David Parkinson

Toronto

Deputy Head of Newsroom Development at The Globe and Mail

David Parkinson, Deputy Head of Newsroom Development, The Globe and Mail, Canada's national newspaper

Articles

Audie Murphy centenary: how the most decorated soldier in American history became a movie star

1 week ago | bfi.org.uk | Chloe Walker |Stephen Dalton |David Parkinson |Philip Concannon

Audie Murphy had a rough childhood, to put it mildly. He was one of 12 children of poor Texan sharecroppers, but his father left the family when Murphy was in his early teens, and his mother died soon after. Murphy had to hunt small game so his siblings would have enough food to eat. Thanks in part to his deprived upbringing, he cut such a slight figure that he was initially rejected by several branches of the military when he tried to join.
Steven Soderbergh on Jaws: “Every time I look at the film, it gets better”

1 week ago | bfi.org.uk | Philip Concannon |David Parkinson |Josephine Botting |George Bass

What I love about watching Jaws now is that for all the technology that exists, which didn’t exist 50 years ago, there’s nothing new that’s been invented that makes moving that pneumatic shark on a sled any easier. It’s still as hard today as it was then. It’s all ‘in camera’, and to this day nobody has been able to really duplicate what was accomplished, even in the sequels.
Finest hours: Derren Nesbitt as the hissable Nazi in Where Eagles Dare, “the least boring film ever made”

1 week ago | bfi.org.uk | David Parkinson |Josephine Botting |George Bass |Pamela Hutchinson

It takes chops to steal a film from Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. But Derren Nesbitt – who turns 90 on 19 June – did exactly that in Brian G. Hutton’s film of Alistair MacLean’s Where Eagles Dare (1968). And he was only on screen for a fraction of the epic’s 155-minute running time. He had played Germans before, in The Blue Max (1965) and The Naked Runner (1967).
10 great British pop films

1 month ago | bfi.org.uk | Stephen G. Dalton |Barry Levitt |Patrick Russell |David Parkinson

British rock and pop cinema has a gloriously rich back catalogue stretching back decades, almost to the dawn of the British pop era. Cliff Richard, The Dave Clark Five, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones all bolstered their early careers with big-screen projects. The Fab Four made a string of comedy films, reinforcing their marketable cartoon image as cheeky Liverpudlian moptop scamps.
10 great hiking films

1 month ago | bfi.org.uk | Barry Levitt |Patrick Russell |David Parkinson |Josh Slater-Williams

There’s nothing like an escape to nature. There’s an innate sense of peace and relaxation when you conjure up images of the great outdoors, despite the dangers you can face in the wild. Forests, jungles and national parks have set the scene for cinema to explore humanity’s relationship with nature, allowing for quiet contemplation and shocking revelation in equal measure.
10 great films about popes

1 month ago | bfi.org.uk | David Parkinson |Josh Slater-Williams |Chloe Walker |Rory Doherty

The papacy and cinema go back a long way. Leo XIII became the first moving picture pope in July 1896, with successor Pius X being filmed in 1907. He would become the first cine-saint when he was canonised in 1954, two years after Henri Vidon had played him in The Secret Conclave (1952), which was the first feature to recreate a papal election. Pius actually disapproved of moving images and forbade their exhibition in churches in 1909.
Rod Steiger: 10 essential films

2 months ago | bfi.org.uk | Chloe Walker |Sam Wigley |David Parkinson |Chloe Walker Lists

One hundred years after he was born, we salute the fury and intensity of Rod Steiger’s presence on screen, from On the Waterfront to In the Heat of the Night. 14 April 2025Whether in a supporting role or as the lead, Rod Steiger was best known for his fevered intensity. He specialised in playing explosive men. Nevertheless, he was just as powerful when reigning in his propensity for going big, whether as villains who were eerily still, or as ordinary men fighting lonely battles within themselves.
Twice upon a time in Hollywood: how history repeats itself for ageing directors

2 months ago | bfi.org.uk | Maha Albadrawi |David Parkinson |Adam Nayman |Andy Medhurst

Martin Scorsese occupies a rarefied position on the internet these days: part elder statesman of film (on Letterboxd), part TikTok dad (to Francesca), and always good for an 8 to 12 minute YouTube sit-down. But in 2019, he found himself on the wrong side of internet ire when he compared Marvel films to theme parks. It was a throwaway comment in a longread about his career and upcoming film, The Irishman (2019).
5 things to watch this weekend - 4 to 6 April

2 months ago | bfi.org.uk | Sam Wigley |David Parkinson |Alex Ramon

Irish tragicomedy, a story of sex and publishing, and a Hitchcock classic on TV. What are you watching this weekend? 4 April 2025Where’s it on? Cinemas nationwideBy a quirk of scheduling, two films about budding gay novelists and the publishing world open in cinemas this week.
Richard Chamberlain obituary: dashing star of Dr. Kildare, Shōgun and The Three Musketeers

2 months ago | bfi.org.uk | David Parkinson Obituaries |David Parkinson |Adam Nayman |Andy Medhurst

A combination of good looks and impeccable control meant that Richard Chamberlain, who died two days before his 91st birthday, was never quite afforded his due as an actor. The son of an alcoholic shop fittings salesman, he was born in Beverly Hills (“the wrong side of Wilshire Boulevard”) on 31 March 1934. Having hidden the fact he was gay to serve in the US military in post-war Korea, he later returned to Los Angeles to study with blacklisted actor Jeff Corey.