Hoffman

Hoffmann or Hofmann is a surname of German origin. The original meaning in medieval times was "steward, i.e. one who manages the property of another". The name was later adopted by many Jewish families. In English and other European languages, including Yiddish and Dutch, the name is also spelt Hoffman, Hofman, Huffman, Gofman or Hofmans.

Hoffman

Hoffman (film)

Hoffman is a 1970 British film directed by Alvin Rakoff and starring Peter Sellers, Sinéad Cusack, Ruth Dunning and Jeremy Bulloch.

It is notable for the haunting music by Ron Grainer, the theatrical art of scene setting, fine color cinematography, and as one of Sellers' few 'straight' performances.

Plot

Hoffman is the satirical tale of an older man, played by Peter Sellers, who pressures a young woman to come to his flat in London. As the film progresses, it is revealed that Sellers' character has caught one of his workers dealing in a scam against his company, and has decided to blackmail the man's lovely fiancée away for a full week to convince her to fall in love with him instead. A witty drama rather than a comedy, the film has an almost terrifying performance by Sellers, involved in intricate mind games with the other protagonists.

Production

The movie was one of the first greenlit by Bryan Forbes while he was head of EMI Films.

Reportedly, Sellers despised Hoffman because the lead character too closely reflected his own personality. According to Bryan Forbes, who was head of the studio that financed the film, Sellers went through a depressive phase after filming was completed and he asked to buy back the negative and remake the movie. He also gave an interview where he said the film was a disaster.

Hoffman (Detroit automobile)

The Hoffman had two prototype vehicles built by the R.C. Hoffman company of Detroit, Michigan in 1931. They were front-drive vehicles, powered by Lycoming straight-8 engines. The wheels were carried on solid load-bearing axles. Semi-elliptical springs were equipped on the front end, along with torque arms.

References

Paula (1915 film)

Paula is a 1915 British silent drama film directed by Cecil Birch and starring Hetty Payne and Frank McClellan. It was made at the Holmfirth Studios in Yorkshire. A widow follows her love to Italy, and dies after donating blood to save his life.

Cast

References

Bibliography

External links

Paula (given name)

Paula is a common female given name (from Latin Paulus, petite). Notable people with this name include:

EarthBound

EarthBound, known as Mother 2 in Japan, is a 1994 Japanese role-playing video game co-developed by Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System video game console. As Ness and his party of four, the player travels the world to collect melodies en route to defeating the evil alien force Giygas. It is the second game of the Mother series, and the only one to be released in the English language until its predecessor was released under the name EarthBound Beginnings in 2015 as part of Wii U's Virtual Console.EarthBound was released in Japan on August 27, 1994, and in North America on June 5, 1995.

The game had a lengthy development period which spanned five years. Its making involved a number of Japanese luminaries, including writer Shigesato Itoi, musician/songwriter Keiichi Suzuki, sound designer Hirokazu Tanaka, and future Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. Themed around an idiosyncratic portrayal of Americana and Western culture, it subverted popular role-playing game traditions by featuring a real world setting while parodying numerous staples of the genre. Itoi, who directed the game, wanted it to reach non-gamers with its intentionally goofy tone. It was heavily marketed upon release via a promotional campaign which sardonically proclaimed "this game stinks".