The Destructors

Last updated

"The Destructors" is a 1954 short story written by Graham Greene, [1] first published in Picture Post [2] and subsequently collected in Twenty-One Stories later that year. [3]

Contents

Plot

Set in the mid-1950s, the story is about the "Wormsley Common Gang", a boys' gang named after the place where they live. The protagonist Trevor, or "T.", devises a plan to destroy a beautiful two-hundred-year-old house that survived The Blitz. The gang accepts the plan by T., their new leader, and executes it when the owner of the house, Mr. Thomas (whom the gang call "Old Misery"), is away during a bank holiday weekend. Their plan is to destroy the house from inside, then tear down the remaining outer structure. Mr. Thomas returns home early, however, and the gang locks him in the outhouse. T. refuses to stop until the destruction job is complete, because even the facade is valuable and could be reused. Inside, they find a mattress filled with money—which they burn. The final destruction of the house occurs when a lorry pulls away a support pole from the side of the house. Mr. Thomas is released from the outhouse by the lorry driver to see the rubble of what once was his home. When the driver finds the situation funny, Mr. Thomas is incensed, but the driver is still unable to stop laughing.

Television adaptation

"The Destructors" was adapted for television as part of the 1970s British drama series Shades of Greene . It starred Michael Byrne, Phil Daniels and Nicholas Drake, directed by Michael Apted [4] with a TV debut for actor Andrew Paul. [5]

Allusions and references in other works

Related Research Articles

<i>Donnie Darko</i> 2001 American film by Richard Kelly

Donnie Darko is a 2001 American science fiction psychological thriller film written and directed by Richard Kelly and produced by Flower Films. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore, Mary McDonnell, Katharine Ross, Patrick Swayze, Noah Wyle, Stu Stone, Daveigh Chase, and James Duval. Set in October 1988, the film follows Donnie Darko, an emotionally troubled teenager who inadvertently escapes a bizarre accident by sleepwalking. He has visions of Frank, a mysterious figure in a rabbit costume who informs him that the world will end in 28 days, 6 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds.

<i>Harvey</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Henry Koster

Harvey is a 1950 American comedy-drama film based on Mary Chase's 1944 play of the same name, directed by Henry Koster, and starring James Stewart and Josephine Hull. The story centers on a man whose best friend is a púca named Harvey, a 6 ft 3+12 in (1.92 m) tall white invisible rabbit, and the ensuing debacle when the man's sister tries to have him committed to a sanatorium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daveigh Chase</span> American actress (born 1990)

Daveigh Elizabeth Chase is an American actress. She began her career appearing in minor television roles before being cast as Samantha Darko in Richard Kelly's cult film Donnie Darko. She would subsequently provide the voices of Chihiro Ogino in the English dub of the Studio Ghibli film Spirited Away, and Lilo Pelekai in the Disney animated feature film Lilo & Stitch and its subsequent franchise, before appearing as Samara Morgan, the child antagonist in the 2002 horror film The Ring.

<i>The Outsiders</i> (novel) 1967 novel by S. E. Hinton

The Outsiders is a coming-of-age novel by S.E. Hinton published in 1967 by Viking Press. The book details the conflict between two rival gangs of White Americans divided by their socioeconomic status: the working-class "Greasers" and the upper-middle-class "Socs". The story is told in first-person perspective by teenage protagonist Ponyboy Curtis, and takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma in 1965, although this is never explicitly stated in the book.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outhouse</span> Small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet

An outhouse is a small structure, separate from a main building, which covers a toilet. This is typically either a pit latrine or a bucket toilet, but other forms of dry (non-flushing) toilets may be encountered. The term may also be used to denote the toilet itself, not just the structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Derry (Stephen King)</span> Fictional setting of the "It" universe

Derry is a fictional town in the U.S. state of Maine that has served as the setting for a number of Stephen King's novels, novellas, and short stories, notably It. Derry first appeared in King's 1981 short story "The Bird and the Album" and has reappeared as recently as his 2011 novel 11/22/63.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bombsite</span>

A bombsite is the wreckage that remains after a bomb has destroyed a building or other structure.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Kelly (filmmaker)</span> American film director and writer

James Richard Kelly is an American film director, screenwriter and producer. He wrote and directed the films Donnie Darko, Southland Tales and The Box.

<i>They Made Me a Fugitive</i> 1947 British film

They Made Me a Fugitive is a 1947 British film noir set in postwar England.

<i>Nadodikkattu</i> 1987 Indian film

Nadodikkattu is a 1987 Indian Malayalam-language satirical comedy film directed by Sathyan Anthikad and written by Sreenivasan based on a story by the Siddique–Lal duo. It stars Mohanlal and Sreenivasan in the lead roles, along with an ensemble supporting cast featuring Shobhana, Thilakan, Innocent, Mamukkoya and Captain Raju. The story revolves around two impecunious young men, Ramdas and Vijayan who not being able to find any job in Kerala, plan to immigrate to Dubai to make their fortunes but get deceived and end up in Chennai. The film drew upon relevant social factors affecting Kerala of the 1980s such as widespread unemployment and poverty.

<i>Dreamcatcher</i> (2003 film) 2003 film by Lawrence Kasdan

Dreamcatcher is a 2003 American science fiction horror film based on Stephen King's 2001 novel of the same name. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan and co-written by Kasdan and screenwriter William Goldman, the film stars Thomas Jane, Jason Lee, Damian Lewis and Timothy Olyphant as four friends who encounter an invasion of parasitic aliens. It also features Morgan Freeman, Tom Sizemore and Donnie Wahlberg.

Andrew Paul is an English actor, known for portraying PC Dave Quinnan in the ITV drama The Bill for 13 years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Briana Evigan</span> American actress

Briana Evigan is an American actress and dancer best known for her roles in the Step Up series and for her scream queen roles in numerous horror films. Born in Los Angeles, Evigan is the daughter of actor Greg Evigan and his wife Pamela, a dancer, model and choreographer. She began dancing and acting at a young age, graduating from Los Angeles Valley College with a degree in speech and communication.

Los Cerritos is a neighborhood with approximately 700 homes and 2,000 residents located within the Bixby Knolls neighborhood of Long Beach, California. Established in 1906, the Los Cerritos neighborhood has been used by the film industry of Hollywood with its historic, estate-sized homes. It was one of three finalists in the 2007 Neighborhood of the Year national competition.

<i>S. Darko</i> 2009 film by Chris Fisher

S. Darko, also known as S. Darko: A Donnie Darko Tale or S Dot Darko is a 2009 American science fiction thriller film directed by Chris Fisher and starring Daveigh Chase, Briana Evigan, and Ed Westwick. It is the sequel to the 2001 cult film Donnie Darko.

<i>A Place to Go</i> 1963 British film by Basil Dearden

A Place to Go is a 1963 British crime drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Bernard Lee, Rita Tushingham and Michael Sarne. It was based on the 1961 novel Bethnal Green by Michael Fisher.

The Tooreen ambush was an ambush carried out by the Irish Republican Army (IRA) on 22 October 1920, during the Irish War of Independence. It took place near Roberts Farm, Tooreen, near Ballinhassig in County Cork. The IRA ambushed two lorries of British soldiers, killing three and wounding four others. The British surrendered and their weapons and ammunition were seized by the IRA. Later that night, British soldiers went on a rampage in nearby Bandon.

<i>Den of Thieves</i> (film) 2018 film by Christian Gudegast

Den of Thieves is a 2018 American heist action film written, directed, and produced by Christian Gudegast. It stars Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Evan Jones, Dawn Olivieri, Mo McRae, and Max Holloway. In the film, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department clique look to stop a gang of thieves consisting of ex-MARSOC Marines that is planning to rob the Federal Reserve in Los Angeles.

David Francis St. James is an American character actor and comedian.

References

  1. 1 2 Ripatrazone, Nick (13 April 2017). "How Donnie Darko Captures the Spirit of Lent". The Atlantic . Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 French, Philip (27 October 2002). "Into the heart of Darko". The Guardian . Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 5 Books That Were Featured In Movies. ManyBooks. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  4. "Shades of Greene" The Destructors (TV Episode 1975). IMDb. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  5. Padman, Tony (25 October 2014). "Whatever happened to… The Bill's PC Dave Quinnan?". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  6. Hall, Sandra (17 October 2002). "Donnie Darko". The Sydney Morning Herald . Retrieved 21 July 2017.