In South American culture, the tonka bean is said to have a special healing effect: anyone who carries a tonka bean with them is in …
“Tea. Earl Grey. Hot.”: The history of Earl Grey
Legend has it that Earl Grey tea originated from the situation that on the family estate of the British Prime Minister Charles Grey, 2nd Earl …
Noël Coward: Dancing on the Edge of the Volcano
Noël Coward grew up at a time when British theater culture was experiencing its first ever upswing: in 1895, four years before Coward’s birth, Queen …
Peter Anders: The Brilliant Tenor
At a time when all the top-class tenors had left Germany, he was one of the few remaining singers in the thirties and forties who …
James Mason: The Classic Movie Actor (2.)
Continued from part one Although James Mason enjoyed some success in British cinemas in the mid-forties, he was anything but fond of the British film …
James Mason From Architect to Actor (1.)
When young James Mason began studying classical philology, who would have expected that he would one day become one of the most accomplished British character …
Louis de Funès: A Comedian on his Way to the Cinema (2.)
Continued from part one The comedian had a hard time leaving the theater stage behind: The theater had one great advantage. At every performance, a …
Louis de Funès: A Comedian is Born (1.)
He began his career not as an actor but as a pianist in various Parisian establishments: originally, de Funès was descended from Spanish immigrants who …
Jochen Rindt: The Unequalled Racing Driver
“Unknown Austrian beats [Graham] Hill at Crystal Palace Circuit”, is one of the headlines of the British press in 1964. The “unknown Austrian” had just …
Alfred Hitchcock: Master of the Cinema
He went down in film history as the “master of suspense”: building suspense in a film that keeps the viewer glued to the cinema seat …