Film

The Secret Life of Edward James

1978 · 54m

Documentary about Edward James, an aristocrat who patronized surrealist artists such as René Magritte, Leonora Carrington, and Salvador Dalí, among others. His life is a whole catalog of incredible moments that constitute the prelude to his final monument in the middle of the Mexican jungle: Las Pozas, a surreal garden filled with giant structures as useless as they are beautiful. James divorced his wife Tilly Losch in 1934, accusing her of adultery with Prince Serge Obolensky, an American hotel executive; her countersuit, in which she made it clear that James was homosexual, failed. James was actually bisexual. After the divorce, James joined a social set in England which included the Mitford sisters and the composer Lord Berners.

George Melly

Narrator

Anthony Quayle

Readings

• Patrick BoyleProducer · Director
• Julian WareEditor

Release date

January 1, 1978

Status

Released

Original language

English

Runtime

54m