Aldous Huxley and Film (Filmmakers, No 16)

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Summary: A revealing look at Huxley's life and work in Hollywood
Review: ALDOUS HUXLEY AND FILM presents the first in-depth study of the career of Aldous Huxley in Los Angeles, where he lived from 1938 until his death in 1963. On that day, November 22, as he lay dying, unaware of President Kennedy's assassination, Huxley asked for an injection of LSD, and he slipped away tripping peacefully. His life in Los Angeles had been no less dramatic. There, he was part of a lively circle of friends, such as Greta Garbo, Christopher Isherwood, Anita Loos, Charlie Chaplin, Krishnamurti, and Igor Stravinsky. Besides producing a number of important books, he wrote for films, including screenplays for four major features: PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (1939), MADAME CURIE (1943), JANE EYRE (1944), and A WOMAN'S VENGEANCE (1947).

Set in a biographical/cultural context, ALDOUS HUXLEY AND FILM explores the symbiotic relationship between film and literature in Huxley's career. In addition to examining Huxley's four major screenplays in depth, the book investigates Huxley's attitudes and experiences regarding film throughout his entire working life. It also probes the influence of his involvement with the movies--along with his confrontation with the unique culture of California--on his other writings. Among those works, Huxley's "Hollywood novel," AFTER MANY A SUMMER DIES THE SWAN (1939; inspired by William Randolph Hearst and San Simeon) and his "lost screenplay," APE AND ESSENCE (1948; a kind of sequel to BRAVE NEW WORLD, set in the ruins of Los Angeles in the year 2108), are analyzed in detail.

ALDOUS HUXLEY AND FILM (Number 16 in the Scarecrow Filmmakers Series) presents new and important areas of study for both film scholars and literary critics. The book is well illustrated with photographs of Huxley and his associates, and with stills from his four major films.

The author, Virginia M. Clark (Ph.D., University of Maryland), has taught English and film at the University of Maryland and at Frostburg State University, and has been on the staff of the Library of Congress, and of the American Film Institute in her native Los Angeles. She has edited several AFI FACTFILES and contributed to the AFI CATALOG OF FEATURE FILMS, 1911-1920 and 1931-1940. Among her publications are articles appearing in FILMS AND FILMMAKERS, MAGILL'S SURVEY OF CINEMA, THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS PERFORMING ARTS ANNUAL, INTERNATIONAL DICTIONARY OF FILMS AND FILMMAKERS, and THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FILM. She co-edited with Ann Martin WHAT WOMEN WROTE: SCENARIOS, 1912-1929. She also writes screenplays.

[This review was written by the author, so you would know what the book is about, and who the author is. Thank you for reading it.]