Tim Burton -The Life And Times Of A Visionary Director

by Helmut Herschmann
Titan Books - £ 14-99

Pay attention at the back! Here's another belter from Titan in their fantasy cinema series A veritable delight for all you greedy genre filmophiles.

Following hot on the heels of their 'Evil Dead Companion' (another beauty!) comes this missive on the career of one Tim Burton… Major Respect!

Compiled and written by well-regarded German film critic and journalist, Helmut Herschmann, this 200 page trade paperback sized production really rocks! It goes without saying that this is another top notch presentation from Titan, packed with groovy illos of the poster, studio adverts and film stills kind.

The strength of the book lies with the entertaining, interesting and very insightful history and observations of the subject matter, by the author. In my eyes, Tim Burton is a genius. The man Helmut reckons the same!

Back-tracking to 1982 (and before) Helmut delivers a welcome examination of the genre output of this unique film-maker. Detailed discussion of all of his films, together with in-depth overviews, highlight the many influences, passions and fascinations of the darker side of human nature, that go together to make Tim Burton the visionary he is.

The book is rounded off with a very detailed and informative filmography and related biography of the god Tim. This book needs to be on the shelves of any serious film fan. Delightful!

John Carter