{"title":"Books by Simon Callow","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"9780099462514","title":"Orson Welles, Volume 1","description":"\u003cp\u003eA brilliant biography of the young Orson Welles, from his prodigious childhood and youth, his triumphs with the Mercury Theatre, to the making of \u003ci\u003eCitizen Kane\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVivid, vastly entertaining, this is the definitive Welles biography.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56222947017077,"sku":"9780099462514","price":20.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099462514_0b7cc4a5-7afb-417f-bcc4-4aec7a23aa10.jpg?v=1786011136"},{"product_id":"9780099462613","title":"Orson Welles, Volume 2","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe reason for the decline of Orson Welles's career is a hotly debated issue, but decline it certainly did. When \u003ci\u003eCitizen Kane\u003c\/i\u003e, his first film, opened in 1941, Welles was universally acclaimed as the most audacious filmmaker alive. But instead of marking the beginning of a triumphant career in Hollywood, the film still regularly voted the greatest ever made proved to be an exception in Welles's life and work. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn 1947 Welles left America for Europe and lived for the best part of twenty years in self-imposed exile. Welles himself famously quipped 'I started at the top and worked my way down' - the second volume of Simon Callow's compelling biography tells the story of that complex and protracted descent from grace.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223895912821,"sku":"9780099462613","price":20.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099462613_fa27ec5f-d3a4-4ee2-8370-1c390aa4c1ff.jpg?v=1786011138"},{"product_id":"9780099581956","title":"Charles Laughton","description":"The creator of the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Henry VIII and Captain Bligh, Charles Laughton's career spans 50 films and 40 stage roles. This entralling biography follows him from his parents' hotel in Scarborough to his climactic assumption of the role of King Lear in Statford at the end of his life. Along the way we meet a galaxy of Hollywood greats - from Korda, Hitchcock and Billy WIlder to Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Marilyn Monroe. We also discover a hugely talented and complex man - a legend in his own lifetime who nonetheless counted himself a failure.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223907447157,"sku":"9780099581956","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099581956_304dd554-e569-445d-948a-c901e3efd60c.jpg?v=1786011315"},{"product_id":"9780099502838","title":"Orson Welles, Volume 3","description":"In \u003ci\u003eOne-Man Band,\u003c\/i\u003e the  third volume in his epic survey of Orson Welles’ life and work, Simon Callow again probes in comprehensive and penetrating detail into one of the most complex artists of the twentieth century, looking closely at the triumphs and failures of an ambitious one-man assault on one medium after another – theatre, radio, film, television, even, at one point, ballet – in each of which his radical and original approach opened up new directions and hitherto unglimpsed possibilities.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book begins with Welles’ self-exile from America, and his realisation that he could only function happily as an independent film-maker, a one-man band; by 1964, he had filmed \u003ci\u003eOthello\u003c\/i\u003e, which took three years to complete, \u003ci\u003eMr Arkadin\u003c\/i\u003e, the biggest conundrum in his output, and his masterpiece \u003ci\u003eChimes at Midnight\u003c\/i\u003e, as well as \u003ci\u003eTouch of Evil\u003c\/i\u003e, his sole return to Hollywood and, like all too many of his films, wrested from his grasp and re-edited. Along the way he made inroads into the fledgling medium of television and a number of stage plays, including \u003ci\u003eMoby-Dick\u003c\/i\u003e, considered by theatre historians to be one of the seminal productions of the century.  Meanwhile, his private life was as dramatic as his professional life.  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book shows what it was like to be around Welles, and, with a precision rarely attempted before, what it was like to be him, in which lies the answer to the old riddle: whatever happened to Orson Welles?","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56223981535605,"sku":"9780099502838","price":16.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780099502838_d1c7eaec-a84b-4af1-92c1-7395942a3af0.jpg?v=1786011512"},{"product_id":"9780851708225","title":"The Night of the Hunter","description":"This is an examination of \"The Night of the Hunter\", Charles Laughton's only outing as a film director. It looks at the symbolism of the piece, at Willa, her throat cut sitting in the Model-T Ford, and the Preacher, a silhouetted threat on the horizon.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56295183909237,"sku":"9780851708225","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9780851708225_09cc7b0c-3ee7-435b-b1f9-be89c61ae31c.jpg?v=1786015771"},{"product_id":"9781529381115","title":"A Love Letter to Europe","description":"\u003cp\u003eHow are great turning points in history experienced by individuals?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs Britain pulls away from Europe great British writers come together to give voice to their innermost feelings. These writers include novelists, writers of books for children, of comic books, humourists, historians, biographers, nature writers, film writers, travel writers, writers young and old and from an extraordinary range of backgrounds. Most are famous perhaps because they have won the Booker or other literary prizes, written bestsellers, changed the face of popular culture or sold millions of records. Others are not yet household names but write with depth of insight and feeling.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThere is some extraordinary writing in this book. Some of these pieces are expressions of love of particular places in Europe. Some are true stories, some nostalgic, some hopeful. Some are cries of pain. There are hilarious pieces. There are cries of pain and regret. Some pieces are quietly devastating. All are passionate.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eConceived as a love letter to Europe, this book may also help reawaken love for Britain. It shows the unique richness and diversity of British cultures, a multitude of voices in harmony.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eContributors include:\u003cbr\u003eHugh Aldersey-Williams, Philip Ardagh, Jake Arnott, Patricia Atkinson, Paul Atterbury, Richard Beard, Mary Beard, Don Boyd, Melvyn Bragg, Gyles Brandreth, Kathleen Burke, James Buxton, Philip Carr, Brian Catling, Shami Chakrabarti, Chris Cleave, Mark Cocker, Peter Conradi , Heather Cooper, Frank Cottrell-Boyce, Roger Crowley, David Crystal, William Dalrymple, Lindsey  Davies, Margaret Drabble, Mark Ellen, Richard Evans, Michel Faber, Sebastian Faulks, Ranulph Fiennes, Robert Fox, James Fox, Neil Gaiman, Evelyn Glennie, James Hanning, Nick Hayes, Alan Hollinghurst, Gabby Hutchinson-Crouch, Will Hutton, Robert Irwin, Holly Johnson , Liane Jones, Ruth Jones, Sam Jordison, Kapka Kassabova, AL Kennedy, Hermione Lee, Prue Leith, Patrick Lenox, Roger  Lewis, David Lindo, Penelope Lively, Beth Lync, Richard Mabey, Sue MacGregor, Ian Martin, Frank McDonough, Jonathan Meades, Andrew Miller, Deborah Moggach, Ben Moor, Alan Moore, Paul Morley, Jackie Morris, Charles Nicholl, Richard Overy, Chris Riddell, Adam Roberts, Tony Robinson, Lee Rourke, Sophie Sabbage, Marcus Sedgwick, Richard Shirreff, Paul Stanford, Isy Suttie, Sandi Toksvig, Colin Tudge, Ed Vulliamy, Anna Whitelock, Kate Williams, Michael Wood, Louisa Young\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56303934341493,"sku":"9781529381115","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529381115_5f3b01c8-782b-4b40-8fa7-24f7139871a5.jpg?v=1786023450"},{"product_id":"9781915530875","title":"Screenplay","description":"It is 1980s Los Angeles. Alys, a wealthy young dilettante accepts the invitation of a stranger to 'get you into pictures' and suddenly finds himself behind the movie screen in the black-and-white world of the Silents: a Hollywood precisely as it was in the 1920s where love is the only subject matter but passion can be expressed solely within the censor's strict limits: where neither love nor death can last beyond the moment when the director says 'Print That!' Alys's love for the glamorous and elusive Moira Silver inevitably leads him to want to break out of this artificial world with her, back to garishly colourful Los Angeles. Screenplay is a novel as tauntingly erotic as it is brilliantly imaginative - a mysterious and captivating novel that, while unique in itself, shares the magic of John Fowles's The Magus and Nabokov's Pale Fire.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56309433500021,"sku":"9781915530875","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781915530875_bbd7d4e9-8012-4135-a944-d0486d49f027.jpg?v=1786030186"},{"product_id":"9783791383866","title":"London's Great Theatres","description":"\u003cb\u003ePeek behind the curtains of London's iconic theatres with acclaimed actor Simon Callow as your personal guide.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis richly illustrated exploration of the most remarkable London theatres features witty and engaging texts by actor Simon Callow, whose knowledge of the city's dramatic venues is intimate and wide-ranging. One of the most prominent photographers of the past 50 years, Derry Moore, captures the theatres from every angle, whether it's a velvet box seat at the Novello, the view from the Theatre Royal, Haymarket's proscenium, or the grand entrance of the foyer in the Apollo Victoria. Exquisite close-ups of architectural elements--such as flamboyant Rococo Baroque friezes, William Edward Trent's Art Deco mermaids, painted marble pilasters, and elaborately framed mirrors--highlight often unnoticed features and present each theatre's unique character. From the West End to the South Bank, Westminster to Hackney, the theatres profiled here come to life in ways we rarely see, when the seats are empty and the stages silent.","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56310804283765,"sku":"9783791383866","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9783791383866_f764c8b0-c401-4df8-abcd-78eb8417a427.jpg?v=1786031700"},{"product_id":"9781848421714","title":"My Life in Pieces","description":"An alternative autobiography of the well-loved actor and man of the theatre, winner of the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography.   In My Life in Pieces Simon Callow retraces his life through the multifarious performers, writers, productions and events which have left their indelible mark on him.   The story begins with Peter Pan – his first ever visit to the theatre – before transporting us to southern Africa and South London, where Callow spent much of his childhood. Later, he charms his way into a job at the National Theatre box office courtesy of his hero, Laurence Olivier – and thus consummated a lifetime’s love affair with theatre.   Alongside Olivier, we encounter Paul Scofield, Michael Gambon, Alan Bennett and Richard Eyre, all of whom Callow has worked with, as well as John Gielgud, Ralph Richardson and Alec Guinness, David Hare, Simon Gray and many more.   He writes too about figures he did not meet but who greatly influenced his life and work, figures such as Stanislavsky, Nureyev and Cocteau, as well as Charles Laughton and Orson Welles. And he even makes room for not-quite- legit performers like Tony Hancock, Tommy Cooper, Frankie Howard – and Mrs Shufflewick.   The result is a passionate, instructive and beguiling book which, in tracing Simon Callow’s own ‘sentimental education’, leaves us enriched by his generosity and wisdom.   'first rate... the best writer-actor we have' David Hare'Simon Callow combines zest, originality and passion and has elegantly turned his views and life in the theatre into an astonishing memoir' Richard Eyre","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56313068519797,"sku":"9781848421714","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781848421714_1ed9b526-9ec6-4eae-9662-df680aa54aa7.jpg?v=1786029313"},{"product_id":"night-of-the-hunter","title":"The Night of the Hunter","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Night of the Hunter \u003c\/i\u003e(1955) was Charles Laughton's only film as director. Part expressionist horror movie, part luminous fairy tale, it contains some of the most haunting images in cinema. Willa (Shelley Winters) her throat cut and hair streaming out like seaweed, sitting upright in a submerged Model-T Ford. Her children, framed by looming animals, in a downriver flight from Preacher (Robert Mitchum). Preacher on horseback, a silhouetted threat on the horizon. Rachel Cooper (Lilian Gish) keeping watch in the darkness. \u003ci\u003eThe Night of the Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e is revered today, but it failed on its first release, and Laughton never recovered from the disappointment.\u003cbr\u003eSimon Callow traces the life cycle of the film: from its roots in Davis Grubb's bestselling novel, through casting, production, editing, to its ill-fated release and subsequent elevation to classic status. Emphasising Laughton's skill at bringing out the best in a talented cast and crew, and adding his own commentary and interpretive insights, Callow celebrates a unique cinematic achievement.\u003cbr\u003eIn his afterword to this new edition, Simon Callow looks back on the film and its continuing influence through references, homages and remakes.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57510235079029,"sku":"9781839023750","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781839023750.jpg?v=1787130574"}],"url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/collections\/author-simon-callow.oembed","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}