercial art and acted in theatre....
and published in 1973; the film
The Medusa Touch (film)
The Medusa Touch is a 1978 British supernatural thriller film directed by Jack Gold. It starred Richard Burton, Lino Ventura, Lee Remick and Harry Andrews, with cameos by Alan Badel, Derek Jacobi, Gordon Jackson, Jeremy Brett and Michael Hordern...
was released in 1978, starring Richard Burton
Richard Burton
Richard Burton, CBE was a Welsh actor. He was nominated seven times for an Academy Award, six of which were for Best Actor in a Leading Role , and was a recipient of BAFTA, Golden Globe and Tony Awards for Best Actor. Although never trained as an actor, Burton was, at one time, the highest-paid...
as Morlar.
Morlar himself is a novelist, author of The Incinerator, Skeleton Keys, The Green Enemy and others. His books are powerfully written and often dissect the workings of the British establishment in a highly discomforting manner. The Green Enemy is partly autobiographical
Autobiography
An autobiography is a book about the life of a person, written by that person.-Origin of the term:...
, with the character of a Lieutenant Pickering explicitly based on Morlar; in the novelist's words, "He hated the Army and the Army hated him." His fourth book, described in detail by Morlar's publisher, Townely, to the detective investigating the near-fatal attack on the writer, chronicles the rise of a Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
-like figure in the present-day (1970s) United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
Morlar described his family background as "pseudo middle class". He attended a private school which was destroyed in a fire; served in the Army during the Second World War; trained as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
; married and had one child, which was born so badly deformed that it survived only a short time. Morlar's wife, Patricia, was later killed in a car crash with one of her numerous lovers. As he neared the age of fifty Morlar began to realise that he possessed formidable and highly destructive telekinetic abilities which, at the end of The Medusa Touch, are still active despite serious injuries resulting from two attempts on his life.