Some may not be aware that Paddy was pressed hard by Darryl F. Zanuck to be the scriptwriter for the 1958 film The Roots of Heaven, an adventure film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by John Huston and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay was by Romain Gary and Patrick Leigh Fermor and […]
By BOSLEY CROWTHER First published in the New York Times October 16, 1958 THE first two-thirds of “The Roots of Heaven,” which opened at the Palace last night with a benefit première for The Lighthouse, looks like a highly potential adventure film. An odd situation as been uncovered in French Equatorial Africa, some interesting characters […]
In 1958, Patrick Leigh Fermor wrote the script for the film The Roots of Heaven, produced by Darryl Zanuck and directed by John Huston. In 2001, he recalled some of his time spent on location, during the shooting of the film: ‘The heroine of the film was Juliette Gréco, to whom Darryl [Zanuck] was deeply […]
Some may not be aware that Paddy was pressed hard by Darryl F. Zanuck to be the scriptwriter for the 1958 film The Roots of Heaven, an adventure film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by John Huston and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay was by Romain Gary and Patrick Leigh Fermor and […]
Some may not be aware that Paddy was pressed hard by Darryl F. Zanuck to be the scriptwriter for the 1958 film The Roots of Heaven, an adventure film made by 20th Century Fox, directed by John Huston and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. The screenplay was by Romain Gary and Patrick Leigh Fermor and […]
There are many excellent profiles of Paddy, but I have recently discovered this one by the prolific American biographer Jeffrey Myers. It includes some original quotes, with an interesting section about Paddy’s time filming The Roots of Heaven in 1958. Something new to mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor, […]
In November last year I reported that EYE, the Dutch film museum and the previously unheard of Patrick & Joan Leigh Fermor (PJLF) Arts Fund had launched the EYE Prize. The annual £25,000 prize is aimed at supporting and promoting the artist or film-maker whose work unites art and film, and demonstrates quality of thought, […]
A curious mix of over the top homage to Paddy; criticism of Billy Moss’ “stilted” writing style; accusation that the editors of Abducting a General produced a “short, blatantly padded book” with the “last 20 pages provid[ing] a detailed guide to the abduction route that few visitors to Crete, apart from fanatics, would willingly endure”; […]
A very rare profile of Paddy by the BBC. Barely anything is available on the BBC about one our greatest Englishmen. Since his death the amount has increased with an obituary and the serialisation of Artemis Cooper’s biography. This review is welcome. From BBC News Magazine By Andy Walker Abducting a General: The Kreipe Operation […]
Part 3 of Ben Downing’s meeting with Paddy in 2001 at Kardamyli. Read Part 1 here and Part 2 here. by Ben Downing. This text originally appeared in issue 165 of The Paris Review, Spring 2003. There was an incident dating from this vagabond period—from 1956, to be exact—that I was keen to ask Paddy […]
Always a modest man, Taki Theodoracopulos, the great playboy and socialite, is someone who knows everybody, and it is no surprise that he too met Paddy as he recounts in this piece from his online Taki Magazine which humbly describes itself as being about ‘Cocktails, Countesses and Mental Caviar’! I am not sure if Taki […]
For a decade and a half, the partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger illuminated the cinema with an array of extraordinary films. But the massive reputation the team garnered during and immediately after World War II – The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Canterbury Tale, I Know Where I’m Going!, A Matter […]
Highly regarded travel writer and heroic wartime SOE officer By James Campbell First published in The Guardian 10 June 2011 Patrick Leigh Fermor, who has died aged 96, was an intrepid traveller, a heroic soldier and a writer with a unique prose style. His books, most of which were autobiographical, made surprisingly scant mention of […]
Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor, who died today aged 96, was one of the few genuine Renaissance figures produced by Britain in the 20th century, a man both of action and learning, a modern Philip Sidney or Lord Byron. First published in The Telegraph 10 June 2011 Leigh Fermor was the architect of one of the […]
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When I first published the article about The Roots of Heaven, Jasper Winn wrote to me suggesting that we look at the film closely to see if Paddy made an appearance. This week Tim Todd made a comment suggesting that he had spotted Paddy. In the 12th ‘episode’. around 5.25 in, a character comes around […]
Here you can find embedded video content or links to video related to Patrick Leigh Fermor, his life, friends and the places he visited. Crete: 11th Day – a series of clips from You Tube which include a lengthy explanation by Paddy of his time on Crete and in particular the kidnap of General Keipe […]
In idyllic east European sunshine, I have been focusing on a crocus. It is not a purple or yellow-flowered hybrid, one of those Dutch fatties that city dwellers admire in spring. It is a lilac-flowered wild beauty, at home in Transylvania. Even in Romania, few realise the rare charm of its autumn flowers. It avoids […]
Patrick Leigh Fermor 