Richard Wallace – författare

The world in which early Christianity developed consisted of a complex of distinct communities and cultural 'layers', which interacted with one another, sometimes co-operatively, and sometimes in confrontation.The Three Worlds of Paul of Tarsus explores this world through the life of the apostle Paul, examining the three fundamental cultural 'layers':* the native cultures* the common Hellenistic culture which had been spread in the east as a result of the conquests of Alexander* the culture of the political overlord, Rome.It shows how Paul, as a Jew, a Greek-speaker and a Roman citizen, participates in all of these 'layers'. The authors give an account of the places Paul visited, showing their historical, cultural and political differences and discuss the varied categories, such as religion, philosophy and language, which constituted identity.

The world in which early Christianity developed consisted of a complex of distinct communities and cultural 'layers', which interacted with one another, sometimes co-operatively, and sometimes in confrontation.The Three Worlds of Paul of Tarsus explores this world through the life of the apostle Paul, examining the three fundamental cultural 'layers':* the native cultures* the common Hellenistic culture which had been spread in the east as a result of the conquests of Alexander* the culture of the political overlord, Rome.It shows how Paul, as a Jew, a Greek-speaker and a Roman citizen, participates in all of these 'layers'. The authors give an account of the places Paul visited, showing their historical, cultural and political differences and discuss the varied categories, such as religion, philosophy and language, which constituted identity.

Ten years ago, a technological revolution swept through cinemas around the world, as analogue projectors were replaced with digital equipment. It was not just the plastic medium of film that was removed from projection boxes during this transformation; most cinemas took this opportunity to also evict the human projectionists who were hitherto in charge of screenings. Projectionists had been hidden from the sight of audiences for most of the history of photographic moving image projection, and their redundancies went largely unnoticed and unremarked upon. This book focuses attention on what has been happening behind film spectators' heads for the past 130 years, and attempts to write the history of cinema in Britain from the perspective of its habitually overlooked and undervalued projectionists, beginning in the silent era and continuing to the present day. Drawing upon extensive archival research and lengthy interviews with former projectionists, it documents the key facets and challenges of their work, and how these evolved in response to previous waves of significant technological change. It evaluates how projectionists helped to design and maintain key aesthetic characteristics of the 20th century big screen experience. It shows how the institution of cinema in Britain has been historically underpinned by the harsh exploitation of projectionists by many employers, detailing inadequate wage levels and poor working conditions that formerly provoked government investigation, and explaining why these problems were never successfully ameliorated by trade unions. It also charts in depth the recent fateful transition to digital projection, delineating how and why projectionists were so swiftly and ruthlessly consigned to the past, and assessing whether this form of entertainment should be considered diminished by their super session.

In The Pop Documentary Since 1980, Richard Wallace examines the representation of pop music, musicians and music-making in documentary film and television. He draws together conceptual frameworks from within and outside of film and television studies - including performance studies, musicology, celebrity studies and fan studies - to provide a critical interrogation of the central issues in this genre.A common criticism of the music documentary is that it lacks artistic integrity because of its close affiliation with its subject. Wallace argues that music documentaries can be artful and conceptually complex and be part of a broader process of image curation under the control of the artist and their management. This contradiction is key to the form’s vitality and Wallace explores two competing lines of enquiry. First, the contribution that such documentaries make to the public perception of their subjects. Second, he argues that its ‘official’ status does not preclude music documentaries from being artistic or engaging with the theoretical questions that underpin documentary media more broadly.Other issues addressed include: - how documentaries about song writing attempt to represent intangible concepts like ‘creativity’ and ‘inspiration’;- how the experiential and affective aspects of music are communicated through the visual image; - ethical considerations.Each of these conceptual questions is examined through detailed analysis of a variety of music documentaries ranging from Stop Making Sense to Tokyo Idols via Beyoncé and The Beatles.

In The Pop Documentary Since 1980, Richard Wallace examines the representation of pop music, musicians and music-making in documentary film and television. He draws together conceptual frameworks from within and outside of film and television studies - including performance studies, musicology, celebrity studies and fan studies - to provide a critical interrogation of the central issues in this genre.A common criticism of the music documentary is that it lacks artistic integrity because of its close affiliation with its subject. Wallace argues that music documentaries can be artful and conceptually complex and be part of a broader process of image curation under the control of the artist and their management. This contradiction is key to the form’s vitality and Wallace explores two competing lines of enquiry. First, the contribution that such documentaries make to the public perception of their subjects. Second, he argues that its ‘official’ status does not preclude music documentaries from being artistic or engaging with the theoretical questions that underpin documentary media more broadly.Other issues addressed include: - how documentaries about song writing attempt to represent intangible concepts like ‘creativity’ and ‘inspiration’;- how the experiential and affective aspects of music are communicated through the visual image; - ethical considerations.Each of these conceptual questions is examined through detailed analysis of a variety of music documentaries ranging from Stop Making Sense to Tokyo Idols via Beyoncé and The Beatles.

This book describes seven branch lines which climbed into the mountain ranges that span the length and breadth of the countries of India and Pakistan. Some - like the Darjeeling Himalayan - are well known, but others - like the Zhob Valley, Khyber Pass and Kangra Valley lines - are less so. Several of these railways were also the last bastions of steam operation in the sub-continent. Unsurprisingly, as hill railways, most of them reached remarkable heights, many using ingenious feats of engineering to assist their climb into seemingly impenetrable terrain. These lines served diverse locations, each with its own characteristics, from the hostile territories of the North-West Frontier, along the spectacular foothills of the Himalayas, skirting the Western Ghats of the Deccan down to the gentle rolling landscape of the Nilgiris, or Blue Hills, of South India. The book gives the histories of the seven hill railways including summaries of their operations and routes. Maps and gradient charts for all seven railway lines are given as well as listings of the locomotives operating the hill railways.

‘An engaging story’ – The SpectatorGeneva, April 1987. The staid Swiss town is awash with limousines, journalists and minor European aristocracy. All the best hotels and restaurants are bursting at the seams. Caviar, truffles and foie gras are in short supply, while champagne is flooding the market at ridiculously high prices.They are all focused on one place: Sotheby’s auction house, which is preparing to host the ‘auction of the century’ – that of the late Duchess of Windsor’s jewellery collection.But where did this treasure trove come from? And was it ever really the Duchess’ at all?Questions have circulated around the collection’s murky provenance since the moment Wallis Simpson stepped onto the scene; now, for the first time, The King’s Loot looks to find the answers. Drawing on eyewitness interviews, contemporary accounts and previously unpublished sources, Richard Wallace – who was there at that notorious Swiss auction – delves into the mystery surrounding this hoard.

INTERVIEWER: Well, let me make it easier for you. Which side were you on?COCO CHANEL: On neither side, of course. I stood up for myself as I always have done. Nobody has ever told Coco Chanel what to think.A few days after Paris was liberated from the Nazis in August 1944, the most notorious fashion couturière in the world collapsed on a hotel bed in Switzerland after escaping the French capital and certain death. How did an exhausted Coco Chanel get there and who helped her evade warring Allied and German troops?For eighty years, this incredible feat of courage, luck, and ingenuity in the midst of immense danger has been deliberately shrouded in disinformation and secrecy by family, friends, wary governments, risk-averse business partners and fellow collaborators – until now. Using previously overlooked sources, including declassified French Résistance papers and evidence from organised crime figures, Chanel’s War can finally reveal what really happened to Coco Chanel at the end of the Second World War.

‘An engaging story’ – The SpectatorGeneva, April 1987. The staid Swiss town is awash with limousines, journalists and minor European aristocracy. All the best hotels and restaurants are bursting at the seams. Caviar, truffles and foie gras are in short supply, while champagne is flooding the market at ridiculously high prices.They are all focused on one place: Sotheby’s auction house, which is preparing to host the ‘auction of the century’ – that of the late Duchess of Windsor’s jewellery collection.But where did this treasure trove come from? And was it ever really the Duchess’ at all?Questions have circulated around the collection’s murky provenance since the moment Wallis Simpson stepped onto the scene; now, for the first time, The King’s Loot looks to find the answers. Drawing on eyewitness interviews, contemporary accounts and previously unpublished sources, Richard Wallace – who was there at that notorious Swiss auction – delves into the mystery surrounding this hoard.

This book is the first to take comedy seriously as an important aspect of the popular mockumentary form of film and television fiction. It examines the ways in which mockumentary films and television programmes make visible—through comedy—the performances that underpin straight documentaries and many of our public figures.

This book is the first to take comedy seriously as an important aspect of the popular mockumentary form of film and television fiction. It examines the ways in which mockumentary films and television programmes make visible—through comedy—the performances that underpin straight documentaries and many of our public figures.