In recent years Derek Malcolm contributed to two series on Sky Arts: Discovering Film, profiling individual stars, and The Directors. In the latter he described Akira Kurosawa as “capable of the most extraordinary visual feats and the most extraordinary characters”. The Japanese director’s Samurai-style remake of Macbeth brought the comment: “Of all the Shakespearean adaptations done all over the world, I think Throne of Blood is the most stunning. It is almost expressionist in style.”
Tom Stubbs
I had the pleasure of going on Derek Malcolm’s Guardian cricket team tours to India in 1974 and to California four years later. One of his stories that stayed with me concerned his days handling editing the letters page on the Gloucestershire Echo.
The paper’s editor admired Jack Crapp, an outstanding Gloucestershire batsman of the period, and any letter about Crapp had to be the lead. When this directive came once too often for Derek’s liking, he followed it, but headlined the item: “We must all take off our hats to Crapp”.
Paul Fitzpatrick
