Life Through a Lens

In "Life through a Lens" Osmond Borradaile (1898-1999) describes his pioneering, globe-trotting career in the motion picture industry, from the silent stages of early Hollywood to dramatic locations on every continent. Edited by his daughter, Anita Borradaile Hadley, "Life through a Lens" spans the century in which the motion picture industry changed forever the way we view ourselves and the world. Covering all aspects of his film experience - from his childhood encounter with an exploding nickelodeon show, to his apprenticeship as a lab technician in Hollywood's Jessie Lasky Studios, to director of photography for Paramount Pictures - "Life through a Lens" details how 'Bordie' thrived on the evolving technical demands of an art form in constant flux. Accepting Alexander Korda's invitation to join London Film Productions, he travelled the world, making such memorable films as "The Private Life of Henry VIII", "Elephant Boy", "The Four Feathers", and "Scott of the Antarctic". Through his daring and innovative photography, Borradaile, whom Raymond Massey called 'the greatest exterior camera artist in the world', enhanced the work of such major filmmakers as Cecil B. deMille, Alexander Korda, Robert Flaherty, Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell, and Otto Preminger. "Life through a Lens", the personal journey of a great adventurer and artist, will be of interest not only to film historians but to anyone captivated by the cinema.