James Whale: A New World Of Gods And Monsters

very good

James Whale directed two classics of the horror genre and a number of other memorable films.Despite his successes he was brought down by just one failure "The Road Back".After that it was all downhill till he retired from making films aged 48 in 1941.Although he directed some plays and tv shows he was never fully employed and spent the last 16years of his life in semi and then full time retirement.This book was published in 1982,which was a time when many of his friends and associates were still alive and able to be interviewed.His good friend Alan Napier,the actor,observes that Whale had his greater success when working with fellow Englishmen.He found it difficult to deal with the bigger American actors,so that when his name came up for a job he was autonatically passed over.A fine book about a largely wasted talent.

James Curtis writes of a man who seems to have been forgotten over time despite the fact that he was one of the most creative directors. Curtis' book begins with James; childhood and takes you all through his life in great detail. He shares with the reader interesting details he has obtained from friends of James'. I found the book to be really interesting and I discovered films that I never knew James had directed and also west end plays I never knew about too. I found that in places, Curtis would waffle a little too much about unimportant subjects but other than that, it was a truely fantastic read.