Donald Cammell: A Life on the Wild Side [Paperback]

Cammell comes across as a unique, troubled and truly wild character who never saw a convention he couldn't break. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Provocative biography of the genius behind the cult classic British film Performance, starring Mick Jagger!

This is the first ever book about the extraordinary life of Donald Cammell (1934-1996), a man whose life is believed by many to be one of the most decadent of the 20th Century.

Performance established Donald Cammell as one of the great talents of British cinema. Although Performance immediately launched Cammell into the international limelight, his career after this ground-breaking film proved elusive. He completed only three more feature films before his death by suicide in 1996. Yet it was this elusiveness that elevated Cammell to mythic proportions.

Donald Cammell's extraordinary life was shrouded in both mystery and legend. In this provocative and comprehensive biography, Sam and Rebecca Umland explore Cammell's remarkable life and times, from his father's friendship with the notorious Aleister Crowley, to Donald's early career as a society portrait painter in Chelsea and the beginning of his film career in Paris during the 'Swinging Sixties', via numerous doomed collaborations with Marlon Brando, to his final years of frustration and ultimate tragedy in Hollywood. In an effort to account for his wasted genius, the authors scrutinize revealing patterns in Cammell's life that help to unlock the enigma of his death.

Illustrated with many examples of Cammell's work as an artist, plus rare and previously unpublished photographs, and 32 stunning pages of full colour poster reproductions and film stills, Donald Cammell: A Life on the Wild Side is the first biography of the legendary filmmaker and the first to discuss all of his creative work. As well as comprehensive chapters dealing with each of Cammell's films, the book includes a complete, authoritative filmography of the work of Donald Cammell, including full credits for each of his films (with a detailed discussion of the cuts made to Performance prior to its release) the unfinished films, and films in which he appeared, including rare footage. In the process this book sheds startling new light on one of Great Britain's most fascinating filmmakers.

The son of poet and critic Charles Richard Cammell - heir to the Cammell-Laird fortune and biographer of Aleister Crowley - Donald Cammell was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1934. From a young age he demonstrated a prodigious talent as an artist, and by the time he was nineteen years old he enjoyed a studio in Chelsea where he was a highly sought-after portrait painter. He soon became restless and disillusioned with society portraiture, abandoning this career in the early 1960s to take up residence in Paris. Prompted by his love of the movies, Cammell began writing screenplays. In 1965, after the sale of his first work for the screen, Avec Avec (filmed as Duffy in 1968), he met The Rolling Stones, becoming friends with both Brian Jones and Mick Jagger. His friendship with Jagger led to the latter’s starring in Performance (1970) - now considered a masterpiece of world cinema - which Cammell wrote, and then co-directed with Nicolas Roeg. In early 1972 Cammell moved to Hollywood, where his filmmaking ambitions were frequently frustrated. Over time however, he managed to direct some stylish and disturbing films, including the science fiction film, Demon Seed (1977) and horror thriller, White of the Eye (1987). In the late 1970s he collaborated with Marlon Brando on a proposed film project, Fan-Tan, an epic adventure about female pirates. In 1982, with the film realization scuttled, Cammell transformed Fan-Tan into a novel; despite the enthusiastic reception by its prospective publisher, Brando prevented its release. The novelization was eventually published in 2005, after Brando’s death. Donald Cammell made one further film, the erotic thriller, Wild Side (1996, restored posthumously 1999), before committing suicide in April 1996 at the age of 62.

"How many geniuses do you get to work with in one life?"
- Frank Mazzola, editor of Donald Cammell’s Wild Side.

"Donald was in love with death. That’s why I cast him in Lucifer Rising as Osiris, Lord of Death."
- Kenneth Anger

"I loved Donald, but he was wicked. He was a wicked guy."
- Roman Polanski

"A new generation has discovered Performance. I’m very proud of that."
- Anita Pallenberg

When Donald Cammell, the Scottish painter, filmmaker and novelist, committed suicide in 1996, he left behind a handful of unusual, innovative, frequently disturbing films. One of them - Mick Jagger’s acting debut Performance - is now an acknowledged masterpiece of world cinema.

Donald Cammell’s extraordinary life was shrouded in both mystery and legend. This provocative and comprehensive biography separates fact from fiction, apprehending the realities behind the myths. Sam and Rebecca Umland explore Cammell’s remarkable life and times, from his father’s friendship with the notorious Aleister Crowley, and Donald’s childhood in pre-war Edinburgh, to his early career as a society portrait painter in Chelsea and the beginning of his film career in Paris during the "Swinging Sixties", via numerous doomed collaborations with Marlon Brando, to his final years of frustration and ultimate tragedy in Hollywood.

Donald Cammell - A Life on the Wild Side offers valuable insights into Cammell’s most celebrated film, Performance, a work years ahead of its time, as well as addressing this volatile artist’s complete work in the cinema, from completed films to his many unfinished or unrealized projects. In an effort to account for his wasted genius, the authors scrutinize revealing patterns in Cammell’s life that help to unlock the enigma of his death.

Illustrated with many examples of Cammell’s work as an artist, plus rare and previously unpublished photographs, and 32 stunning pages of full colour poster reproductions and film stills, this book sheds startling new light on one of Great Britain’s most enigmatic filmmakers.

Rebecca and Samuel Umland co-authored From Connecticut Yankees to Fisher Kings: The Use of Arthurian Legend in Hollywood Film (1996) which a reviewer for Choice said "should be in every library in the world." They have spoken and published widely on topics ranging from world cinema to the postmodern world of cyberculture. Together, they have written extensive essays on the work of such filmmakers as David Lynch, Ingmar Bergman, and Lars von Trier. Their writing has appeared in numerous countries, including the USA, UK, France, Germany, Australia and Hong Kong.