|
| home | | | films | | | images | | | bogie & bacall | | | nautical man | | | radio star | | | collectables | | | special appearances | | | forum | | | books | | | doco's | | | chess | | | downloads | | | stage | | | shop | | | links |
Click on the title to read the review... |
Great Stars: Humphrey Bogart By David Thomson, from his 'Great Stars' biography series 144 pages | From Library Journal In the initial volumes of this new series, noted film critic/historian Thomson (The New Biographical Dictionary of Film) brings his opinions to bear on the lives and careers of four stars of the golden age of American cinema, all of whom remained active until their deaths. With classic films such as Jezebel, Dark Victory, and Now, Voyager, Bette Davis was the premiere leading lady at Warner Brothers for some 17 years. Gary Cooper (High Noon) became a star with the introduction of talking pictures and remained one, albeit somewhat diminished, to the end of his life. |
After being frequently cast as the snarling petty crook, Humphrey Bogart played a series of distinguished roles, climaxing with his Oscar-winning triumph in The African Queen.
Ingrid Bergman's roles in Casablanca, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and Gaslight seemed to presage a lengthy stardom, but the scandal concerning her affair with
director Roberto Rossellini stalled her in the late 1940s. Thomson presents little more than a brief overview of each star's career but discusses what he considers their best films in somewhat more detail. His look at the actors' personal lives includes his quirky suppositions about their sex lives, and he often writes as if speaking, sometimes quite disconcertingly, directly to the reader. VERDICT: These books seem intended primarily for film buffs with limited knowledge of these particular stars as well as curious general readers. Roy Liebman, formerly with California State Univ., Los Angeles |