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Charles Julian Humphrey Mitchell

チャールズ・ジュリアン・ハンフリー・ミッチェル

Charles Julian Humphrey Mitchell

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1935-05-01 （Epping, Essex, England）
Nationality
British
Languages
English

Career

Occupations
playwright, screenwriter, novelist
Active Years
1958-
Memberships
Royal Society of Literature
Influenced By
Anton Chekhov, Oscar Wilde

Education

Winchester College
Period: 1950年代
Country: United Kingdom
Secondary education; won English Verse and Duncan Reading prizes while a student
Wadham College, Oxford
Degree: BA (first class honours)
Period: 1955–1958
Year of Graduation: 1958
Country: United Kingdom
Graduated with first class honours
Harkness Fellowship (USA)
Period: 1959–1961
Year of Graduation: 1961
Country: United States
Spent period in the United States as a Harkness Fellow
St Antony's College, Oxford
Degree: MA
Period: 1961–1962
Year of Graduation: 1962
Country: United Kingdom
Awarded M.A.

Awards

Somerset Maugham Award
1964
Work: The White Father
Organization: Somerset Maugham Award committee
Result: winner
SWET (now Olivier) Award for Best Play
1981
Work: Another Country
Category: 戯曲
Organization: Society of West End Theatre / Olivier Awards
Result: winner
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
1985
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: elected

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Imaginary Toys

1961 Novel

One of his early novels; limited detailed public information.

coming of ageindividual and society

A Disturbing Influence

1962 Novel

A novel from the early 1960s dealing with social influence.

moralityfamily relationships

As Far as You Can Go

1963 Novel

A novel exploring movement and limits.

limitshuman relationships

The White Father

1964 Novel

Novel awarded the Somerset Maugham Award; deals with family and authority.

authorityfamily

A Circle of Friends

1966 Novel

A 1960s novel depicting friendship and its changes.

friendshipcoming of age

The Undiscovered Country

1968 Novel

A late-1960s work; detailed public information is limited.

the unknownexploration

Another Country

1981 Play (theatre)

A landmark play addressing homosexuality and class, set around a school and exploring young men's conflicts.

classsexual identityeducation system
Adaptations
  • [Film] Another Country (film) / Marek Kanievska (1984)

After Aida

1985 Play-with-music

A play-with-music about composer Giuseppe Verdi.

music historybiographical drama

Francis

1984 Play

One of his plays from the 1980s.

personal conflict

Falling Over England

1994 Play

A 1990s play; detailed public information is limited.

historyculture

August (adaptation of Chekhov's Uncle Vanya)

1994 Play (adaptation)

An adaptation of Anton Chekhov's Uncle Vanya, presented as a play in 1994.

adaptationhuman relationships
Adaptations
  • [Film] August (1996 film) / Anthony Hopkins (1996)

Bibliography

  • Imaginary Toys (1961)
  • A Disturbing Influence (1962)
  • As Far as You Can Go (1963)
  • The White Father (1964)
  • A Circle of Friends (1966)
  • The Undiscovered Country (1968)
  • Another Country (1981) (play)
  • Francis (1984) (play)
  • After Aida (1985) (play)
  • Falling Over England (1994) (play)
  • August (1994) (play; adaptation)

Adaptations

  • Another Country (1984 film, screenplay based on Mitchell's play)
  • Arabesque (1966 film, screenplay credit)
  • Vincent & Theo (1990 film, screenplay credit)
  • August (1996 film, screenplay/adaptation credit)
  • Wilde (1997 film, screenplay credit)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
modern dramatic style influenced by classical theatredialogue-driven, line-focused scripting
Recurring Motifs
class and identitybiographical themes about artists and composers

Legacy

Julian Mitchell is an important late-20th-century English playwright and screenwriter, best known for Another Country which addressed class and sexual identity. Active in both theatre and film, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature

In Popular Culture

  • Another Country has been staged and adapted to film (1984), the latter gaining broad recognition.

Quotes

  • Arthur had a most unhappy history. It was originally meant to be a ... sort of rock opera, and we got as far as casting (excellent director and actors) and finding locations and were about to go when the producer went to a production meeting without a proper budget, tried to flannel his way through it, was immediately sussed and the production pulled. I have never been able to forgive the man.
    Source: Interview (uncited)

Trivia

  • Served national service in submarines (RNVR) 1953–55.
  • Won the Somerset Maugham Award for The White Father (1964).
  • Best known as the author of Another Country, adapted into a 1984 film.
  • Wrote multiple episodes (around ten) for the TV series Inspector Morse.