Donald Cammell: A Life on the Wild Side
by Rebecca Umland, Sam Umland
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Book Summary Information
Author: Rebecca Umland, Sam UmlandEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Original Language); English (Unknown); English (Published)
Published: 2006-07-30
ISBN: 1903254299
Number of pages: 303
Publisher: FAB Press
Book Reviews of Donald Cammell: A Life on the Wild Side
Book Review: what a waste of a great talent
Summary: 5 Stars
Review of Donald Cammell by Rebecca & Sam Umland.
I read this book in one weekend, so absorbed was I in trying to discover the motive for self destruction in such a talented person like Donald Cammell. This was not someone who came from an impoverished or underprivileged background, quite the opposite as the book delves into his Scottish ancestry and comfortable upbringing. The only adverse aspects of his early life seem to have been a lot of moving around which must have been somewhat disorientating, plus his father's association with all things `magick'...Aleister Crowley is mentioned but it would not appear that young Donald was unduly influenced. The one disturbing thing about Donald's early life is his thoughts of suicide around the age of 8. He quickly displayed a talent for both painting & sports but at the same time was prone to fits of temper. The book hints at untoward goings on at a school that he attended which may have formulated his later behaviour - infidelity, drug use, initial enthusiasm followed by loss of interest in activities & a fascination for circuses ! Like many of us he may have preferred a fantasy world rather than the real world - after all, his father disliked `modern times' from all accounts !
Basically remembered for the films Performance, Demon seed & White of the eye the book analyses unfinished projects ( 21 scripts) in which Donald was involved - the name of Marlon Brando recurs in terms of letting Donald down - but also completed films are detailed, after which we find how hard they are to track down - one film stands out & it's called Simona but you'd have to read the book to find out just why !
It seems that Donald drifted into film making, having relinquished painting, as a result of meeting the Rolling Stones - logical, then, that he should choose the inexperienced Mick Jagger to play the lead in Performance. The book then traces all the failed attempts at getting scripts accepted, the few films that actually got made & the self destructive traits of Donald - he left his first wife when she became pregnant, for example, & the number of times he renewed his association with Brando, only to be let down again...
The final analysis (chapter) goes into the reasons for suicide but now that I have read the book I can only say `what a waste'.
A painstakingly researched & refreshingly non eulogic book that reveals a wealth of new information about a truly troubled soul - read and learn.
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