THE HAMMER VAULT

THE HAMMER VAULT: Treasures from the Archives of Hammer Films. Marcus Hearn. Titan; 2011. Revised and Updated Edition.

This beautiful over-sized coffee table book is a compendium of photos and memorabilia relating to the famous -- some might say infamous -- Hammer studios, who chiefly made horror films but branched out to other genres from time to time as well. Hammer studios made a name for itself with its new, bloodier versions of Dracula and Frankenstein, and made stars of such as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee. Some of the filmmakers most associated with the studio include Val Guest, Terence Fisher, and Jimmy Sangster, among others. The book is chock full of production stills, behind-the-scenes shots, annotated shooting scripts, posters, drawings, press books, letters, publicity kits, and all manner of esoterica relating to the studio. The book covers all of the output of the studio from the very early days (The Quatermass Xperiment) to more recent films such as The Woman in Black, providing a fairly complete history of Hammer. You can also read about Hammer projects that were announced or conceived but never came to fruition.

Verdict: A must for the obsessive Hammer enthusiast. ***.

TARZAN ON FILM

TARZAN ON FILM. Scott Tracy Griffin. Foreword by Casper Van Dien. Titan; 2016.

Griffin, who previously authored Tarzan: The Centennial Celebration, is back with a new coffee table tome that focuses on the Tarzan motion pictures and the various actors (supporting cast as well as stars) who appeared in them. There is no actual film criticism in the book, although there are loads of pictures and background notes on each production. Tarzan On Film looks at the silent Tarzan movies, the serials such as Tarzan the Fearless and The New Adventures of Tarzan, and all of the films starring everyone from Johnny Weissmuller to Mike Henry and beyond, as well as chapters on the various TV series starring the Ape Man (as well as cartoon series and animated features). You'll learn that Acquanetta of Tarzan and the Leopard Woman was born Mildred Davenport and was black passing for white, and that Woody Strode was dubbed by a British actor for Tarzan's Three Challenges, among other tidbits.

Verdict: No critical analysis, but Tarzan movie fans will love the info and photos. ***.

TALES FROM DEVELOPMENT HELL

TALES FROM DEVELOPMENT HELL: The Greatest Movies Never Made? David Hughes. Titan; 2011.

Hughes' interesting book looks at how and why some movies, which seem like good bets or even certainties, never make it out of the development stage for one reason or another. Hughes writes about this process with a sense of humor and an understanding of the frustrating process of actually making a full-fledged movie come into being despite a number of pitfalls, including changes in executives, actors bowing out, script problems, lawsuits (and that old favorite of too many cooks spoil the broth), and so on. Some of these films were actually made [after years of delays] by other people, including remakes of Planet of the Apes (terrible) and Total Recall (acceptable), but others never saw the light of day: the remake of Fantastic Voyage; The Hot Zone; The Sandman. Hughes also looks at intriguing alternate versions of existing movies-that-never-were, such as another version of Batman and others. While one could argue that the efforts to mount a remake of Total Recall  are much ado about nothing, Tales from Development Hell is of interest to readers who want to go behind the scenes and discover why some movies get made and others don't.

Verdict: Interesting book on Hollywood behind-the-scenes. ***.

TARZAN: THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

TARZAN: THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION The Stories, The Movies, The Art. Scott Tracy Griffin. Titan; 2012. Introduction by Ron Ely.

In this incredible coffee table book you learn about the life of Edgar Rice Burroughs and his creation of the endurable hero, Tarzan. The chapters are divided into discussions of each novel (with publication history) and movie (from the silent period until television) with background on Tarzan actors from Johnny Weissmuller to Gordon Scott, Ron Ely, and beyond. The tome also looks at the Tarzan comic strips and books. It is a huge, heavy volume, lavishly illustrated (with stills, background photos, paintings and comic art), with added sections on various aspects of the Tarzan mythos (such as one called "Dinosaurs in Africa?"). If the book has any flaw it is that it completely avoids any real discussion of native Black Africans in relation to Tarzan, a peculiar omission in this day and age as Tarzan -- a white man more powerful and heroic than the black natives -- is often seen as an inherently racist concept.

Verdict: The book for Tarzan enthusiasts. ***1/2.