James Robertson Justice: What's the Bleeding-Time?

---

---

Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-11-30 rating:
Disappointing
James Robertson Justice initially seems an ideal choice for a biography. A well know actor who also includes in his CV fighting in the Spanish Civil War, policeman for the League of Nations as well more mundance occupations such as a lumberjack in Canada. Add in a dash of celebrities from his films or even just hanging out with the Duke of Edinburgh it's a fascinating life.

So why just three stars? Well JRJ was quite reticent about much of his early life so there's a lot of speculation. Events such as the Spanish Civil War or his time in Germany are briefly dealt with as there's obviously not a lot known. What detail there seems to be relies heavily on a few sources which doesn't always bode well. The authors (and maybe that was one of the problems) also seem to meander between topics so the chapter on Walt Disney gets distracted by falconry. While this played a big part in his life the shotgun approach and loose structure gets frustrating after a while.

Perhaps the most disappointing aspect for me is the style and tone of the book. It reads like a boys own adventure and while there is obvious admiration for their subject from the authors they would gain from being a bit more critical or probing. As an earlier review noted you never seem to get a feel for the man he was. The book feels very much like the public face of JRJ. Such is the authors' indulgence that details of his affairs and visits to prostitutes are used as examples of his humour to to show how entertaining he was. It doesn't need to be a hatchett job but a long affair should be a bit more than a basis for an amusing anedote. There's almost more detail on who his mistress eventually married and what happened to her.

So an entertaining read but not a particlularly deep one that will still leave you without a clear sense of the man behind Sir Lancelot Spratt.

---

review by: date: 2008-09-10 rating:
A Welcome Biography
Some biographies really do answer questions that have long been waiting for a serious response. This is such a book. James Robertson Justice was one of those actors we all saw in film after film, but knew little of real substance about. It's a genuine treat, therefore, to finally discover more about this remarkably complex and intriguing individual, both as an actor and as a private person. There are areas that are treated a little sketchily for my taste, but the book as a whole succeeds in providing one with a satisfyingly vivid sense of this striking figure from British cinema.

---

review by: date: 2008-07-18 rating:
An injustice to a master of spoken English
As a fan of James Robertson Justice for over fifty years I was delighted to read a review of this new biography in "The Oldie" magazine and promptly put it on my birthday wish list. But what a disappointment - not the man's life, but the way his story is told. The book is full of basic grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors - such an irritant when Justice himself used our language so well. Lynne Truss will have a field day with it. And why three authors - plus an editor? Maybe that's the problem - that the biography was written by a committee.

---

review by: date: 2008-07-17 rating:
Unique
I was always fascinated by the big man as he was the first person "off the telly" I ever met way back in 1968 when he was a guest at an Hotel my parents were running he rounded a corner and I aged seven and fairly fresh from watching "Scott of the Antartic" nearly head butted his knee as I flew headlong down the corridor to the kitchens, "Slow down child!" roared this giant of a man, both terrifying and amazing me at the same time. I saw him once or twice more in the next few days and although I stayed out of his way he was as my Mother recalls a gentleman and very polite. I enjoyed this book it was written with affection and respect without being cloying and sentimental, I expect had more of his contempories still been with us it may have contained more in the way of anecdotes but this is a job well done and a fitting tribute to one of our most unique and much missed screen presences. Thank you.



review by: date: 2008-06-20 rating:
James Robertson Justice: What's the Bleeding - Time?
A well researched and written book on one of Britains leading comedy actors. A well deserved pat on the back Hoggers.

---

Similar products

Bounder!: The Biography of Terry-Thomas
Alastair Sim: The Star of Scrooge and The Real Belle of St Trinian's: The Star of "Scrooge" and The "Belles of St Trinian's"
Hattie: The Authorised Biography of Hattie Jacques
Entirely Up to You, Darling
My Word Is My Bond: The Autobiography

---

Similar categories

Books . Subjects . Biography . Film, Television & Music . Actors & Actresses
Books . Subjects . Biography . Film, Television & Music . General AAS
Books . Subjects . Biography . General
Books . Subjects . Biography . General AAS
Books . Subjects . Music, Stage & Screen . Film . Biographies . Bestsellers
Books . Subjects . Music, Stage & Screen . Performing Arts . General AAS
Books . Subjects . Reference . Directories . Art
Books . Subjects . Reference . Directories . Film & Performing Arts
Books . Refinements . Language (feature_browse-bin) . English
Books . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . Paperback
Books . Refinements . Font Size (format_browse-bin) . Regular Size

---