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Product Description
The Daily Mail, 31st December, 2004
"Essential gazing for all film buffs"
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Mail on Sunday, You Magazine, 13th March, 2005
"An informed, engaging story whose tragic end is all that many of us know" (Book of the Week)
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 18 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Speaking as a Dean fan, this book is a worthwhile purchase. DK have some decent film publications on the market right now(AFI Desk Book, and Cinema: Year by Year). Yet this 'biography' falls short in comparison.
I say this is a 'worthwhile' buy mainly because of the pictorial content. The visual format of the book is impressive and some content is unique. Rare photographs from private collections are included because the book was fully endorsed by the JD Estate. Ironically, it is this fact (I suspect) that means the book never manages to get past the superficial.
The text fails to confront the more bizarre episodes of Dean's life, documented by other biographers (despite many of these books being listed in a bibliography at the end). That would seem to indicate certain details that seemed undesirable to Dean's surviving family, are completely omitted. The result is that you never feel this portrait is as intimate as it should be. It is also the case that way too much time dwells on Dean the movie star - and not the person that existed off camera.
This book, in fact, buys into the whole idea of manufacturing movie stars that was prevalent in the 1950's film industry. His family might like this but others may feel cheated by the author's failure to provide a more accurate 'warts and all' account of Dean's short life.
I say this is a 'worthwhile' buy mainly because of the pictorial content. The visual format of the book is impressive and some content is unique. Rare photographs from private collections are included because the book was fully endorsed by the JD Estate. Ironically, it is this fact (I suspect) that means the book never manages to get past the superficial.
The text fails to confront the more bizarre episodes of Dean's life, documented by other biographers (despite many of these books being listed in a bibliography at the end). That would seem to indicate certain details that seemed undesirable to Dean's surviving family, are completely omitted. The result is that you never feel this portrait is as intimate as it should be. It is also the case that way too much time dwells on Dean the movie star - and not the person that existed off camera.
This book, in fact, buys into the whole idea of manufacturing movie stars that was prevalent in the 1950's film industry. His family might like this but others may feel cheated by the author's failure to provide a more accurate 'warts and all' account of Dean's short life.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
8 reviews
31 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful and informative...
15 April 2005
Format:Hardcover
Over the years, there have been loads of biographies written about James Dean, some of which are significantly better than others. Today, 50 years after his death, Dean remains one of the most recognizable and captivating film and cultural icons. It's difficult to pinpoint the exact reason for Dean's seeming immortality. During his life, Dean made only three major motion pictures and yet, he defined the Post-World War II generation of reckless youths feeling somewhat misplaced, displaced, or confused.
This book, officially endorsed by the James Dean estate, is somewhat of a combination biography and coffee table book. The book contains numerous black and white and color photographs of Dean in varying stages of his life and career -- many of which have never been published before. Particularly noteworthy is the abundance of photographs of James Dean as a child and teenager. While most biographies of Dean contain mostly portraits or somewhat staged pictures, this book offers many candid shots belonging to Dean's private estate and surviving family members. Novice fans of Dean's will find plenty to entertain and inform them within the book, while Dean's more devoted fans and experts will be blown away by the beauty of both the book's photographs and their general layout. The book concentrate's heavily on Dean's counter-culture attitude (particularly in how he dressed and acted), while also delving into his romantic life and his well-publicized passion for cars and racing.
This book is a true gem and a wonderful addition to the realm of James Dean memorabilia.
This book, officially endorsed by the James Dean estate, is somewhat of a combination biography and coffee table book. The book contains numerous black and white and color photographs of Dean in varying stages of his life and career -- many of which have never been published before. Particularly noteworthy is the abundance of photographs of James Dean as a child and teenager. While most biographies of Dean contain mostly portraits or somewhat staged pictures, this book offers many candid shots belonging to Dean's private estate and surviving family members. Novice fans of Dean's will find plenty to entertain and inform them within the book, while Dean's more devoted fans and experts will be blown away by the beauty of both the book's photographs and their general layout. The book concentrate's heavily on Dean's counter-culture attitude (particularly in how he dressed and acted), while also delving into his romantic life and his well-publicized passion for cars and racing.
This book is a true gem and a wonderful addition to the realm of James Dean memorabilia.
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Beautiful Photos, A Must-Have for James Dean Fans!
1 May 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I've only very recently become attuned to the talent and legacy of James Dean; I have heard of him all my life, but never really "got" it until I was old enough to understand his movies (and finally saw them all at age 23). Needless to say, after viewing "East of Eden" and being moved to tears by his performance, I rushed to buy any biography I could lay my hands on, eager to learn more about this talented young man. This book by George Perry is a wonderful one; not only does it offer informative and interesting information on Dean's life and personality, from his earliest Indiana days to his eventual New York City life and all the way up to Hollywood, the book also features the best photos I've ever seen of Dean. There are intimate, large, glossy photos of James Dean clowning around with the likes of Elizabeth Taylor, Natalie Wood, and other friends, and there are the more iconic photos of Dean strolling around New York City. James Dean had the looks of an angel fallen to Earth, and the beauty and personliaty that shine through some of these photos took my breath away. Of course, it's a bit difficult to see the pictures of Dean's crushed car and the scene of the accident that took his life, and even more difficult to read about the circumstances, and how it was error largely on the part of the other driver, who failed to notice Dean's oncoming car (who had the right of way), and stopped, lurched forward, stopped and then lurched forward again right into Dean's Porsche. It's horrifying. This book allowed me to learn so much more about James Dean, who was a young man who was immensely talented, deeply passionate, fun-loving and insightful; I also learned that people either loved him or hated him; he, doubtless, could be moody and difficult, but those who knew him the best such as Nick Adams, Dennis Hopper, Bill Bast, Liz Taylor, etc., loved him and cherished him not only as a talented actor, but as their friend. Fascinating Fact: you know the woman who plays Jerry Seinfeld's mom on "Senfield"? She was James Dean's first serious girlfriend in his NYC days!!! Can you believe it? Liz Sheridan dated James Dean!! You'll see her picture in this book, it's incredible, I never knew that. What a small world.
This biography allows you to form your own opinion of Jimmy Dean; I still don't know him, but I think I have an idea of him now, and that's what matters to me. The only sad aspect, is that now I have a true sense of what the world lost on September 30th, 1955, and I can't help the ache in my chest when I watch his work now; I wish he'd stayed around longer because I can honestly say, no other actor has ever touched me so deeply. Hell, I've never run out and purchased a biography on anybody before unless I had to for a book report; however, I've devoured three Dean biographies in about two weeks. What does that tell you?
This biography allows you to form your own opinion of Jimmy Dean; I still don't know him, but I think I have an idea of him now, and that's what matters to me. The only sad aspect, is that now I have a true sense of what the world lost on September 30th, 1955, and I can't help the ache in my chest when I watch his work now; I wish he'd stayed around longer because I can honestly say, no other actor has ever touched me so deeply. Hell, I've never run out and purchased a biography on anybody before unless I had to for a book report; however, I've devoured three Dean biographies in about two weeks. What does that tell you?
18 of 23 people found the following review helpful
Hardly definitive, but nicely packaged "Dean 101"
17 Jun 2005
Format:Hardcover
This strikes me as a cranked out crowd-pleaser for Dean fans (easy targets!) from the ubiquitous DK press. The fact that it is officially sanctioned by the Dean family estate cannot go unnoticed---it is almost embarrassing in the heaps of praise it bestows on every member of the clan and is sure to point out "important" points like the facts that they were not beneficiaries of Dean's life insurance policy (I'm sure they're making out fine) and that any liability for his fatal car crash could not possibly have been his. It admits to one homosexual affair on Dean's behalf and the friendly likelihood that he may have dabbled in others, but it strongly defends the notion that James Dean was a heterosexual in the first degree. Right or wrong, there are lots of assumptions and speculations which ultimately boil down to mere commentary.
While the text tends to read like a bio written by the President of the James Dean Fan Club, the real star of the show is the artwork. A great photographic collection although there is a large picture of Dean horsing around on the set of GIANT with a young woman. The caption identifies this woman as his good pal Elizabeth Taylor and it is amazing that ANY editor, proofreader or person involved in the process of creating this book didn't notice that it is most definitely NOT Elizabeth Taylor. It is probably her stand-in. It makes the accuracy of other "facts" somewhat dubious.
It's getting a big promotional push, but I think it's overhyped and you're best off purchasing it as a bargain pre-owned price from an Amazon Marketplace merchant, rather than shelling out full price for new.
While the text tends to read like a bio written by the President of the James Dean Fan Club, the real star of the show is the artwork. A great photographic collection although there is a large picture of Dean horsing around on the set of GIANT with a young woman. The caption identifies this woman as his good pal Elizabeth Taylor and it is amazing that ANY editor, proofreader or person involved in the process of creating this book didn't notice that it is most definitely NOT Elizabeth Taylor. It is probably her stand-in. It makes the accuracy of other "facts" somewhat dubious.
It's getting a big promotional push, but I think it's overhyped and you're best off purchasing it as a bargain pre-owned price from an Amazon Marketplace merchant, rather than shelling out full price for new.
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