What do you think?
Rate this book
Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger: The Authorised Biography
Mann, a novelist and author of books on film history, presents this biography of director John Schlesinger (1926-2003), based on interviews with the director and his family following his stroke in 2001, in addition to other primary source documents, articles, and reviews. He describes Schlesinger's childhood; his early days as a documentary director at the BBC; his films during the era of New Hollywood; and Midnight Cowboy, which won an Academy Award. His other films, such as Billy Liar, Darling, Cold Comfort Farm, and The Day of the Locust, are discussed, as well as his accurate depictions of homosexuality, and his personal and professional relationships. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
- GenresBiography
656 pages, Hardcover
First published July 22, 2004
About the author
William J. Mann
37 books218 followersAlso writes children's books under the pseudonym Geoffrey Huntington.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 5, 2019
Although an 'official' bio, it is also fairly shallow and reads as a vaguely concise non-cinephile's summary of a once-hot-filmmaker's almost shockingly uneven career. This is basically a mainstream gay man's one-dimensional appreciation for a fellow (once-famous) gay man and not a serious study of Schlesinger's contribution to the art of cinema. Undoubtedly, you will learn more about Schlesinger and his films by reading his nephew Ian Buruma's interview book CONVERSATIONS WITH JOHN SCHLESINGER.
March 23, 2017
"John Schlesinger is eulogized as the man who made Midnight Cowboy, but Sunday, Bloody Sunday is his masterpiece, [...]"
Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger (2005) transcends the biography genre: it is much more than a vacuous enumeration of stages of life and professional achievements of an artist. This authorized biography of the great British film director offers a moving tribute not only to the great master and his art but also to the loving and enduring relationship between him and his partner. True, the reader will find some name-dropping, tabloid-style gossip, and even some "Hollywood dirt" on the pages of this massive volume (over 500 pages - the longest book I have read in many years), but these snippets appear incidental to the main thrust of the story.
I need to disclaim that Sunday, Bloody Sunday and Midnight Cowboy (SBS and MC henceforth) are two of the best films I have seen in my life. In fact, depending on my mood, SBS might be the film that I love most of all, so the admiration for Schlesinger's work may have biased my reception of the biography.
I agree with all the praise the author heaps on MC, indeed a masterpiece, a "psychedelic trip [...] with its otherworldly, dreamlike feel", a film that reflects the "time of huge and tumultuous upheaval in American society," and - along with Easy Rider - heralds the 1970s, the best period in American cinema. MC signifies the beginning of the New Hollywood era, with its ambiguous messages, lack of old-style heroes, and candidness about sexual matters (MC is the only X-rated movie ever to win Academy Awards), including homosexuality. Yet to me MC ranks below the stellar regions of little-known SBS, a "piece of chamber music," a penetrating study of a unconventional love triangle, and "a monumentally beautiful" film.
In the biography non-linearly structured so that the stories of the director's creative path are framed by vignettes of "today" (2003) we read about the director's work on over 20 movies: in addition to MC and SBS I find at least three other outstanding works: Billy Liar that made a huge impression 50 years ago on the teenager that turned into me, Darling, a film that epitomizes the Swinging Sixties in London, and Marathon Man with the unforgettable "Is it safe?" torture scene. We learn that at least three Schlesinger's movies were colossal artistic and commercial flops. We also read about Mr. Schlesinger's acting career and his later opera and stage directing. His last years are revealed as well, the years when he could not or would not speak, after having suffered two strokes.
The author seems to emphasize Mr. Schlesinger's uncommon approach to his homosexuality. He was sometimes ostracized by the gay community about not "coming out" of a closet (anyway, not early enough). The author points out that the director had never been in the closet, that he had never done anything to hide his sexual preference. So why would he have to come out?
And finally there is the extraordinary love story between John Schlesinger and Michael Childers: real love story that included not just living together, not just wanting to spend all your time with your partner, but also wetting your lover's lips when he is dying.
Four and a quarter stars.
Edge of Midnight: The Life of John Schlesinger (2005) transcends the biography genre: it is much more than a vacuous enumeration of stages of life and professional achievements of an artist. This authorized biography of the great British film director offers a moving tribute not only to the great master and his art but also to the loving and enduring relationship between him and his partner. True, the reader will find some name-dropping, tabloid-style gossip, and even some "Hollywood dirt" on the pages of this massive volume (over 500 pages - the longest book I have read in many years), but these snippets appear incidental to the main thrust of the story.
I need to disclaim that Sunday, Bloody Sunday and Midnight Cowboy (SBS and MC henceforth) are two of the best films I have seen in my life. In fact, depending on my mood, SBS might be the film that I love most of all, so the admiration for Schlesinger's work may have biased my reception of the biography.
I agree with all the praise the author heaps on MC, indeed a masterpiece, a "psychedelic trip [...] with its otherworldly, dreamlike feel", a film that reflects the "time of huge and tumultuous upheaval in American society," and - along with Easy Rider - heralds the 1970s, the best period in American cinema. MC signifies the beginning of the New Hollywood era, with its ambiguous messages, lack of old-style heroes, and candidness about sexual matters (MC is the only X-rated movie ever to win Academy Awards), including homosexuality. Yet to me MC ranks below the stellar regions of little-known SBS, a "piece of chamber music," a penetrating study of a unconventional love triangle, and "a monumentally beautiful" film.
In the biography non-linearly structured so that the stories of the director's creative path are framed by vignettes of "today" (2003) we read about the director's work on over 20 movies: in addition to MC and SBS I find at least three other outstanding works: Billy Liar that made a huge impression 50 years ago on the teenager that turned into me, Darling, a film that epitomizes the Swinging Sixties in London, and Marathon Man with the unforgettable "Is it safe?" torture scene. We learn that at least three Schlesinger's movies were colossal artistic and commercial flops. We also read about Mr. Schlesinger's acting career and his later opera and stage directing. His last years are revealed as well, the years when he could not or would not speak, after having suffered two strokes.
The author seems to emphasize Mr. Schlesinger's uncommon approach to his homosexuality. He was sometimes ostracized by the gay community about not "coming out" of a closet (anyway, not early enough). The author points out that the director had never been in the closet, that he had never done anything to hide his sexual preference. So why would he have to come out?
And finally there is the extraordinary love story between John Schlesinger and Michael Childers: real love story that included not just living together, not just wanting to spend all your time with your partner, but also wetting your lover's lips when he is dying.
Four and a quarter stars.
February 8, 2019
William J. Mann is a Hollywood historian and novelist. He is a fine writer and a gay man. His books that I've read are either gay stories or are about the "gayness" of Hollywood, so it is appropriate that he chose openly gay director John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy; Sunday, Bloody Sunday; The Day of the Locust)as the subject of this biography. This is Mann's masterpiece, I believe, for he was able to meet and spend time and become friends with Schlesinger before the director died. He was also given total access to Schlesinger's diaries and papers, and because, no doubt, of this friendship, was welcomed by the stars and others that the director worked with. That makes this book a wealth of information, not only about the director himself, but insight into other legendary figures of Hollywood like Dustin Hoffmann, Glenda Jackson, Alan Bates, Sally Field, Shirley MacLaine, Jon Voight, and many others. We learn about Schlesinger's process--both in making films and staging of live theater and opera--and we learn of critics' opinions, which are quite surprising. Those opinions prove one thing: opinions are simply that; many films fail because critics lambast them, only to find that another audience in another time find their worth because sensibilities change. Schlesinger is a fascinating subject, and Mann does justice to him. Why the four stars then, you ask? The book is 562 pages long and quite heavy. I read in bed, and I got weary of holding it, thus my enjoyment was lessened.
August 15, 2019
It was only after flicking through this in a second hand bookstore that I realized he directed four of my all time favorite films: A Kind of Loving, Billy Liar, Darling and Sunday Bloody Sunday. So had to get to see what insights, behind the scenes, Julie Christie anecdotes were inside. His last film directed in 2000 when his health was failing was an awful pile of crap staring Madonna and Rupert Everett, who both were awful to him, RE especially. Such a sad way to bow out.
June 3, 2018
Well researched. Mann is a good writer, insightful and skilled. Makes the man come alive. It is also a good source for those with an interest in the history of film and the techniques of filmmaking.
January 5, 2015
I love the cinema and although I find most biographies of film directors disappointing because the crux of their creativity and personality are contained in their films, this one written by William J Mann is fascinating particularly if as I did, you adore Schlesinger's films. He was a social observer an investigator of relationships
as in films like Sunday Bloody Sunday and Midnight Cowboy, two of the best films ever made. Like most geniuses he was forced by Hollywood to make plenty of dross too in order to secure funding for his next real project, and these traumas are related brilliantly in the book and how they led to the eventual collapse of his health
as in films like Sunday Bloody Sunday and Midnight Cowboy, two of the best films ever made. Like most geniuses he was forced by Hollywood to make plenty of dross too in order to secure funding for his next real project, and these traumas are related brilliantly in the book and how they led to the eventual collapse of his health
August 18, 2014
Schlesinger made some of the best films of the 60s and this book attempts to chart his life and career. Sadly though, Schlesinger suffered a major stroke before the author had time to talk to him in detail and so there's an absence at the centre of the book. It's worth reading, given Schlesinger's historical importance, and also to gain some understanding of the puzzling path his career took and the choices made in the 70s and 80s, but there's not alas much information about the films, nor a significant attempt to contextualise them. Schlesinger does sound like great fun though!
September 23, 2016
Excellent biography of a forgotten film director whose films vary considerably. While he revolutionized British cinema with many classic films and had some major American hits, he also directed many films that were panned by critics. Film reviewers judged him harshly on his humanistic approach to characters and for being too extreme with his choices of films to direct. Despite his constant scrutiny, he did not let that get in the way of his artistic vision. He helped pave the way for homosexuality to be normalized in cinema as well breaking the mold of societal convention.
October 2, 2012
Good pre-'Kate' pre-'How to be a Movie Star' bio of Brit director John Schlesinger who rocked Hollywood with 'Midnight Cowboy' in 1969. The book shows how Schlesinger & his peers helped the movies to grow up in the 1960s but then had a hard time making films in post 'Star Wars' Hollywood. Mann is one of the top behind-the-scenes chroniclers of the business of show.
September 26, 2009
I recently discovered William J. Mann and I can't get enough of his writing! Looking forward to this book!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews