MY DVD COLLECTION 17



James Whale 1889 - 1957

British born director James Whale will always be remembered as the man who made the original Boris Karloff FRANKENSTEIN. The film kicked off the whole Universal horror series of the 30's and 40's but I think it is fair to say that loved as some of those films are, none as prized as Whale's contributions. The jewel in the crown is undoubtedly BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, a film that Whale was actually reluctant to make. His other films are largely forgotten - except for SHOWBOAT (1936) and THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK (1939) which remain the best versions of their particular stories on film. Ian McKellan portrayed James Whale in the 1998 film GODS AND MONSTERS, a fictionalised film based on Whale's last years and death. Films in my collection :
HELL'S ANGELS (uncredited) (1930) FRANKENSTEIN (1931)  THE OLD DARK HOUSE (1932) THE INVISIBLE MAN (1933) BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) SINNER'S PARADISE (1938) GODS AND MONSTERS (1998)

James Whale on the set of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN with Boris Karloff

MY DVD COLLECTION 16

The Life of Brian (1979)

During a recent illness I developed an urge to see as many of the Hollywood epics set during the days of The Roman Empire. Several, naturally, deal with the story of Jesus, either directly or with subsequent events. QUO VADIS turned out to be much better than I remember and the accompanying documentary explaining its importance in Hollywood history was revelatory. THE ROBE turned out to be almost as good as its sequel, DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS. These may lack historical accuracy but they often have good screenplays which go beyond the mere spectacle. Films in my collection :  CAESAR AND CLEOPATRA (1945) QUO VADIS (1951) THE ROBE (1953) DEMETRIUS AND THE GLADIATORS (1954)  BEN HUR (1956) BARABBAS (1961)  CLEOPATRA (1963)THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MATTHEW (1964) THE GREATEST STORY EVER TOLD (1965) FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE (1965) JESUS OF NAZARETH (1977) THE LIFE OF BRIAN (1979)  JULIUS CAESAR (1979) THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (1988) GLADIATOR (2000) KING ARTHUR (2004) THE EAGLE (2011)

The Fall of the Roman Empire (1965)