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James Whale (22 July 1889 – 29 May 1957) was an English film director, theatre director and actor. He is best remembered for his four classic horror films: ''Frankenstein'' (1931), ''The Old Dark House'' (1932), ''The Invisible Man'' (1933) and ''Bride of Frankenstein'' (1935). Whale also directed films in other genres, including what is considered the definitive film version of the musical ''Show Boat'' (1936). He became increasingly disenchanted with his association with horror, but many of his non-horror films have fallen into obscurity. Whale was born into a large family in Dudley, in the Black Country area of the English West Midlands. He discovered his artistic talent early on and studied art. With the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted in the British Army and became an officer. He was captured by the Germans and during his time as a prisoner of war he realized he was interested in drama. Following his release at the end of the war he became an actor, set designer and director. His success directing the 1928 play ''Journey's End'' led to his move to the United States, first to direct the play on Broadway and then to Hollywood to direct motion pictures. He lived in Hollywood for the rest of his life, most of that time with his longtime companion, producer David Lewis. Apart from ''Journey's End'' (1930), which was released by Tiffany Films, and ''Hell's Angels'' (1930), released by United Artists, he directed a dozen films for Universal Studios between 1931 and 1937, developing a style characterized by the influence of German Expressionism and a highly mobile camera. At the height of his career as a director, Whale directed ''The Road Back'' (1937), a sequel to ''All Quiet on the Western Front''. Studio interference, possibly spurred by political pressure from Nazi Germany, led to the film's being altered from Whale's vision and ''The Road Back'' was a critical and commercial failure. A run of similar box-office disappointments followed and, while he would make one final short film in 1950, by 1941 his film directing career was over. He continued to direct for the stage and also rediscovered his love for painting and travel. His investments made him wealthy and he lived a comfortable retirement until suffering strokes in 1956 that robbed him of his vigor and left him in pain. He committed suicide on 29 May 1957 by drowning himself in his swimming pool. Whale was openly gay throughout his career, something that was very unusual in the 1920s and 1930s. As knowledge of his sexual orientation has become more common, some of his films, ''Bride of Frankenstein'' in particular, have been interpreted as having a gay subtext and it has been claimed that his refusal to remain in the closet led to the end of his career. However, his associates dismissed the notions that his sexuality informed his work or that it cost him his career. ==Early years== Whale was born in Dudley, England, the sixth of the seven children of William, a blast furnaceman,〔Curtis, p. 8〕 and Sarah, a nurse.〔Ellis, p. 20〕 He attended Kates Hill Board School, followed by Bayliss Charity School and finally Dudley Blue Coat School. His attendance stopped in his teenage years because the cost would have been prohibitive and his labor was needed to help support the family. Thought not physically strong enough to follow his brothers into the local heavy industries, Whale started work as a cobbler, reclaiming the nails he recovered from replaced soles and selling them for scrap for extra money. He discovered he had some artistic ability and earned additional money lettering signs and price tags for his neighbors.〔Curtis, p. 11〕 Whale used his additional income to pay for evening classes at the Dudley School of Arts and Crafts.〔 World War I broke out in 1914. Although Whale had little interest in the politics behind the war, he realized that conscription was inevitable so he enlisted in the Army. Considered because of his age a good candidate for officer training, Whale joined the Inns of Court Officer Training Corps in October 1915 and was stationed in Bristol. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Worcestershire Regiment in July 1916.〔Curtis, p. 17〕 He was taken a prisoner of war on the Western Front in Flanders in August 1917 and was held at Holzminden prisoner-of-war camp, where he remained until December 1918.〔Curtis, p. 20〕 While imprisoned, he became actively involved, as an actor, writer, producer, and set-designer, in the amateur theatrical productions which took place in the camp, finding them "a source of great pleasure and amusement".〔Whale 1919, p. 318.〕〔Early, pp. 140–41〕 He also developed a talent for poker, and after the war he cashed in the chits and IOUs from his fellow prisoners to serve as a nest egg.〔Curtis, p. 25〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「James Whale」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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