Articles about James Clavell - latimes Eric Bercovici dies at 80; screenwriter made 'Shogun' miniseries February 20, 2014 | By David Colker Screenwriter Eric Bercovici knew he was not the first choice to adapt "Shogun," the blockbuster 1975 novel by James Clavell about an English seaman marooned in 17th century Japan. Bercovici, who worked on the Paramount lot, read the novel anyway. "I knew right away how to adapt it," he said in a 1981 Los Angeles Times interview. "But damned if I would tell them. " Other writers fell by the wayside, and he was called to meet with Clavell, who had creative control over a proposed TV miniseries based on the book. Advertisement ENTERTAINMENT A Bad Translation of 'Shogun' : Why the opulent production of the hit James Clavell novel and miniseries lasted less than 100 days on Broadway January 27, 1991 | KARI GRANVILLE, Kari Granville is a free - lance arts writer based in New York.

and Looking back, it seemed like a can't-miss idea. "Shogun," James Clavell's romantic yarn about an English sea captain marooned in feudal Japan, had a proven allure, first to readers of the international best seller, then to television viewers as an NBC miniseries. Wouldn't it make a smash musical? Eight years and several million dollars later, that idea finally made it to Broadway. It lasted less than 100 days and closed last Sunday. ENTERTAINMENT O.J. Simpson trial and 'Shogun' to become Fox movie events March 20, 2013 | By Greg Braxton O.J. Simpson is back on the run, thanks to Fox. Fox and FX Productions are developing a movie based on Simpson's murder trial as part of its long-form "event" slate. "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson" will be based on legal journalist Jeffrey Toobin's book of the same name. Also planned is a new version of "Shogun," based on the novel by James Clavell, which will revolve around the brutal world of feudal Japan.

"Shogun" was produced as a 10-part miniseries for NBC in 1980. NEWS James Mix-Up May 8, 1994 Concerning your Reruns to Rewatch (TV Times, April 17): James Michener and James Clavell do have the same first names, and they both write historical fiction, but "Shogun" was written by Clavell, not Michener. A small error, but for James Michener and James Clavell fans, an important fact. Bob Zhe, Westminster NEWS A resounding bravo and thank you to James Clavell for... March 13, 1988 A resounding bravo and thank you to James Clavell for "Noble House." The casting, locale, story and acting (Pierce Brosnan made a handsome and powerfully effective tai-pan ) were perfect. The obvious determination and dedication on Clavell's part to present his novel accurately were much appreciated and truly enjoyed by our family. We were glued to our television set all four nights and hated to see the miniseries end. C.

DeRose, San Fernando ENTERTAINMENT Paging The Doc March 8, 1987 | John M. Wilson James Clavell reaped a record $5-million advance from William Morrow and Avon for "Whirlwind" (17 weeks so far on the N.Y. Times best-seller list), will probably make another fortune from a future film or TV deal--and his name's famous worldwide. But what about the editor specially assigned by Morrow to supervise the rewrite that made the blockbuster publishable? ENTERTAINMENT O.J. Simpson trial and 'Shogun' to become Fox movie events March 20, 2013 | By Greg Braxton O.J. Simpson is back on the run, thanks to Fox. Fox and FX Productions are developing a movie based on Simpson's murder trial as part of its long-form "event" slate. "The Run of His Life: The People v. O.J. Simpson" will be based on legal journalist Jeffrey Toobin's book of the same name. Also planned is a new version of "Shogun," based on the novel by James Clavell, which will revolve around the brutal world of feudal Japan.

"Shogun" was produced as a 10-part miniseries for NBC in 1980. CALIFORNIA | LOCAL Eric Bercovici dies at 80; screenwriter made 'Shogun' miniseries February 20, 2014 | By David Colker Screenwriter Eric Bercovici knew he was not the first choice to adapt "Shogun," the blockbuster 1975 novel by James Clavell about an English seaman marooned in 17th century Japan. Bercovici, who worked on the Paramount lot, read the novel anyway. "I knew right away how to adapt it," he said in a 1981 Los Angeles Times interview. "But damned if I would tell them. " Other writers fell by the wayside, and he was called to meet with Clavell, who had creative control over a proposed TV miniseries based on the book. NEWS It's All Feast, No Famine for Clavell : But Hunger Still Haunts Best-Selling 'Whirlwind' Author December 11, 1986 | ANN MARIE CUNNINGHAM, Cunningham lives in New York.

and Liz and I have a mutual friend we met years ago in Hong Kong, fellow called Marlowe, a writer. He always carried a can (of sardines) with him, iron rations in case of famine. --Whirlwind, Page 1,085. Peter Marlowe is the alter ego ("the best of me") of James Clavell, author of "King Rat," a 1960 best-selling novel based on his experiences as an 18-year-old prisoner during World War II at a Japanese camp in Singapore. NEWS James Clavell; Author of 'Shogun,' Other Best-Sellers September 8, 1994 | MYRNA OLIVER, TIMES STAFF WRITER James Clavell, prolific author of epic best-selling novels such as "Shogun" and "Noble House" which were usually reincarnated on the small or silver screen, has died. He was 69. Clavell died Tuesday at his home in Vevey, Switzerland. His American publishers said he had suffered from cancer, and his British publishers said he had also had a stroke.

Although Clavell began his career as a screenwriter and director, he found his literary niche in thick novels. NEWS James Mix-Up May 8, 1994 Concerning your Reruns to Rewatch (TV Times, April 17): James Michener and James Clavell do have the same first names, and they both write historical fiction, but "Shogun" was written by Clavell, not Michener. A small error, but for James Michener and James Clavell fans, an important fact. Bob Zhe, Westminster ENTERTAINMENT A Bad Translation of 'Shogun' : Why the opulent production of the hit James Clavell novel and miniseries lasted less than 100 days on Broadway January 27, 1991 | KARI GRANVILLE, Kari Granville is a free - lance arts writer based in New York. and Looking back, it seemed like a can't-miss idea. "Shogun," James Clavell's romantic yarn about an English sea captain marooned in feudal Japan, had a proven allure, first to readers of the international best seller, then to television viewers as an NBC miniseries.

Wouldn't it make a smash musical? Eight years and several million dollars later, that idea finally made it to Broadway. It lasted less than 100 days and closed last Sunday. NEWS A resounding bravo and thank you to James Clavell for... March 13, 1988 A resounding bravo and thank you to James Clavell for "Noble House." The casting, locale, story and acting (Pierce Brosnan made a handsome and powerfully effective tai-pan ) were perfect. The obvious determination and dedication on Clavell's part to present his novel accurately were much appreciated and truly enjoyed by our family. We were glued to our television set all four nights and hated to see the miniseries end. C. DeRose, San Fernando ENTERTAINMENT Paging The Doc March 8, 1987 | John M. Wilson James Clavell reaped a record $5-million advance from William Morrow and Avon for "Whirlwind" (17 weeks so far on the N.Y. Times best-seller list), will probably make another fortune from a future film or TV deal--and his name's famous worldwide.

But what about the editor specially assigned by Morrow to supervise the rewrite that made the blockbuster publishable? NEWS It's All Feast, No Famine for Clavell : But Hunger Still Haunts Best-Selling 'Whirlwind' Author December 11, 1986 | ANN MARIE CUNNINGHAM, Cunningham lives in New York. and Liz and I have a mutual friend we met years ago in Hong Kong, fellow called Marlowe, a writer. He always carried a can (of sardines) with him, iron rations in case of famine. --Whirlwind, Page 1,085. Peter Marlowe is the alter ego ("the best of me") of James Clavell, author of "King Rat," a 1960 best-selling novel based on his experiences as an 18-year-old prisoner during World War II at a Japanese camp in Singapore.

ENTERTAINMENT Stage January 16, 1991 | BETH KLEID, Arts and entertainment reports from The Times, national and international news services and the nation's press 'Shogun' Killed: The big-budget Broadway show "Shogun, the Musical" posted closing notices Tuesday night at the Marquis Theatre. Final performances will be Sunday, according to a spokesman for the show at Shirley Herz & Associates. The $6-million musical--based on James Clavell's international bestseller and the 1980 NBC hit miniseries--suffered from mixed reviews after opening Nov. 20. Shogun (TV Mini-Series 1980) - IMDb (United States) – See all my reviews Richard Chamberlain gives an excellent performance as well as all the Japanese actors in this well-made adaptation of Clavell's novel. It sticks fairly well to the plot of the book. Super-rich in history with one of the most interesting characters, Anjin-san (Japanese for Mr. Pilot). Anjin-san is marooned in feudal Japan and makes a decision to change his Western thinking and fit in to the totally foreign but alluring Japanese society.

He is drawn into a forbidden love with a Japanese noblewoman, while battling jealous Japanese nobles and fanatical Jesuits. He earns the trust of Lord Torenaga who is a wise tactician in the art of waging war and diplomacy. Can Anjin-san survive the constant perils he is put into and win the hand of the woman he loves? Many scenes are in Japanese, but if you had no problem with The Last Samauri, it should pose no problem here. 32 of 37 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you? Yes Amazon.com: Shogun [Blu-ray]: Richard Chamberlain, Toshiro Mifune, Yoko Shimada: Movies & TV Movies & TV Free Shipping for Prime Members | Fast, FREE Shipping with Amazon Prime In Stock. Sold by MightySilver and Fulfilled by Amazon . Gift-wrap available. Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is a service we offer sellers that lets them store their products in Amazon's fulfillment centers, and we directly pack, ship, and provide customer service for these products. Something we hope you'll especially enjoy: FBA items qualify for FREE Shipping and .

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Details Special Offers and Product Promotions Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Dubbed, Full Screen, Subtitled Language: English Subtitles: Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Japanese, Norwegian, Swedish Dubbed: French, German, Japanese Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats .) Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 DVD Release Date: July 22, 2014 Run Time: 548 minutes Page 1 of 1 Start over Sponsored Products are advertisements for products sold by merchants on Amazon.com. When you click on a Sponsored Product ad, you will be taken to an Amazon detail page where you can learn more about the product and purchase it. To learn more about Amazon Sponsored Products, click here . See all verified purchase reviews Top Customer Reviews By MyD -- The Viewpoint TOP 500 REVIEWER on July 23, 2014 Format: Blu-ray|Verified Purchase OVERALL THIS RELEASE IS EXCELLENT GIVEN THE SOURCE MATERIAL (made for TV). More on audio/video quality below. This TV mini series is still generally considered one of the greatest mini series events in the history of American television.

It is based on a best selling novel by James Clavell. That novel was so important to Western introduction of Japanese culture that in 1980 (the year the TV series aired), as many as 50% of all college students in Japanese related classes had read the novel. THE PLOT: Fictional story woven together from threads of true persons and events. Many names are changed for the story. -- Ships Pilot John Blackthorne has been hired to guide five Dutch ships to Spanish interests in the new world to disrupt (under sanction from the crown) their activities and plunder them. On their journey around Cape Horne, 4 of the 5 ships are lost in a storm. Blackthornes remaining ship, the Erasmus, flees the Spanish in a long journey that leaves him washed up on the shores of Japan after yet another storm (this is all narrated in the first 5 minutes). The Dutch crew is held hostage by a local Samurai in order to keep Blackthorne in line.

Blackthorne ultimately travels with the regional Daimyo, Lord Yabu, to meet the head of the Counsel of Regents for the entire country, Lord Toranaga (based on the true figure Tokugawa Ieyasu). Blackthorne's predicament is complicated further by the presence of Jesuit Priests who are enemies of England and the Netherlands. They tell the Japanese lords that Blackthorne and his men are pirates. However, Blackthorne manages to impress the Japanese through a series of events that prove his honor, loyalty and resourcefulness. He is also eventually aided in learning the Japanese language and customs by a beautiful woman named Mariko with whom he falls in love. Unfortunately she is the wife of Lord Buntaro, one of Toranaga's vassals. Where Blackthorne is initially stunned by the seeming barbarity of the Samurai class, he eventually develops great respect for the Japanese culture and is set on the path to becoming something impossible for a foreigner, a Samurai.

HISTORICAL CONTEXT: Events in this story are mainly set in 1600 after the reunification of Japan (set in motion by Nobunaga and finished by Hideyoshi, predecessor to Tokugawa), but in the space after the death of the Hideyoshi figure and before the ascension of Tokugawa. So the political situation is very tenuous! The novel and TV show does compress a few events that happened before 1600. The Jesuit involvement in trade in Japan is actually based on fact. However, their influence was already on the decline by 1600 where the Japanese portion of this story begins. Blackthorne's character is also based loosely on a real person named William Adams, though is garbled together with another occurrence called "The San Filipe Incident of 1596" where a captain of a Spanish galleon was shipwrecked on Japan and tried to bargain for the return of his cargo while Hideyoshi was still in power. This real life captain claimed to Hideyoshi that Catholic missionaries were routinely sent to make converts before Christian countries exerted political and military influence to gain new conquests.

Hideyoshi recognized this pattern happening and set in motion a ban on Christian missionaries and largely closed the county to external influence that would last over two centuries. He even crucified a number of missionaries. It is important to note that Jesuits and other Christians still continued limited trade and operations in the country though. In our fictional story, Jesuits still have significant influence when Blackthorne also relates a similar warning to Toranaga of impending political and military danger that follows missionaries (specifically Jesuits). THIS BLU RAY RELEASE: I mentioned that there are limitations to the restoration of this series because it was made for TV. To younger audiences, it may seem dated and lacking in a few areas. The sound is the most noticeable weakness, though it says DTS Master Audio. There is separation of sound and they did a fine job with what they had. However, it is discernibly from a reworked mono source (not much you can do about that). The video quality is actually very good for a TV series that age and a noticeable improvement over the older DVD releases. There will be grainy shots here and there, but its pretty minimal all considered. It is aspect ratio 4:3, as stated on the box.

If you saw it in wide screen on other releases the image was being cropped top and bottom (which is not the case here). Of course it's not going to be reference quality compared to new productions today. However, the fairly authentic setting of Pre-Edo Japan overcomes the dated stuff I mentioned. The cultural introduction is amazing (I have since lived in Japan and made Japanese my major in college). This show is extraordinarily authentic (for late 70's early a 80's productions) and filmed in some of the most beautiful castles in Japan. The costumes of the Daimyo and Shogun are gorgeous! I have seen other old TV show restorations that can't touch this one so give it a little slack for it's source material and enjoy a major TV event all over again. By Robert A. Dalton on March 18, 2015 Format: Blu-ray|Verified Purchase I previously had purchased the DVD version of this TV mini-series a few years ago and in comparison this 3 Disc Blu-Ray release version has much better sound and video. The video is very sharp and much more detailed.

One drawback to this release however is that this 3 Disc version has been done as a single three part movie rather than in the original episodic format in previous DVD releases. As an example Disc 1 ends rather abruptly when Lord Toranaga walks into a room where Blackthorn is showing three ladies his sea chanty dance. Disc 2 ends in a similar manner. No fade out in either case at all. I much preferred the way it was done in the original DVD release, which was set up in a manner to how the episodes aired on TV rather than as a continuous movie broken into three parts. Another thing I noted is that the much sharper video tends to show some of the bad make-up used on many of the series background actors. As an example, you see on many of the Japanese actors the color difference between the real head skin and where they covered the hair with a skin applique rather than shave it to make them look like Samurai warriors. This difference is very glaring in some cases. The infamous helicopter shadow you see at the very beginning is surprisingly still there and you can also see the wall beams on the special effects tank where they filmed the Galley being swamped by a storm and Blackthorn rescuing Rodriguez.

You have to wonder why they didnât take care of these glitches during the restoration process, which would be a fairly simple matter to do. Apparently, they decided to preserve the original, warts and all, for this blue-ray release. Other than that, this is a very good Blu-Ray release of this grand old mini-series! By FYI... on April 29, 2015 Format: Blu-ray|Verified Purchase My wife and I really enjoyed the original TV series showing in 1980. Many years earlier as a college student majoring in history, one of the courses was a brief study Japanese history which I found to be very fascinating. The recently released HDTV Blu-Ray 9 hour edition of Shogun is much better than the advertisement-laced 12 one hour episodes on a 26" TV. We spent three consecutive nights viewing the Shogun "movie" on our 72" screen AV system. If you have the capability to customize your audio, I highly recommend you use the Set UP menu on each of the three disks. Shogun is a novel accurately based on 17th century Japanese history. There are no sub-titles in this English/Japanese production.

Orson Wells provides narrative background to insure that the audience understands the progression of events. Be sure to view all the extra features on each of the disks AFTER you have seen the entire movie. It is both engrossing entertainment, and a window into a significant era of Japanese history. By C Johnson on June 16, 2015 Format: Blu-ray|Verified Purchase Of course, Shogun the movie itself is fantastic. So glad to see this in Blu Ray version. Visual and audio quality is very good for being such an old show. But, it certainly is not up to today's standards that is for sure. It seems the movie was shot in "TV format" rather than widescreen format. But it is what it is. A great movie limited to the technology that was used to create it back in the late 70s. If you love historical epics, adventure and long story lines, this is a great movie. Not the best but well worth watching if you dont have the attention span of the newer generations.

By Linda on June 5, 2016 Format: Blu-ray|Verified Purchase It had been since the 1970s that I saw this TV mini series and watching it again was almost like seeing it for the first time. I vaguely recalled a few incidents but not much of the story. Of course, the book is always way better than the video, but this gave me over 9 hours of entertainment when there is not much else to watch on TV. The one thing that I found irritating is there is a lot of dialog in Japanese. They do not have subtitles for the Japanese conversation although they usually tell you what was said, but not always. The video quality is pretty good even though the size is for the older TV ( think 4:3). That doesn't bother me if something is worth watching but it is too bad they didn't film it in 16:9. Shogun (TV Movie 1980) - IMDb IMDb There was an error trying to load your rating for this title. Some parts of this page won't work property. Please reload or try later. X Beta I'm Watching This! Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends.

Error An English navigator becomes both pawn and player in the deadly political games in feudal Japan. Director: a list of 627 titles created 04 Nov 2012 a list of 48 titles created 10 Oct 2014 a list of 30 titles created 01 Sep 2015 a list of 40 titles created 02 Dec 2015 a list of 161 titles created 3 months ago Search for " Shogun " on Amazon.com Connect with IMDb Title: Shogun (TV Movie 1980) 7.9/10 Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. A English navigator becomes both a player and pawn in the complex political games in feudal Japan. Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Shimada The story of Louis XIV of France and his attempts to keep his identical twin brother Philippe imprisoned away from sight and knowledge of the public, and Philippe's rescue by the aging ...

See full summary » Director: Mike Newell The Bourne Identity (TV Mini-Series 1988) Action | Adventure | Drama A 1988 television adaptation of Robert Ludlum's thriller. An injured, unconscious man (Richard Chamberlain) washes ashore in a small French town. As he recovers, it becomes quite clear, someone is trying to kill him. Jaclyn Smith co-stars. Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Jaclyn Smith, Anthony Quayle A young officer, falsely imprisoned by his jealous "friends," escapes and uses a hidden treasure to exact his revenge. Director: David Greene Noble House (TV Mini-Series 1988) Action | Adventure | Drama Ian Struan Dunross is chairman of Struan & Co, the oldest and largest of the British-East Asia trading companies. To the Chinese, that also makes him "Tai-Pan" ("supreme leader") of the "... See full summary » Stars: Pierce Brosnan, Deborah Raffin, Ben Masters The Thorn Birds (TV Mini-Series 1983) Drama This mini series covers 60 years in the lives of the Cleary family, brought from New Zealand to Australia to run their aunt Mary Carson's ranch.

The story centers on their daughter, Meggie,... See full summary » Stars: Richard Chamberlain, Rachel Ward, Christopher Plummer Tai-Pan is Chinese for "supreme leader". This is the man with real power to his hands. And such a Tai-Pan is Dirk Struan who is obsessed by his plan to make Hong Kong the "jewel in the ... See full summary » Director: Daryl Duke The story of Raoul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat responsible for saving thousands of lives from the Nazi Holocaust. Director: Lamont Johnson Actually taking place in the middle of the original Thorn Birds miniseries, which chronicled the love affair of Meggie Cleary and Fr. Ralph de Bricassart from 1920 to 1962, this two-part ... See full summary » Director: Kevin James Dobson The economic and cultural growth of Colorado spanning two centuries from the mid-1700s to the late-1970s. Stars: Raymond Burr, Barbara Carrera, Richard Chamberlain The trials of the Henry and Jastrow families in the early years of World War II.

Stars: Robert Mitchum, Ali MacGraw, Jan-Michael Vincent Edit Storyline In the 16th Century, a Dutch ship sails the Pacific from the Americas in order to escape the Spanish. Blackthorn is the pilot of the ship and the first to realize the possibilities of Japan. Japan is a feudal society which has a strong presence of the Portugese. A struggle is in the final stages for who will be the Shogun, the leader who, under the emperor, governs the land. Toranaga sees in Blackthorn things he can use to at least survive the struggle to come, and if both play their hands correctly, become Shogun. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net> 15 September 1980 (USA) See more » Also Known As: James Clavell's Shogun See more » Filming Locations: Mono | Mono (Glen Glenn Sound) Color: Did You Know? Trivia This Shogun (1980) film is a theatrical version of Shogun (1980) and was released outside of the USA as a two and half hour motion picture.

See more » Goofs All shots said to be of Osaka Castle are in real life of Himeji Castle. See more » Quotes Edited from Shogun (1980) See more » Frequently Asked Questions Both for people having read the book and for those who hasn't 29 December 2001 | by kbilsted (Denmark) – See all my reviews This is absolutely a brilliant interpretation of the 1100 page book by James Clavell. Of course some details are left out, but I reckon only one time in the movie are you in doubt of whats going on (I am referring to the episode where Toranaga tries to escape the Ishido castle). The movie is very close to the book, which for me, was a positive experience. The story is well told and good acting is shown through the whole movie. The nature of the movie is, that when having watched an episode it is very hard not to see the following and the following and so on. Are you into samurai stuff this is clearly a cool movie - note however, that there are not many battle scenes. 4 of 5 people found this review helpful. Was this review helpful to you?

Yes James Clavell - Book Series In Order Hardcover Paperback Kindle James Clavell was born under the name of David Dumaresq Clavell. He is considered to be a great foreign writer, and he is especially known for his fictional works about Asian civilizations. Clavell was born on the 10th of March, 1924 in the city of Sydney. He later perished on the sixth of September in the town of Velvety, Switzerland. Personal Life Clavell spent his youth in Great Britain. He subsequently enlisted in the Noble Artillery. Clavell developed an interest in making motion pictures. His primary works included screenplays such as The Soar and The large Escape. Although Clavell composed screenplays and short films incessantly for a span of time, he later started to write novels in 1960. Struggles for power and riches and, furthermore, sexual themes and love dominate the topics of Clavell’s fiction. In his books, the western and eastern worlds as well as male and feminine genders clash. Clavell’s other books also describe the monuments of Tai-Pan and noble dwellings. They are set in the context of historic and modern Hong Kong.

Shōgun (1975) takes place in seventeenth-century Japan. Whirlwind (1986) is set in the context of Iran throughout its’ 1979 transformation; and Gai-Jin (1993) is set in nineteenth-century Japan. Writing Career Clavell grew up in England and later became a member of the Royal Artillery. A motorcycle wound caused him to leave the military in 1946. At this time he developed an interest in film. His first writings were screenplays, which included works such as The Fly (1958) and The Large Get Away (1963); along with others). While Clavell proceeded to compose screenplays and to direct movies for many years, in 1960 he also started to compose novels. The author based his first innovative novel, Monarch Rat (1962; recorded on film 1965), on his familiarity with being a detainee of the Japanese throughout World War II. Labors for power and riches and, secondarily, sex and love dominate the themes of his fiction as do the contrast between West and East and male and female conflict.

Clavell’s other books were subsequently made into TV miniseries; in fact the 1980 version of Shōgun was one of the most popular miniseries ever made. Born in Australia, Clavell was the son of Commander Richard Clavell, a British Navy agent who was stationed in Australia in the Regal Australian Navy. In 1940, when Clavell had completed his lower schooling at Portsmouth Grammar School, he joined the regal Artillery in order to pursue his family’s tradition. Following the outbreak of World War II, between the ages of 16 and 19, Clavell joined the regal Artillery in 1940. He was then dispatched to Malaya to fight the Japanese. Subsequently, Clavell was moved to Changi Prison in Singapore. Clavell endured the severity of his Japanese captors. According to the introduction to King Rat, over 90% of the prisoners who went into Changi never emerged alive. Clavell was allegedly kept, along with his whole battalion, by an American prisoner of conflict who subsequently became the model for the protagonist King in Clavell’s King Rat.

By 1946, Clavell had been promoted to the rank of head person, but a motorcycle misfortune terminated his infantry vocation. He then enrolled at the University of Birmingham, where he met April Stride, an actress, who he later married in 1949. Democratically, Clavell was said to have been a proponent of laissez-faire capitalism and an ardent individualist, as numerous of his publications’ champions exemplify. Clavell admired the founder of the Objectivist school of beliefs, and sent him a copy of Noble Dwelling in 1981 with the inscription “This is for Ayn Rand—one of the genuine, factual talents on this soil for which numerous, numerous thanks. James C, New York, 2 September 81.” [4] In 1963, Clavell became a naturalized citizen of the United States. He passed away of a stroke while suffering from the pain of a cancerous disease in Switzerland in 1994. Following sponsorship by his widow, the archive and library of the Royal Artillery Museum in Regal Arsenal, Woolwich, in England has been renamed the James Clavell library in the author’s.

James Clavell wrote King Rat in a 1962. Set in the context of World War II, Clavell’s literary debut recounts the labor for the survival of British, Australian, Dutch, New Zealand and American prisoners of war in a Japanese camp in Singapore. It recounts the noble plot acquainted by Clavell’s own three-year know-how as a detainee in the notorious Changi jail bivouac. One of the main characters, Peter Marlowe, is based upon Clavell’s younger self. Despite its fearsome reputation, Changi was amongst the better-run Japanese bivouacs, with only 850 deaths eliminating the 87,000 prisoners who passed through. The novel opens in early 1945. Peter Marlowe, a juvenile British RAF Flight Lieutenant, has been a P.O.W. since 1942. Marlowe arrives at the vigilance of the “King”, an American corporal who has become the most successful trader and a very dark marketer in Changi.

When the King sees him conversing in Malay, one of Marlowe’s languages, understanding, honesty and victorious character cause the monarch to befriend the King and to try to engage him in very dark market deals. This conveys to Marlowe to the attention of Robin Grey, a British agent and Provost Marshal of the bivouac, which has evolved into Javert-like obsession with the monarch. The King wants to reprimand him for violating bivouac guidelines. Grey attempts to sustain the military control and respect of the prisoners and he sees the King as the antithesis of his beliefs. As the child of a working-class family, Grey pursues the directions for their own sake, thus utilizing his position as Provost Marshal to gain a status that would otherwise be unavailable to him in British humanity. Tai-Pan is an innovative writing by James-Clavell about American and European traders who migrated to Hong Kong following the end of the First opium conflict in the year 1842. It is the 2nd book in Clavell’s “Asian-Saga”. The novel-begins following the British triumph of the first-Opium conflict and the seizure-of-Hong Kong.

Whereas the isle is mostly-uninhabited and the-terrain is unfriendly, the territory has a large-natural harbor that both the British-government and diverse swapping companies accept to be truly useful for the import-of-merchandise to be swapped on mainland ceramic, a highly lucrative-market. Whereas the innovative features include many individual features, Tyler Brock and Dirk Struan, former-shipmates and the proprietors of two-massive (fictional) trading companies are the major focal-points of the novel. Their rocky-and often abusive connection as seamen-initiated an intense-amount of competitive-stress. All throughout-the-novel, both-men seek to decimate each other in the affairs of enterprise and personal-affairs. Struan is referred-to throughout the text as Tai-Pan, thus indicating his-position as head of the biggest of all of the trading businesses in Asia. Clavell-translates Tai-Pan as “Supreme-Leader,” whereas according to the Tai-Pan application, “Big-Shot” might be a more unquestionable title.

Brock, owner of the second-largest of the swapping businesses, constantly vies to decimate Struan’s company and status in an attempt to both to exact payback on Struan and to become the-new “Tai-Pan” of Chinese trade. James Clavell is the name of the famous British novelist, who has written many wonderful novels in his career. He was born on October 10, 1921 in Sydney, Australia and was given name Charles Edmund Dumaresq Clavell at his birth. Apart from being a successful author, Clavell was also a well known director and screenwriter. At the time of the Second World War, he joined the British Navy and later became the prisoner of war. As far as his writing career is concerned, he is best known for writing down the epic Asian Saga series. The novels of this series were adapted into a television series by Clavell himself, along with several film adaptations such as The Great Escape and To Sir, With Love. Clavell died on September 7, 1994 at the age of 72 in Vevey, Switzerland due to cancer.

The childhood of James Clavell was spent around the military personnel as he was the son of a British Royal Navy officer, Commander Richard Clavell. His father was stationed on secondment to the Royal Navy in Australia between the years 1920 and 1922, in which Clavell was born. He went on to receive his primary education from the Portsmouth Grammar School and at the age of nineteen, joined the Royal Artillery in the year 1940. Clavell was immediately sent to fight against the Japanese in Malaya. Eventually, he got injured from a machine gun fire and was captured as a prisoner of war. He was later sent to the Japanese POW camp in Java. After that, he was transferred to the Changi Prison situated in Singapore. Clavell says that he suffered a lot of atrocities from the Japanese captors, but considers himself lucky to come out alive as it was believed that 90 percent of the prisoners are not able to make out alive from the Changi Prison. He has also given a brief account of his experiences as a prisoner of war in the introductory part of one of his novels. He was saved by an American prisoner of war along with a whole battalion.

Later in the year 1946, he rose to the rank of captain, but was cut short due to a motorcycle accident. Then Clavell enrolled himself at the Birmingham University, where he met with an actress named April Stride, who became his wife in the year 1949. One of the prominent characters of the novels written by Clavell is Peter Marlowe, who is described by him as an English POW in the Changi Prison during the Second World War, in the novel King Rat. In one of the other novels, Peter is shown as a novelist after a couple of decades, researching on the culture of Hong Kong. Clavell has done the character description of Peter Marlowe with reference to his own life story. He has also described Peter as writing a novel about the Changi Prison, which is actually based on his experiences and real events during his stay as a POW. In the year 1953, Clavell migrated to America along with his wife. He settled in Hollywood and began writing scripts for films. Later, he wrote the script of a war film and was nominated for the Writers Guild Award.

After seeing success initially, Clavell decided to write, direct and produce a movie in the year 1967 named To SIr, With Love. This film had Sidney Poitier in the lead role and went on to become a box office hit. The Asian Saga series written by author James Clavell has a total of 6 novels published between the years 1962 and 1993. The first novel of the series was called King Rat and was published by the Delta publishing house in the year 1962. The plot of the novel is set during the time of the Second World War, when the main characters were held as prisoners of war in a brutal camp in Japan. The plot takes an interesting turn when one of the prisoners, an American corporal takes dominance over the captors as well as the captives. He shows great courage and determination to exploit every opportunity for escaping from the prison. The weapons used by him were the human courage and the understanding of the weaknesses of the humans. With the help of these, he was extremely willing to enlarge his power and destroy all those who come in his way.

The American corporal named Peter Marlowe was held captive in the notorious Changi Prison in Singapore as a prisoner of war, along with other prisoners from Australia, New Zealand, England and Netherlands. The description of the plot and the character sketch of Peter Marlowe is based on the personal experience of 3 years that the author spent in the Changi Prison as a prisoner of war. The novel was made into a movie in the year 1965 with a few alterations in the original character sketches. Also a mini TV series called Changi was developed based on the events of this novel. The second novel of the Asian Saga series was published by the Dell publishing house in the year 1966. It was titled ‘Tai-Pan’ and gave a description of the European traders and adventurers during the early nineteenth century, when they penetrated the forbidden market on the Chinese mainland for the first time. Around the same time, an Englishman named Dirk Struan sets out for converting the desolate island of the country of Hong Kong an impregnable and vast fortress of the British Empire. In that exotic place and during the exciting time of that period, Dirk was considered as a giant and very powerful.

He was determined to make himself the supreme leader of the island, the Tai-Pan. In the opening sequence of the novel, the Britishes become victorious in the first Opium War and seize Hong Kong. At that time, Hong Kong was largely uninhabited and had unfriendly terrains all over. However, it had a large natural harbor that everyone believed, including the British government and the trading companies, that it will come handy for the import of merchandise for trading on the mainland China and converting it into a lucrative market. The novel features Tyler Brock and Dirk Struan as the main characters, who are described as the owners of two massive trading companies. They are also former shipmates and often have a rocky and abusive friendship with each other. Both of them try to destroy each other in personal and business affairs throughout the novel. Dirk, in particular, is referred to as Tai-Pan, which shows him as the supreme leader and the head of the largest trading company in Asia. On the other hand, Brock owns the second largest trading company and constantly tries to destroy Dirk’s company in order to take revenge from him as well as become the new Tai-Pan of the lucrative Chinese mainland trade.

The novel was adapted into a film in the year 1986 titled ‘Tai-Pan’ and starred Bryan Brown, John Stanton and Joan Chen in the lead roles. The film was made with the same set of characters and plots, however, there were some changes made in the original script in order to make it suitable for all types of audiences.

Question: The American TV miniseries "Shogun", based on the book by James Clavell, was set in which country?
Answer: Japan