Book Reviews

I am an avid reader of books that mention Diana Dors so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a copy of this book – the newest title dedicated to the films of Diana Dors.

First impressions – it’s a fairly small book 24cm tall by 16cm wide (approx 9x6 in) it has a glossy hardcover with a dramatic appearance featuring Diana as Phyllis Hochen in a scene from ‘The Unholy Wife’ (1957)

Aesthetically, the outer case of this book is extremely pleasing and makes a great addition to any collection!

Internally, there are only around 12 images, all black and white, and they are screen shots from films. If you’re looking for a photo book – this isn’t it! The images are disappointing but they do illustrate the films discussed in the book.

I was wondering if the content would be overly academic but was pleased to find it wasn’t – this is a very readable book indeed.

Diana Dors: Film Star and Actor is clearly not a biography of the life and times of Diana Dors. The focus of the book is on Diana’s career, which includes an overview of her films from the mid 1940s until just beyond her death in 1985.

Five films are given an intense inspection and they are:

1. 1953 – Is Your Honeymoon Really Necessary?
2. 1957 – The Unholy Wife
3. 1967 – Berserk!
4. 1972 – The Pied Piper
5. 1985 – Steaming

 

The author’s views are interesting and certainly activate the reader’s imagination and thought process, especially given the context of the era in which Dors worked, and taking into consideration the values and expectations that this particular time held for a working woman and especially one that was an up and coming actress.

There are quite a few points in the book where my own opinion and the authors differed, but I cannot say this is a negative as I thoroughly enjoyed considering the authors point of view and I think it’s important to see things from an alternative perspective – it was thought provoking, with reference in particular to the chapter ‘DD v MM’

I would recommend this book for fans of both Dors films and vintage films in general as the author give a detailed synopsis of several films together with a deep analysis of the five mentioned above. It’s a book I’m thrilled to have in my collection.

The book is currently available on Amazon and can also be purchased directly from the Edinburgh University Press and retails for £85.00 - however I do have a discount code for fans of my Instagram page for Diana Dors! The code is DORS30 although I'm not sure how long the code will be available for but it did previously mean that you could purchase the book for £30 - but it can only be redeemed here via Edinburgh University Press Website