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|title=Charles Laughton: A Difficult Actor

|author=Simon Callow

|reviewer=John Van der Kiste

|borrow=Yes

|isbn=9780099581956

|pages=327

|publisher=Vintage

|date=November 2012

|summary=A biography of the once popular but now semi-forgotten actor, equally known in his time for his theatre and film work. Callow’s study of one of his heroes is sympathetic without being sycophantic.

}}

Once a towering presence on stage and screen, the star of fifty films and forty plays, Charles Laughton seems largely forgotten these days. As an actor of a younger generation and keen admirer of his work, Callow is well placed to bring him back to the fore. He notes in his preface that the man has increasingly slipped out of public consciousness, and even within his own profession he is virtually unknown to anybody under the age of forty.

The various theatre and film roles, their successes and failures, are all thoroughly described. 'The Private Life of Henry VIII' (1933) is recognised as one of his crowning achievements, and made him the first British actor to be awarded an Oscar, although the author’s verdict is that he did not give of his best, and after having brought the role to the stage, on the silver screen he was ''warming over something he'd done before''. By the end of 'Rembrandt' (1935), he notes that the viewer is ultimately disappointed, ''cheated of a full exploration of the central character''. From his last years, 'Abbot and Costello Meet Captain Kidd' (1952) is generally regarded as the low water mark of his career, and is described in these pages as ''proof, if one were needed, of the terrible degringolade (rapid deterioration) this once-great actor had suffered''. 'Hobson’s Choice' (1954) is criticised for his unconvincing performance. Callow has respect for his artistry, yet is clearly very objective in his assessments.

The book is supplemented with a full filmography, list of theatre performances, and even a discography of 78 rpm discs and LPs. One minor criticism I would make is of the index, with some names omitted, and also the rather old-fashioned principle of not providing an entry for the book's main subject.

[[Sir Henry Irving: A Victorian Actor and His World by Jeffrey Richards]]

[[Stage Presence: The Actor as Mesmerist by Jane Goodall]]

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