12th January 2013 by
Film director’s odyssey over George Orwell’s wife
A FILMMAKER’S international pilgrimage to re-tell the story of the South Shields-born wife of writer George Orwell is nearing its end.
Gary Wilkinson has travelled to Barcelona in Spain in his attempt to uncover more about Eileen O’Shaughnessy, the woman who deeply influenced the writer of 1984 and Animal Farm.
He’s also filmed at Parliament Hill in London and is soon to complete his journey with trips to both Oxford and New York.
And a real coup came when he secured an interview with the couple’s adopted son, Richard Blair.
It’s hoped the finished work – called Mrs Orwell – will be released in April.
Read the Full Article at the Jarrow & Hebburn Gazette.
Great news. Does anyone have contact info for Mr Wilkinson? I would be most obliged.
I have just read the article in the Jarrow and Hebburn Gazette. It refers to Sylvia Topp’s new book, which it says is about Orwell. Sylvia’s book is the first and long overdue biography of Eileen, it is not a book about Orwell with some chapters on Eileen.
I am delighted that Gary’s film will hopefully give publicity to Sylvia’s book.
I agree. It should be a great contribution to our understanding of Orwell’s fascinating first wife. I read the report in the Jarrow & Hebburn Gazette, and hope that the film is not going to say that Eileen took an MA at Oxford. As far as I know she took a BA in English at Oxford and was working towards an MA in Child Psychology at University College London when she met Eric B. She dropped that, but whether or not she was awarded an MA at Oxford (which you did by attending College dinners for a period of years) I’ve no idea. It sounds a bit out of character to me.
Good luck to the film and to Sylvia Topp’s biography.
Max