[PDF] Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff: The Expanded Story of a Haunting Collaboration; with a Complete Filmography of Their Films Together by Gregory William Mank at Arts-Photography

Review

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. Two Horror MastersBy David E. GoldweberNot a cheap book. not a short book. but an amazing read.Theres something special in the writing - the way Mank spices up the main narrative - sometimes fast-forwarding. sometimes rewinding. weaving little quotes and anecdotes into the whole. yet always keeping the larger narrative (comparing and contrasting these two horror masters careers) in sight.Manks style is sometimes ironic. but hes never snide and condescending; he loves these films. he loves these people. and he tries to give everyone their due. He honestly conveys the unhappy events. especially in regards to Lugosi. whose final years were by any measures pathetic. The book takes time to finish. and you need to read closely. but you feel immersed in the story. transported back to the 30s and 40s. I felt I could actually hear the voices of the people Mank interviewed.Among the best chapters is "The Rivalry" (chap 17) where Mank speculates about why these two greats never became friends; he considers their differences but also notes surprising common ground between the two. Another fun idea is "Mr Potato Head Features" (chap 28) which makes fun of Lon Chaney Jr (in a genial way). The final chapter (chap 42) tries to assess the positions of hardcore Lugosi fans v. hardcore Karloff fans by giving time to each side.Its almost impossible to imagine a more complete and more fair assessment and comparison. You come away from this book with greater love for both Karloff and Lugosi. and with great gratitude toward the author.21 of 22 people found the following review helpful. Kudos to Gregory William Mank!By Jean ValjeanI have read other books by Gregory William Mank. He has never failed to please. I have his book of Karloff and Lugosi: The Story of a Haunting Collaboration which was published in 1990. It was a well written review of the films of Karloff and Lugosi. This recently published Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff: The EXPANDED Story of a Haunting Collaboration is an excellent upgrade of his first book.Let us now look at the data on those two books:Karloff and Lugosi: The Story of a Haunting Collaboration (1990)9.2 X 6.2 X 1.2 inches384 pagesBela Lugosi and Boris Karloff: The Expanded Story of a Haunting Collaboration (2009)10.3 X 7.2 X 1.7 inches701 pagesAs you can see. this expanded book is precisely what its title says...it is indeed E X P A N D E D. It now provides for much updated information on the films of Karloff and Lugosi with fascinating background information on the two actors. The book has many wonderful photos of their films and behind the scene involvements. It is superbly written. I noticed that Greg Manks opinion of the work of Bela Lugosi has raised since the publication of his original book in 1990. This parallels Belas rising star during the past twenty years among fans of those golden age Universal horror films. Today. we can safely say that both Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi are basically equal insofar as their cinematic importance. ability. and impact goes.Kudos to Gregory William Mank for producing this excellent and very readable book about Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi and the eight films they worked together in!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. History made Human: a Great Book!By Gregory A. DouglassI read the first edition of the Karloff/Lugosi tale after getting it out of the library. I brought it on a romantic weekend with my fiancee (now my wife) back in 1995. Youre still on my wifes "poop list" . Mr. Mank; I spent much of the time reading the book. Absolutely riveting. The expanded edition is even better; Ive re-read it at least three times. Mank is the cinema history equivalent of David McCullough. a consistently entertaining writer who writes impeccably researched page turners. Ive got three of his books and look forward to purchasing more. If youre a Monster Kid of any age. this is a must-have.