- Paperback: 128 pages
- Publisher: Allen Lane (27 Aug 2009)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 1846140722
- ISBN-13: 978-1846140723
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.8 x 0.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 190,441 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Bette Davis (Great Stars)
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Plus, get an extra £5 Gift Certificate when you trade in books worth £10 or more before June 30, 2012. Visit the Books Trade-In Store for more details. |
Product details |
More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
'She could look demure while behaving like an empress. Blonde, with eyes like pearls too big for her head, she was very striking, but marginally pretty and certainly not beautiful ... But it was her edge that made her memorable - her upstart superiority, her reluctance to pretend deference to others.'
Bette Davis was the commanding figure of the great era of Hollywood stardom, with a drive and energy that put her contemporaries in the shade. She played queens, jezebels and bitches, she could out-talk any male co-star, she warred with her studio, Warner Bros, worked like a demon, got through four husbands, was nominated for seven Oscars and - no matter what - never gave up fighting. This is her story.
About the Author
David Thomson is, among many other things, author of The New Biographical Dictionary of Film, now in its fourth edition. His recent books include a biography of Nicole Kidman, Fan Tan (a novel written in collaboration with Marlon Brando) and The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood. His latest work is the acclaimed Have You Seen...? A Personal Introduction to 1,000 Films. Born in London, he now lives in San Francisco.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organise and find favourite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
0 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
There are, at this writing, four titles in what, one would hope, will be an ongoing series from Thomson: Gary Cooper, Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, and Ingrid Bergman. This review will, if allowed, apply to all of them. As expected, Thomson gets to the heart of the appeal of each of these performer's and, succinctly and acutely (as ever) presents in each brief monograph a portrait of the star better than many a full-length biography. What one would like to know, is: Who chose these stars? Are there more to be added? If so, when? If not, why not? One cannot, for example, believe that Gary Cooper was one of Thomson's first choices, since he treats the performer (one hardly feels Thomson even wants to call him an actor) with something bordering on disdain; granting him his (few) choice roles, while implying that, if the casting couch didn't exist, Cooper would have invented it. One feels that, at the very least, Cary Grant or, even, in his own way, Bob Hope, might have appealed more to Thomson. The same applies, albeit to a lesser extant, to Ingrid Bergman (instead of Barbara Stanwyck, say, or EITHER Hepburn?) At any road: these are fine "brief lives" and, as with ANY work by Thomson, deserve to be in any film buff's library
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
3 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Awful
16 Feb 2010
Format:Paperback
While this book has many interesting details of the great actresses films, there is little about Bette Davis the woman. In addition, the author's discomfort with female sexuality is evident in his stigmatizing of her passions, referring to her, at one point, as a "trashpot". Please.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Looks At Bette's Career
10 Jan 2012
Format:Paperback
This book is less bio and more of an encyclopedia of Davis' film work. As Davis has been the fodder for any number of biographies and most of them have been less than flattering, I found myself favoring this approach. I have been a fan since I was 5 and used to watch this fiery woman on the afternoon movie show as I watched her movies with my grandma. A Bette Davis movie always warranted popcorn and a couple of hours of chuckles as Bette strutted her stuff in those early movies. When I got older, Davis became more of an obsession because I came to realize that she elevated even really dopey movies with that hard to define flair of hers. In the early days she cranked them out during her years of servitude under the contract system.
This series delves into her film performances and contrasts them against the various changes that were taking place in the real world as well as the 'reel' world (the Hollywood film system and the changing tastes of audiences). That Davis' career lasted much longer than most of her contemporaries is often taken for granted. This book clearly illustrates Davis' ability to reinvent herself as a commodity and an actress; it also illustrates her professionalism which often isolated her from other actors in her lack of vanity. While Bette was no doubt opinionated and fearless, she had an Achilles heel in regard to her ego.
David Thompson has managed to capture the genuine Davis while reviewing her film career and provides his readers (presumably fans of Davis) with the essence of why she is still popular today.
Liked this book and found myself yearning for the days when Davis and her worthier contemporaries populated the screen.
This series delves into her film performances and contrasts them against the various changes that were taking place in the real world as well as the 'reel' world (the Hollywood film system and the changing tastes of audiences). That Davis' career lasted much longer than most of her contemporaries is often taken for granted. This book clearly illustrates Davis' ability to reinvent herself as a commodity and an actress; it also illustrates her professionalism which often isolated her from other actors in her lack of vanity. While Bette was no doubt opinionated and fearless, she had an Achilles heel in regard to her ego.
David Thompson has managed to capture the genuine Davis while reviewing her film career and provides his readers (presumably fans of Davis) with the essence of why she is still popular today.
Liked this book and found myself yearning for the days when Davis and her worthier contemporaries populated the screen.
A Great Book About a Great Actress
27 Aug 2010
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Certain of Bette Davis's performances fascinate Mr. Thomson, such as her role in "The Letter." Thomson examines these performances in the context of her whole career and the history of Hollywood. I highly recommend this book along with his other recent biographies.
Were these reviews helpful?
Let us know
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
