HOLLYWOOD PRESENTS JULES VERNE

HOLLYWOOD PRESENTS JULES VERNE: The Father of Science Fiction On Screen. Brian Taves. University Press of Kentucky; 2015.

Jules Verne, the Father of Science Fiction, created concepts and imaginative story ideas that would only naturally be adapted for movies. Hollywood Presents Jules Verne looks at the author's output and its adaptations, always with an eye on how closely the films hew to the spirit if not the letter of Verne, although Taves does discuss changes that were made in the journey from published work to motion picture. In this highly detailed work, Taves not only looks at famous adaptations, such as Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth and Mysterious Island, but also lesser-known films, TV shows, documentaries on Verne, cartoons, and feature-length animated movies. Taves discusses films as diverse as the dreadful Where Time Began ("a very satisfactory although uneven effort") and Journey 2: Mysterious Island ("a variety of fresh interpretations of the Vernian world"), and sometimes cuts a mediocre film some slack simply because it allegedly embodies the spirit of Verne. Whether the likes of Journey 2 will actually get its viewers to read Verne is debatable, but this is a good and rewarding book nevetheless. NOTE: William Schoell is the author of Remarkable Journeys: The Story of Jules Verne.

Verdict: Well-done, illustrated tome on Verne's work and its adaptations to film. ***1/2.

NOW OUT IN PAPERBACK -- JOAN CRAWFORD: THE ESSENTIAL BIOGRAPHY

Joan Crawford in Strait-Jacket

Just released is a spanking new trade paperback edition of JOAN CRAWFORD: THE ESSENTIAL BIOGRAPHY, which I co-authored with Lawrence J. Quirk.        

I mention the book on B Movie Nightmare because Joan appeared in a number of horror films, chief among them What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? She almost appeared in Hush ... Hush, Sweet Charlotte, but couldn't deal with Bette Davis (and vice versa). She instead did William Castle's zesty Strait-Jacket and I Saw What You Did, then wound up in Herman Cohen's productions of Berserk and the awful Trog. She was quite good in some of these movies, not as good in others. She really didn't think much of her horror period -- far from the glamorous days of her Hollywood past -- although she did want to do Baby Jane and even went to Davis to ask if she'd do it with her. 

As the publisher, University Press of Kentucky, puts it: 

"Joan Crawford: The Essential Biography explores the life and career of one of Hollywood's great dames. She was a leading film personality for more than fifty years, from her beginnings as a dancer in silent films of the 1920s, to her portrayals of working-class shop girls in the Depression thirties, to her Oscar-winning performances in classic films such as Mildred Pierce. Crawford's legacy, however, has become somewhat tarnished in the wake of her daughter Christina's memoir, Mommie Dearest, which turned her into a national joke. Today, many picture Crawford only as a wire-hanger-wielding shrew rather than the personification of Hollywood glamour. 

"This new biography of Crawford sets the record straight, going beyond the gossip to find the truth about the legendary actress. The authors knew Crawford well and conducted scores of interviews with her and many of her friends and co-stars, including Frank Capra, George Cukor, Nicholas Ray, and Sidney Greenstreet. Far from a whitewash―Crawford was indeed a colorful and difficult character― Joan Crawford corrects many lies and tells the story of one of Hollywood's most influential stars, complete with on-set anecdotes and other movie lore.

"Through extensive interviews, in-depth analysis, and evaluation of her films and performances―both successes and failures―Lawrence J. Quirk and William Schoell present Crawford's story as both an appreciation and a reevaluation of her extraordinary life and career. This fascinating book tells the behind-the-scenes story of one of Hollywood's great dames."

You can buy a copy on amazon or elsewhere.