James Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780816643868)

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.

Author: James Curtis
ISBN-10: 0816643865
ISBN-13: 9780816643868
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Language: English
Published: 10/10/2003
Pages: 455
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.16lbs
Size: 8.48h x 5.32w x 0.98d