Fiction Fantasy
Science-Fiction & Fantasy Cinema-Classic Films of Horror, Sci-Fi & the Supernatural-A Book Review.
I have long desired to see the 1927 sci-fi classic, Metropolis. I lost interest when I discovered a confusing assortment of versions, restorations, and run times existed. I was delighted to see a movie poster of the film gracing the cover of author John Howard Reid’s Science-Fiction & Fantasy Cinema-Classic Films of Horror, Sci-Fi & the Supernatural.
This is the twenty-third entry in Reid’s “Hollywood Classics” series. To say that Mr. Reid is a movie buff is like calling the Pope religious. His movie addiction began at age 5 when he first saw Laurel and Hardy in “Jitterbugs” at a Saturday matinee. He began writing movie reviews at age twelve and wrote reviews for rival newspapers as an adult. He drew on his more than 20,000 reviews and his personal collection of over 3,000 titles on DVD and VHS to write this book.
Nearly 300 titles are examined. Some like Creature from the Black Lagoon or Flash Gordon are well known, while others are more obscure: The Hound of the Baskervilles or a Spanish version of Dracula from 1931. Reid doesn’t leave out animated favourites like Peter Pan and Cinderella. The best of Elmer Fudd, Bugs Bunny, Roadrunner, Donald Duck, and many others that graced the big screen in the 1940’s and 50’s was a nostalgic highlight for me. The book looks at several of these seven minute animated films that made up my Saturday morning television routine as a child in the 70’s.
For each selection Mr. Reid includes the full cast and the parts played by name. The director, screenplay writer, editor, music composers, and producers are listed, as well as copyright date, studio, worldwide release dates and running times. Many selections include the dates when the movie was made and locations where the film was shot and the cost to produce them. Each title is summarized, many with Mr. Reid’s own personal review and other reviewers’ comments.
Movies like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Karloff’s The Mummy, Star Wars, and Cinderella in the same book with Fire Maidens from Outer Space, Daffy Duck and the Dinosaur, and Bride of the Gorilla makes this a fascinating collection.
All this, and the expert advice on the best version of Metropolis, make Science-Fiction & Fantasy Cinema-Classic Films of Horror, Sci-Fi & the Supernatural by John Howard Reid a must read for movie buffs and film trivia fans and for those who take pleasure in a wonderful cinema experience. Twenty-first century cinema appears to be more about special effects and marketing than producing satisfying films. If you are interested in finding the gems that came before, then this book is a key to which you will refer again and again. Highly Recommended.
Science Fiction & Fantasy Cinema
320 pages
Lulu.com (January 22, 2007)
Large format 8X11 inches
978-1430301134
About the author.
A Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, John Howard Reid founded his own book wholesale distribution service shortly after graduation. He then moved into publishing and finally into book retailing. As a Publisher, he served as his own Chief Editor and also contributed articles and stories to magazines and newspapers. In his spare time, he acted as a film critic, reviewing both new movies and TV offerings for two rival weekly newspapers (for one of which, of course, he used a pseudonym).
After selling his book shops, Reid concentrated on his own writing career, although he now also spends a lot of time working as Chief Judge for three of America’s largest literary competitions: The Tom Howard Poetry Contest for All Styles and Genres; The Margaret Reid Prize for Traditional Verse; and The Tom Howard Short Story, Essay and Prose Contest. Reid is the author of the bestselling “Write Ways To Win Writing Contests.”
As a fiction writer, Reid first achieved fame in England and Australia for a series of detective novels, all featuring a Miami police sergeant named Merryll Manning, who made his debut in “Merryll Manning: Trapped on Mystery Island”. The Florida Keys provided an atmospheric setting.
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