Customer Reviews
Lovely job - By: Mr. S. J. Newman, 10 Aug 2008 
Simpson should be lauded, not just for eloquently filling a significant gapin British film biography, but for spending ten years researching his subject & eventually turning out a measured, intelligent & - above all - extremely readable account of the life & work of Alastair Sim.
Straining vainly to rake up scandalin its review of the book (young wife, young actors as proteges...) the Daily Mail has only made itself look as befuddled & ridiculous as one of Sim's own masterly comic creations. Even a cursory glance at the text shows that the author has dealt clearly & calmly with such nonsense. Instead he focuses on, & carefully dissects, the personality & talent of what must have been a ferociously difficult subject.
Simpson deals equally well with both Sim's more familiar outings, such as Scrooge & St. Trinian's, & the far less well-known theatre work;in particular the rich & brilliant partnership with the playwright Bridie.
Overall then, this is a highly-readable account of one of Britain's best-loved performers. Simpson shares with Michael Parkinson, the rare talent of being able to allow the star subject to dominate the centre stage; whilst, at the same time, maintaining a thoughtful, sensitive probing to reveal the creative person behind the public perception. Quite superb. This is how film biography SHOULD be written.
A flawed account of a wonderful actor - By: David K. Barnes, 12 Jul 2008 
Alastair Sim is one of my very favourite actors, one of those rare talents who only needs to turn upin a film for me to start smiling. Capable of great drama but more often hilarious comedy, Sim remains an inspiration to me.
Simpson's book is certainly better than any biography of Sim we're likely to get & it must be difficult to research & interact with the life of a man who refused all media attention, not giving interviews or autographs. However, this book reads like one of those hour-long retrospective documentaries you catch on Channel 4 or BBC2: a nice, fairly warm account of a comedian's life with lots of talking heads & a basic chronology of everything that happenedin his life, but that ultimately lacks something. You never really feel as if you're getting to grips with Alastair Sim as a human being - you don't get inside the actor's head & feel his dreams & desires - & Simpson's basic prose style doesn't convince you that he's especially enthusiastic to write about the man (despite the 10 years of research) making for an informative but not especially entertaining read.
The book feels rushed: An Inspector Calls is barely discussed, despite being one of Sim's most celebrated roles, & Sim's declining health & eventual death are glossed over with no thought given as to what Sim must have made of his life & successes. I'm definitely glad this book was written as next to nothing is known of this great performer but Simpson's handling of the material is sorely lacking compared to such works as Graham McCann's biography of Frankie Howerd.
I'd rate it as a 7/10, though I give it an extra half star purely out of gratitude that Simpson attempted this bookin the first place.
