Whatever Happened to Robert Aldrich?: His Life and His Films

by Alain Silver

“There was something about Robert Aldrich's artistic temperament that enabled him to transcend the apparent vulgarity of so many of his motion picutres. Besides the great films, such as Kiss Me Deadly which is certainly one of the finest examples of film noir, are several little-seen or underrated later works such as the revisionist Western, Ulzana's Raid , the gangster love story, The Grissom Gang , or the grim cop picture, Hustle . Aldrich's career has long deserved the detailed evaluation which this book provides.” – Andrew Sarris

406 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

Alain Silver has co-written and co-edited a score of books including The Samurai Film, The Noir Style, The Vampire Film, Raymond Chandlers Los Angeles, director studies of David Lean and Robert Aldrich, and four Film Noir Readers. His articles have appeared in numerous film journals, newspapers, and online magazines. He holds a Ph.D. from UCLA and is a member of the Writers Guild of America west and the Directors Guild of America.

Reviews

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the title of Silver's book promises a look at the life of film director Robert Aldrich, the book is really an analysis of his films. While there is a short introduction to his life, followed by a brief analysis of each of his films, which seem like they were short pieces brought together in the book, the book suffers from a lack of cohesion.

[Barry Hammond · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Aldrich directed some classic films like Kiss Me Deadly (1955) - which is one of the best Noirs - Attack (1956), Whatever Happened To Baby Jane (1962), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Ulzana's Raid (1972), The Emperor of The North Pole (1973), and The Longest Yard (1974), but he also made some interesting dogs like Twilight's Last Gleaming (1977). A lot of people thought him a B movie director but many people, especially in Europe, thought him an artist and Auteur. He was certainly a guy who did things his own way: writing, directing, producing and developing his own projects. Alain Silver and James Ursini have put together a knowledgeable volume which concentrates on the aspects of his style and what made him a great director. It's also an overview of his life and career, including a detailed filmography and a lengthy interview. An indispensable volume for anyone interested in his work. - BH.