PUBLICATIONS: 2010–2019
Books, chapters and essays on film and television
The following covers commissions completed for publishers and Blu-Ray/DVD labels.
Birdy — Limited Edition Blu-ray
Published by Powerhouse / Indicator, 28 October 2019. #PHILTD028.
Chris Barwick at Powerhouse’s Indicator label commissioned a new essay about director Alan Parker’s 1984 film Birdy, adapted from William Wharton’s celebrated novel. This is included in the booklet accompanying the first pressing.
The essay ‘In a dream, I’m trying to decide what I am’ focused on author Wharton’s interpretation of his own life captured in the novel and how its poetic, dream-like narrative was re-shaped into the script for the film. I accessed the Alan Parker archive at the British Film Institute, where correspondence and draft scripts supplemented my own reading of Wharton’s books, a number of newspaper interviews and several academic papers on the themes and construction of Wharton’s narrative for Birdy.
The papers at the BFI also provided a fascinating insight into how Parker shaped Sandy Kroopf and Jack Behr’s script and attempted to retain as much of the ‘the “one person” schizophrenia of the book’ and remain true to the author’s identity or identities.
INDICATOR LIMITED EDITION BLU-RAY SPECIAL FEATURES:
- 2K restoration supervised and approved by director Alan Parker.
- Original stereo audio.
- New and exclusive audio commentary with Parker and the BFI’s Justin Johnson.
- The Abstraction of War (2019, 25 mins): actor Matthew Modine fondly remembers the experience of working with the cast and crew of Birdy.
- Learning to Fly (2019, 14 mins): screenwriters Jack Behr and Sandy Kroopf reflect on the challenges of adapting an ‘unfilmable’ novel.
- Peter Gabriel on Making the Music for ‘Birdy’ (2000, 7 mins): archival interview with the acclaimed composer.
- Bird Watching (2019, 17 mins): a personal appreciation of the work of author William Wharton by filmmaker Keith Gordon.
- No Hard Feelings (1976, 55 mins): Parker’s early film, which follows a troubled young man in wartime London.
- Original theatrical trailer.
- Image galleries: promotional and publicity material, and a selection of rare items from Matthew Modine’s personal collection.
- New and improved English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
- Limited edition exclusive 48-page booklet with a new essay by Frank Collins, an extensive account of the making of the film by Alan Parker, an overview of critical responses, Jeff Billington on No Hard Feelings, and film credits.
- UK premiere on Blu-ray. Limited edition of 5,000 copies
The Black Archive #31 — Warriors’ Gate
Published by Obverse Books, May 2019. Paperback (192 pages).
Reviews:
- “To write a book that pleases the entire spectrum of Doctor Who fans I don’t believe is possible but, with his essay on Warriors’ Gate, Frank Collins gets as close as I think anyone will. It’s a masterclass in where research can lead you.” Steve Taylor-Bryant, The Dream Cage.
- “Merits attention from Doctor Who fans interested in the development of a script by going deep into the story’s genesis and shifts in tone, and the infamous production difficulties which plagued it. The glimpses of Steve Gallagher’s original scripts are fascinating, as are the changes made to them by seemingly everyone from directors to producers to cast members.”
Nick Mellish, We Are Cult. - “Some of the best titles in Obverse’s Black Archive range are those that go deep into troubled productions, and this is no exception. Not only were the aforementioned quartet [Nathan-Turner, Bidmead, Gallagher and Joyce] all new to role, but were jockeying for position in making their mark. All believed that what they were doing was for the best, and Collins is very even-handed in presenting the opposing views and allowing responses to disputed versions.”
Nick Joy, Sci-Fi Bulletin
The Black Archive is a series of book-length looks at Doctor Who stories. Each title is a 20,000 to 40,000-word study of a single televised story, from 1963 to the present day. To date, over sixty volumes have been published. For my Archive debut, I pitched for Warriors’ Gate (1981) by esteemed thriller and horror writer, television writer and producer Stephen Gallagher. Why? It’s not only a visually intriguing, complex, multi-layered story but it also had an interesting development and production history.
“Representative of Doctor Who at its most experimental, narratively and visually, Warriors’ Gate (1981) was the rich by-product of a producer seeking to modernise the series for the 1980s, a radio writer and novelist who had never written for television, and a film director with one television drama to his credit.
Examining television authorship in the 1980s, and using archive research and new interviews, this Black Archive traces the development of writer Stephen Gallagher’s scripts and their onscreen realisation by producer John Nathan-Turner, script editor Christopher Bidmead, and director Paul Joyce.
Similarly, it explores the story’s complex blend of absurd tragicomedy, quantum theory, randomness and entropy, within the context of British New Wave SF, the philosophy of science, modernist theatre, film and television, German Romantic painting, pop video, and the development of electronic video effects. Many ‘authors’ contributed to the transmitted version of Warriors’ Gate and the book also considers whether it can be claimed as the work of a single author given the collaborative nature of its troubled production.”
The book incorporates research at BBC Written Archives (production paperwork), the Hull History Centre (Gallagher’s own archive), correspondence with Gallagher and a new interview with Joyce.
ISBN: 9781909031869
Available to purchase here
Vworp Vworp! Volume Three
Published March 2017. Not-for-profit, professionally produced fanzine. Paperback (207 pages).
I was very pleased to contribute the article, ‘Flay the skin! Crack the bone!’ And the sinner shall atone!’ to Volume Three of the superb Doctor Who fanzine Vworp Vworp! Its esteemed creators Gareth Kavanagh and Colin Brockhurst commissioned an article and review about 1994′s Colin Baker-penned comic book The Age of Chaos.
The result was a brief history of how Baker came to write the comic for Marvel and some background about the two legendary artists who brought Baker’s words to life, John M. Burns and Barrie Mitchell. I also explored in some detail the artwork, story and characters in relation to Colin Baker’s own take on the Sixth Doctor.
It was a pleasure to write about Doctor Who from a very different angle and I’m flattered the article was included in the third volume of a highly distinguished and beautifully put together publication. Vroomnik!
ISBN 5037835925012
Woody Allen: Seven Films 1986–1991 Blu-Ray
Published by Arrow Films and Video, 20 February 2017. FCD1280.
Arrow commissioned a new piece of film writing from me for February 2017′s release of their Woody Allen: Seven Films 1986–1991 box set. Their third collection spans the bulk of his work with Mia Farrow, who is featured in all seven of these films. They start with the much-loved family saga Hannah and Her Sisters, a warm and witty return to Allen’s beloved Manhattan, and the nostalgic Radio Days, a collection of stories from the time of Allen’s own 1930s/40s childhood.
More sombre fare comes with the Chekhov-influenced ensemble piece September and Another Woman, with a tour de force role for Gena Rowlands as a middle-aged philosophy professor whose accidental eavesdropping makes her reassess her life. And with Crimes and Misdemeanors, Allen made one of his greatest films, a multi-layered and almost Dostoyevskian reflection on guilt that also finds room for some of his funniest one-liners.
The box concludes with two of his more fantastical films, the romantic comedy Alice, in which relationships are guided with the aid of mysterious ‘invisibility herbs’, and the black-and-white, star-studded Shadows and Fog, an homage to Kafka and German Expressionism that was based on Allen’s own one-act play ‘Death’.
Asked to write about September (1987) for this release’s exclusive hardback book, my essay ‘The Air is Full of Electricity’ explores Allen’s continuing search for the meaning of life, the frailty of human existence within a turbulent and unforgiving universe and the fate of lovers never destined to stay together. It also explores Allen’s development of the film, the casting and his use of set design, framing, music, sound and colour to shape the narrative themes of September.
The box set is out of print.
The Count Yorga Collection — Blu-Ray and DVD
Published by Arrow Films and Video, 8 August 2016. FCD1349.
A further commission from Michael Brooke at Arrow Video for their release collecting together Bob Kelljan’s cult 1970s vampire films, Count Yorga, Vampire (1970) and The Return of Count Yorga (1971).
- High Definition digital transfers of both Yorga films, from original film elements by MGM.
- Original mono audio. Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
- Audio commentaries on Count Yorga, Vampire and The Return of Count Yorga by David Del Valle.
- Interview with critic and author Kim Newman.
- Theatrical trailers.
- Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Graham Humphreys.
- Booklet featuring new writing on the films by Frank Collins.
For the booklet included in the disc’s first pressing I wrote an essay, ‘A Tale of Unspeakable Cravings’. This explored the development of Kelljan’s films and their emergence from the late 1960s occult explosion, the rise of sexploitation cinema and the aftermath of the Manson murders.
It’s an in-depth, well-researched piece that covers the development of the films as a transition between Gothic horror and the contemporary horror of Romero and Craven; the casting and locations; and the career of star Robert Quarry at American International Pictures.
Withnail and I — Dual Format DVD and Blu-Ray 4-Disc Limited Edition
Published by Arrow Films and Video, 20 October 2014. FCD1007P.
- New 2K restoration of Withnail and I from the original camera negative, supervised and approved by director of photography Peter Hannan.
- Bruce Robinson s follow-up feature, How to Get Ahead in Advertising, newly transferred from original film elements and approved by director of photography Peter Hannan.
- High Definition Blu-ray (1080p) and Standard Definition DVD Presentation of both films.
- Original uncompressed mono 1.0 PCM audio for both films.
- Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing.
- Audio commentary by writer-director Bruce Robinson.
- Audio commentary by critic and writer Kevin Jackson, author of the BFI Modern Classic on Withnail and I.
- All four original Withnail Weekend documentaries, first screened on Channel 4 in 1999, including The Peculiar Memories of Bruce Robinson, which looks at the director s career, Withnail & Us, which focuses on the film’s making, and two shorter documentaries, I Demand to Have Some Booze and Withnail on the Pier.
- Newly filmed interviews with key members of Withnail and I’s behind-the-scenes team.
- Theatrical trailers for both films.
- Exclusive limited edition hardback book packaging (2,000 copies) containing new writing on the films, reprints of key articles, deleted scenes and more across 200 pages, illustrated with original production stills.
Arrow Films, a highly-regarded, award winning distribution label specialising in high quality fan-based products, commissioned me to contribute to one of their most eagerly-awaited releases in 2014. Their commitment to DVD and Blu-Ray production includes restoring original material through modern techniques as well as pioneering packaging solutions and newly commissioned artwork and writing for each release.
For their high profile 2014 release of the restored edition of Bruce Robinson’s films Withnail and I (1987) and How To Get Ahead in Advertising (1989), I contributed an essay about the latter, ‘If it hasn’t got a price tag, it isn’t worth having’, to a lavish, 200-page hardback book included in the limited edition set. Full details about the book and its contents are outlined in Anthony Nield’s blog post on Arrow’s Video Deck site: Preparing the book. Given my “attention to detail and level of research is always exemplary” Nield kindly believed I “was the ideal candidate for How to Get Ahead in Advertising, a film about which very little has been said.” It was a delight to write about the film.
The essay covered the creation of Handmade (the independent British film company responsible for the films), the development of Robinson’s career and its connections with the advertising industry and the film’s relevance to the rise of global marketing companies, such as Saatchi and Saatchi, and their links to the political and media classes of the 1980s.
The special edition with the book is out of print. Standard and vanilla editions are available through Arrow’s store.
Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour — A Critical Celebration of the Matt Smith and Steven Moffat Era
Published by I B Tauris Bloomsbury, 6 December 2013. Paperback (290 pages approx).
- “Whether you’re a fan of the show under Moffat or not, it offers an intriguing, insightful look at all aspects of the series” 7/10 — Starburst, January 2014
From the back cover:
“This first book devoted to the era of Matt Smith and showrunner Steven Moffat is written by experts on the Doctor. It is wide-ranging and varied in viewpoint and explores a colourful range of issues, including the performance of the Doctor, the gothic and fairy tale genres, the portrayal of history on screen, gender and sexuality, the phenomenon of Christmas television, the transatlantic dimensions of the programme, its look and sound, promotional culture and audience response. Also discussed are Doctor Who interactive games and the spin-off The Sarah Jane Adventures. Written in accessible style, the book is a valuable contribution to Doctor Who watching and thinking, for all who follow or study this television phenomenon.”
Celebrating the Doctor’s 50th anniversary, this book provided a valuable record of Matt Smith’s Doctor, who arrived in 2010 and bowed out in 2013’s Christmas special. Invited by the editor Andrew O’Day to contribute a chapter to his collection Doctor Who: The Eleventh Hour, I was able to pick up on a number of themes from my own book The Pandorica Opens (published 2010), specifically Moffat’s use of the Gothic genre, fairy tales and mythology in the series. The result was ‘Monsters Under The Bed: Gothic and Fairy Tale Storytelling in Steven Moffat’s Doctor Who’, an essay that “positions [an] examination of the Gothic in relation to television as an uncanny medium at the heart of the home.”
ISBN 9781780760193
Doctor Who: The Pandorica Opens — Exploring the Worlds of the Eleventh Doctor
Published by Classic TV Press, 6 December 2010. Paperback (260 pages approx).
- “A worthy addition to serious texts on Doctor Who” — Doctor Who Magazine 431, February 2011
- “…mixes the intellectual and the emotional very well…it’s proper media criticism” 9/10 — The Medium is Not Enough
- “Frank Collins has produced a book that is fiercely idiosyncratic, displays a wide-ranging intellect the size of a planet, but which is also endearingly open and inclusive in its desire to share its expansive knowledge…” 4/5 — Horrorview.com
From the press release:
“Since its revival in 2005, Doctor Who has been transformed from cult franchise into an award- winning, multi-platform, flagship BBC One drama watched by millions each week. A prime example of the 360-degree television experience that British broadcasters are hungry to commission and develop, Doctor Who is also central to the revitalisation of family viewing long thought impossible to resurrect. In 2010, the regeneration of Tenth Doctor David Tennant into Eleventh Doctor Matt Smith saw the keys to the Doctor Who kingdom handed over from Russell T. Davies to new showrunner Steven Moffat. His first series was a highly anticipated moment of change in the production regime of this long-running show. Moffat and his team also proved that they could catch lightning in a bottle, with their Doctor Who continuing to entertain audiences in the UK and internationally. Matt Smith, joined by Karen Gillan as new companion Amy Pond, was an immediate critical success as the new Doctor.
Cult television and film blogger Frank Collins has significantly expanded upon the original reviews from his popular Cathode Ray Tube website to examine this latest series of adventures. He provides an in-depth analysis of episodes, characters, themes and ideas, and places Doctor Who within the wider cultural context of contemporary social, political, historical and psychological debates. A unique view of a television icon, providing much food for thought, this book is essential reading for fans of the new series.
This book is illustrated with many exclusive behind-the-scenes production shots and includes a colour plates section.”
ISBN 9780956100023
