James Whale

A New World of Gods and Monsters

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by James Curtis

Type

Studies

Subject

Director > James Whale

Keywords

James Whale, director, horror

Publishing date

2003

Publisher

University of Minnesota Press

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 472 pages
5 ¼ x 8 ½ inches (13.5 x 21.5 cm)

ISBN-10
ISBN-13

0-8166-4386-5
978-0-8166-4386-8

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Book Presentation:

The definitive biography of this innovative and influential director

James Whale directed some of the most stylish movies of the 1930s, but he was most successful in a genre he virtually invented. Most famously in Frankenstein, but also in The Invisible Man and The Bride of Frankenstein, Whale created a new type of horror film—sophisticated, tragic, and morbidly humorous.




Whale made grim war dramas, light comedy, adventure, mystery, and even a movie version of the musical Show Boat. However, his career faltered and, being openly gay, he found work increasingly hard to get. He quit his film work just ten years after the triumph of Frankenstein, and died as a result of suicide.







James Curtis has written the definitive life of James Whale, taking him from poverty in rural England to the squalor of a German prison camp, to the excitement of London’s West End, and ultimately to Hollywood, where he profoundly influenced several generations of filmmakers.

About the Author:
James Curtis is also the author of W. C. Fields (2003) and Between Flops: A Biography of Preston Sturges (1982).

See the publisher website: University of Minnesota Press