Editing James Whale (section)

===Career decline===
Whale's career went into sharp decline following the release of his next film, ''[[The Road Back (film)|The Road Back]]'' (1937). The sequel to [[Erich Maria Remarque]]'s ''[[All Quiet on the Western Front]]'', which Universal had filmed in 1930, the novel and film follow the lives of several young German men who have returned from the trenches of World War I and their struggles to re-integrate into society. The Los Angeles [[Consul (representative)|consul]] for Nazi Germany, [[Georg Gyssling]], learned that the film was in production. He protested to PCA enforcer [[Joseph Breen]], arguing that the film gave an "untrue and distorted picture of the German people".<ref>Glancy, p. 45.</ref> Gyssling eventually met Whale, but nothing came of it.<ref>Curtis, p. 296.</ref> Gyssling then sent letters to members of the cast, threatening that their participation in the film might lead to difficulties in obtaining German filming permits for them and for anyone associated in a film with them.<ref name = glancy46>Glancy, p. 46.</ref> While the low volume of business conducted by Universal in Germany made such threats largely hollow, the [[State Department]], under pressure from the [[Hollywood Anti-Nazi League]] and the [[Screen Actors Guild]],<ref>Kelly (1997), p. 141.</ref> stepped in and the German government backed down.<ref>Curtis, p. 299.</ref> Whale's original cut of the film was given generally positive reviews, but some time between preview screenings and the film's general release, Rogers capitulated to the Germans, ordering that cuts be made and additional scenes be shot and inserted.<ref name = anger210 /> Whale was furious,<ref>Curtis, p. 306.</ref> and the altered film was banned in Germany anyway.<ref>Kelly (2001), p. 144.</ref> The Germans were successful in persuading China, Greece, Italy and Switzerland to ban the film as well.<ref name = glancy46 />

Following the debacle of ''The Road Back'', Charles Rogers tried to get out of his contract with Whale; Whale refused. Rogers then assigned him to a string of [[B movie]]s to run out his contractual obligation. Whale only made one additional successful feature film, ''[[The Man in the Iron Mask (1939 film)|The Man in the Iron Mask]]'' (1939), before retiring from the film industry in 1942.<ref name = cineaste>{{cite news |title=Gods and Monsters: The Search for the Right Whale |work=Cineaste |date=22 September 1999 |url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Gods+and+Monsters:+The+Search+for+the+Right+Whale.-a056750529 |access-date=17 January 2009}}{{Dead link|date=April 2012|bot=H3llBot}}</ref>