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James Whale |
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| Director |
| 1893 - 1957 |
| Born July 22,
Dudley, England |
| Key
Production Country: USA |
| Key Genres:
Horror, Sci-Fi Horror, Science Fiction |
| Key
Collaborators:
Carl Laemmle Jr. (Producer), Charles D. Hall (Production Designer), Dwight
Frye (Character Player), Boris Karloff (Leading Player), Arthur Edeson
(Cinematographer), Ted J. Kent (Editor), Colin Clive (Leading Player), Gloria Stuart (Leading
Player), R.C. Sherriff (Screenwriter), Una O'Connor (Leading Character
Player) |
| Highly
Recommended: Frankenstein
(1931), The Old Dark House (1932), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) |
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Recommended: The
Invisible Man (1933), The Man in the Iron Mask (1939) |
| Links: [
IMDB ] [ All-Movie
Guide ] [ Senses
of Cinema: Great Directors ] [
Film Reference ]
[ The
James Whale Nexus ] [ Washington
Post Article ] [ Bright
Lights Film Journal's Feature on Bride of Frankenstein ] |
| Books: [
James
Whale: A New World of Gods and Monsters ] [ James
Whale: A Biography of the Would-Be Gentleman ] [ Father
of Frankenstein ] |
| DVD's:
[ Amazon
] |
|
1,000 Greatest Films: Frankenstein
(1931), Bride of Frankenstein (1935) |
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"If
any director can be said to have found beauty in horror, then it
was the British-born James Whale. An enigmatic character, Whale
was 40 before he came to Hollywood, but he made four classics of
the horror-genre there. These were Frankenstein, The
Old Dark House, The Invisible Man and Bride of
Frankenstein. Whale was just as effective with dark,
unstated horror as with delicate, terrifyingly chilling scenes
that had one on the edge of one's seat lest they should fade to
black, and scenes of freakish grey horror comedy." - David
Quinlan (Quinlan's Film Directors, 1999) |
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"He is best
remembered for his four stylish horror films...excellent
examples of the genre, noted for their semi-expressionist mood
and understated black humor. But he also directed refined and
intelligent films in other genres, usually adaptations from
literature or the stage, marked by the same fluid camera
movement, leisurely pace, emphasis on detail, and discriminating
restraint that characterized his more famous horror pictures." - (The
MacMillan International Film Encyclopedia, 1994) |
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"The
success of Frankenstein (1931) encouraged the studio to
give him creative freedom, and his early films fully exploited
this: he used them to mock favourite targets such as the Church
and heterosexual conformity. Some commentators have seen
parallels in the monster's persecution by society with Whale's
own open homosexuality." -
(The Movie Book, 1999) |
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"Known as the excellent director of horror thrillers (Frankenstein,
31; The Invisible Man, 33; The Bride of Frankenstein,
35), Whale also made quality drama (Journey's End, 30),
comedy (The Great Garrick, 37), and a classic musical (Show
Boat, 36)." -
William R. Meyer (The Film Buff's Catalog, 1978) |
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