William Cameron Menzies

Cheers for James Curtis’s
WILLIAM CAMERON MENZIES
 
“A book that demanded to be written . . . How fortunate for us that James Curtis took on the job of chronicling Menzies’ life and work . . . Curtis offers a solid narrative that should captivate any true film buff . . . Superb . . . Well-written, meticulously researched . . . Lives up to, and even exceeds, my expectations . . . An essential addition to any film library and a great read. Bravo!”
–Leonard Maltin, Indiewire
 
“Wonderful . . . a meticulously researched and long-overdue biography . . . The author’s deep admiration and respect for his subject permeate this book and provide its glow.”
–Emily Leider, The Wall Street Journal
 
“James Curtis’s magnificent biography of William Cameron Menzies (an authentic genius in an industry that boasted so many fake ones) is at once the history of the invention of the modern movie business, from the transition of silents to sound and on to the full-blown megapictures like Around the World in Eighty Days, and to the TV business, and at the same time a brilliant, detailed and touching biography of a man who should be much better known than he is. He flickers in and out of the Korda family’s films, and I remember him well. He has found in James Curtis just the biographer he would have wanted, flinty, accurate and at the same time sympathetic. This is a book than goes far beyond the film buff–it is an important life wonderfully told.”
–Michael Korda, author of Charmed Lives and Queenie
 
“A wonderful book about visionary production designer William Cameron Menzies, an unsung hero if there ever was one and yet an artist of almost unparalleled influence . . . Scrupulously researched, detailed, all-encompassing . . . its many delights include lavish, beautiful illustrations of Menzies’ sketches as well as photographs of actual films. A whole new world about production design and American movies will open up for those who read this excellent book.”
–Andre Bishop, Artistic Director of Lincoln Center Theater
 
“An important and informative biography that, like its subject, breaks new ground in its field.  Essential for film historians and highly recommended for fans of performing arts biographies.”
–Neil Dirksen, Library Journal
 
“Wonderful . . . Curtis fills in all the missing pieces . . . an illuminating, long-overdue book about the man who taught the world how to make a good film.”
–Kirkus           
 
“For anyone seriously interested in filmmaking, this is a book you’ve been waiting for, whether you know it or not. William Cameron Menzies, the man who more or less invented the idea of production design in movies, casts a very long shadow. The man behind Gone with the Wind, Kings Row, Our Town, Things to Come, Invaders from Mars, Reign of Terror, both versions of The Thief of Bagdad and many, many other films was a genius, pure and simple, and his influence was incalculable. James Curtis’s informative and beautifully written book does a thorough job of bringing Menzies to life.”
–Martin Scorsese