Customer Reviews

Raoul Walsh: The True Adventures of Hollywood's Legendary Director (Screen Classics)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first became fascinated with Walsh before I knew his name. My favorite moments from childhood were connected with watching his films. Be it HIGH SIERRA or THEY DIED WITH THEIR BOOTS ON, Walsh's bravado and daring always managed to come through his action and the actors who portrayed his characters.

One of the popular by-products of 1970's era television was a series called THE MEN WHO MADE THE MOVIES. One of the segements that made a huge impression on me was Richard Schickel's interview with Walsh and the accompanying review of his career. It was a mesmerizing moment when I saw this feisty old man talk about some of my favorite movies and his approach to film making which was focused less on the cerebral and more on telling a compelling story that aimed to be exciting.

Author Moss has done a magnificent job of researching Walsh and committing his life and art to paper. If his marriages, sort of hard-living ways and his personal and professional relationships with his actors weren't as interesting as they were, his movies alone would be enough to hook this reader. For all the artsy commentaries that film directors are known for today, coming in contact with the rough-and-tumble Walsh even in book form is a treat. Walsh and so many of his contemporaries made it up as they went along and laid the foundation for great storytelling on many scales. Walsh has been dead for 31 years or so and is buried under an unassuming marker in the Simi Valley. It's great to know that he has not been overlooked or forgotten.

To Walsh's great grandaughter: READ THIS BOOK!

I have always loved Raoul Walsh's movies ... "High Sierra," "White Heat," "They Died with Their Boots On," "The Roaring Twenties!" I've loved them since I was a kid. And I've always wondered about the personal side of this director. Well, finally I know about him from reading Moss' book. This biography does a super job of telling us all who Raoul Walsh was when he was away from the camera. He was a great teller of tales, especially the ones he told about himself. Moss does a great job telling the reader about every aspect of Walsh's life -- his marriages, his relationship with his actors and actresses, and how important his movies still are in American cinema.

This is biography at its very best. Moss digs in and comes up with a vivid portrait of Walsh. He's right there on the page -- on every page of this book. She has researched her subject extremely well! If you finally want to know who Walsh REALLY was, look no further than this fascinating biography of this fascinating man!

Raoul Walsh is my great grandfather, and I gave Ms. Moss five stars just for writing this biography! I haven't read it yet, but I will, as will his grandson: Robert David Walsh (son of John Raoul Walsh), his two great grandsons: Robert David Walsh Jr. and John Raoul Walsh. Thank you Ms. moss. My brothers and I hope to meet you some day.

The films of Raoul Walsh have always stuck out in my mind as exceptional. His 'classics' such as "Gentleman Jim", "Robin Hood", "High Sierra", "They Drive By Night", "Roaring Twenties", and "Dark Command" are memorable. I have seen these, but came on the film scene in the early 80's and discovered a cinematic trove on late night TV.

I was very surprised to find out that Mr Walsh was behind the camera for over 150 films from 1915 to 1976! That is amazing, and speaks to a work ethic not often seen today. That also speaks to a different time, when directors, not only actors were placed under contract for multiples of years. However, whatever the reason, Raoul Walsh was a force to reckon with. His overwhelming view of any production, and ability to get the best out of any actor was well known. His friends, who were difficult for others, like Mr Flynn, Bogart, and Barrymore, knew him and worked with him.

The resulting body of work is only part of the story. Behind the camera, he was a complex man who, during his creative peak, was untouchable. Just like John Ford, and Howard Hawks, they had their say, and their way. But then, the industry was different. He was a compulsive gambler. He was very organized, and intelligent. He loved his family, but remained aloof and disconnected from his children. Film was his world, people sometimes got in the way. His wives, all three of them, put up with a certain amount of avoidance while he gambled and traveled. He was restless, yet longed for companionship, which he attained with his friends.

I love the intimate look at Raoul Walsh, with rare insights gleaned from a variety of first person sources and photos rarely seen. The filmography is welcome and will soon grace my 'must buy' list.

Once you understand the man behind, the influences that made him the director he became, you can appreciate themes and shadows in all of his work.

Highly recommended and another winner by Marilyn Ann Moss.

Walsh directed the best stars in their best movies: Cagney in White Heat, Bogart in High Sierra, Flynn in They Died With Their Boots On. I thought I knew a lot about Walsh, but I had no idea the man directed almost 200 movies. There is so much new in Moss's biography, much of it from internal memos at Warner Bros., letters from stars, author interviews, etc. A really good, fun, informative read that puts Walsh in the context of Hollywood and the studios at the time. It also delves past the director and into what made the man tick. When I got to the end, I was sad. Author Moss makes you grow to like Walsh and his no B.S., tell-it-like-it-is attitude, and you MISS the guy. Moss did the same in her biography of George Stevens, Giant.