- Hardcover: 256 pages
- Publisher: Rizzoli International Publications; First Edition edition (26 July 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0847827240
- ISBN-13: 978-0847827244
- Product Dimensions: 32.4 x 22.6 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 647,429 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
Famously elusive, Greta Garbo only had her picture taken when a contract required it. She shunned publicity, kept her private life a secret, and rejected the spotlight. Though ambivalent about fame and her public image, Garbo saved all of her favorite portraits, carefully archiving original prints by Clarence Sinclair Bull, Arnold Genthe, Ruth Harriet Louise, Edward Steichen, and Cecil Beaton, among others.
Published here for the first time are these portraits–impeccably reproduced in tritone, one more beautiful than the next. In addition, the book features family pictures, candid photographs, and letters previously viewed only by her closest friends and relatives.
Scott Reisfield provides an intimate portrait of his great aunt, spanning well beyond her career in the public eye–from the earliest days in Sweden when she would sneak through the back door of the theater to see actors rehearse, to her later years in New York when she traveled exclusively through back entrances, side doors, and secret elevators.
Co-author Robert Dance’s essay traces the evolution of the image of Garbo–from the ingénue of her first publicity shots to the icon that she became–while an illustrated film production history documents all the still photography and portraiture of her entire career.
Long treasured by her immediate family alone, this collection of photographs, and the essays that accompany them, form a spectacular tribute to Garbo, the woman and the myth, on the eve of her centennial.
Published here for the first time are these portraits–impeccably reproduced in tritone, one more beautiful than the next. In addition, the book features family pictures, candid photographs, and letters previously viewed only by her closest friends and relatives.
Scott Reisfield provides an intimate portrait of his great aunt, spanning well beyond her career in the public eye–from the earliest days in Sweden when she would sneak through the back door of the theater to see actors rehearse, to her later years in New York when she traveled exclusively through back entrances, side doors, and secret elevators.
Co-author Robert Dance’s essay traces the evolution of the image of Garbo–from the ingénue of her first publicity shots to the icon that she became–while an illustrated film production history documents all the still photography and portraiture of her entire career.
Long treasured by her immediate family alone, this collection of photographs, and the essays that accompany them, form a spectacular tribute to Garbo, the woman and the myth, on the eve of her centennial.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This beautifully produced book has been compiled by Garbo's great-nephew, who had access to the star's own private collection, and all these photographs come from that source; these were therefore images which Garbo herself decided to keep.
The principal portrait photographer for Garbo at M.G.M. was Clarence Sinclair Bull, and some of his very skilful photographs of Garbo's marvellous face are possibly amongst the most beautiful portraits of the 20th Century. His photographs made an essential contribution to the creation of Garbo's celebrated persona. For Bull's camera, Garbo is still performing the role she acted on the set. In a unique arrangement which was part of her studio contract, Garbo was to be photographed for portraits once only, on the completion of a movie; she further stipulated that she would only be photographed in the character (and costume) of the role she had just completed, and never photographed as 'herself'. So, paradoxically, during the years when Garbo was probably the most famous actress in the world, portraits of Garbo as her private self are virtually non-existent, (though some snap-shots exist and some are in the book).
However, there was one portrait-photographer that even the private Garbo could not avoid: the passport-photographer, and (what appears to be) her passport photo is the first photograph in the book. The photo is uncredited, and looks as if it could have been taken at a high-street studio where maybe no one recognised her: it's interesting to see Garbo's lovely face without makeup or chiaroscuro.
The most memorable photographs of Garbo that Bull captured at M.G.M., are probably the ones taken in 1931, after the completion of "Mata Hari". One or two of these skilfully-lit portraits are quite unforgettable: the star appears in her role as the famous spy, and her magical ability to suggest subtle introspective feeling, such as nostalgia, conflict, and even remorse, with the kind of beauty which can only be described as astonishing, make these particular images exceptional. Garbo was a very unusual thing amongst film-stars: an Artist.
The principal portrait photographer for Garbo at M.G.M. was Clarence Sinclair Bull, and some of his very skilful photographs of Garbo's marvellous face are possibly amongst the most beautiful portraits of the 20th Century. His photographs made an essential contribution to the creation of Garbo's celebrated persona. For Bull's camera, Garbo is still performing the role she acted on the set. In a unique arrangement which was part of her studio contract, Garbo was to be photographed for portraits once only, on the completion of a movie; she further stipulated that she would only be photographed in the character (and costume) of the role she had just completed, and never photographed as 'herself'. So, paradoxically, during the years when Garbo was probably the most famous actress in the world, portraits of Garbo as her private self are virtually non-existent, (though some snap-shots exist and some are in the book).
However, there was one portrait-photographer that even the private Garbo could not avoid: the passport-photographer, and (what appears to be) her passport photo is the first photograph in the book. The photo is uncredited, and looks as if it could have been taken at a high-street studio where maybe no one recognised her: it's interesting to see Garbo's lovely face without makeup or chiaroscuro.
The most memorable photographs of Garbo that Bull captured at M.G.M., are probably the ones taken in 1931, after the completion of "Mata Hari". One or two of these skilfully-lit portraits are quite unforgettable: the star appears in her role as the famous spy, and her magical ability to suggest subtle introspective feeling, such as nostalgia, conflict, and even remorse, with the kind of beauty which can only be described as astonishing, make these particular images exceptional. Garbo was a very unusual thing amongst film-stars: an Artist.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I highly recommend this book because of the loverly rare pictures. There were many that I haven't seen before so this was a real treat. This is a great book for a Greta or classic movie fan.
Format:Hardcover
Stunning.The best.I have many books about Miss Garbo but this photographically is the best.As it is endorsed/written by the family/estate the photographs are personal.Lavish presentation,excellent value,prompt service.
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