Film Freak

It s the late 1970s and 20-something Christopher Fowler is a film freak, obsessively watching lousy films in run-down fleapit cinemas. He longs to be a famous screenwriter and put his dreams on the big screen. And so he heads for Wardour Street, Britain s equivalent of Hollywood. But he s made a spectacular mistake, arriving just as the nation s filmmakers are falling to their knees, brought low by the arrival of video and the destruction of the old movie palaces. The only films being made are smutty low budget farces and TV spinoffs and instead of being asked to write another 'Bullitt , he's churning out short films advertising boilers and nylon sheets. Somehow, against the odds, he finds success although in a very different guise to the one he expected.From the sticky Axminster of the local cinema to the red carpet at Cannes, Film Freak is a grimly hilarious and acutely observed trawl through the arse-end of the British film industry that turns into an ultimately affecting search for friendship and happiness.

Préface
Much-loved and admired novelist Christopher Fowler follows up his acclaimed memoir, Paperboy, with a second beautifully told, funny and affecting autobiographical volume, recounting his years in Britain's movie business.

Auteur

Christopher Fowler was the multiple award-winning author of almost fifty novels and short story collections, including the celebrated Bryant & May mysteries. His other novels include Roofworld, Spanky, The Sand Men and Hot Water. He has also written two acclaimed memoirs, Paperboy (winner of the Green Carnation Prize) and Film Freak, plus The Book of Forgotten Authors and Peculiar London, Bryant and May's singular and eccentric guide to the city. In 2015 Chris was awarded the Crime Writers Association's coveted 'Dagger in the Library' for his body of work. He lived in London and Barcelona. Diagnosed with cancer just as the UK went into lockdown in 2020, Chris died on 2nd March 2023.

Texte du rabat

It is the late 1970s and twenty-something Christopher Fowler is obsessively watching lousy films in run-down fleapit cinemas. He longs to become a famous screenwriter and so heads for Wardour Street with an armful of terrible scripts.

But he arrives just as Britain's filmmakers are being brought to their knees by the arrival of video and the destruction of the old movie palaces, reduced to making smutty low budget farces and TV spinoffs. And instead of being asked to write another 'Bullitt', Chris is churning out short films about boilers and nylon sheets. Somehow he finds success, albeit not quite the sort he'd expected.

Hilarious and acutely observed, Film Freak is both an entertaining trawl through the arse-end of the British film-industry and an affecting search for friendship and happiness.