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Bette Davis: A Biography (Paperback)

by Barbara Leaming (Author)
3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Paperback: 368 pages
  • Publisher: Gollancz; New edition edition (7 Oct 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0752827170
  • ISBN-13: 978-0752827179
  • Product Dimensions: 19.7 x 13 x 2.5 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 873,209 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Product Description

Review

Strong, honest, vivid biography of a colossal egoist, by the author of distinguished lives of Rita Hayworth (If This Was Happiness, 1989), Orson Welles, and Roman Polanski. This is a rapid but rich full-dress portrait of a matchlessly magnetic actress whose chains of self-centeredness grew ever heavier as she aged and who finally withered into "the sorry spectacle of a great talent pigheadedly wasted." Knowledgeable readers will recognize that Learning has not seen and does not weigh the individual value of every film Davis (1908-89) was involved in. When she focuses on the major works, however, she does so thoroughly and settles finely on the star's acting. Learning does Davis the honor of seeking the heart of her work as avidly as she does the springs of a life made lonely by bottomless egoism and many adulteries and abortions. Davis's great character flaw apparently was inherited from a mother and grandmother who wanted to break into a male-dominated world and failed. Her self-sacrificing mother, who was deserted by her husband when Davis was seven, became a portrait photographer to support Davis and her addled younger sister. Young Davis was given to rages that seem both genetic and to stem from her fury at being imprisoned in apartment life while all her well-heeled friends lived in large houses with servants. These beginnings set the template from which Davis never wavered: She was a virago. A stage career led to films but she kept her temper in check until her role as the great bitch Mildred in Of Human Bondage released it and led her into endless battles with Warner Brothers, for which she made 51 pictures in 18 years. Learning makes clear that Davis's battles were always for money and power and sprang from quarrelsomeness. Excellent especially on Davis's tics and mannerisms and how they undermined her ferocious energy and greater possibilities. (Kirkus Reviews)


Product Description

Bette Davis was one of the greatest acting talents the screen has ever known. She was also one who aroused controversy: her legal battles with Warner Brothers; her four husbands; the shocking book written by her daughter. In this fascinating, in-depth biography Barbara Leaming has had numerous conversations with those closest to Bette Davis - her friends, lovers, associates and family members (including her daughter) - and has also drawn on Davis's personal diaries, scrapbooks and unpublished letters. The result is a fascinating portrait that redefines one of Hollywood's most misunderstood legends.
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars interesting, informative and truthful, 24 Jul 2001
I must say that this book captivated me right from the off. The picture on the front sleeve is completely breathtaking and some of this revealing book is also. Barbara Leaming writes from the perspective of a woman who has extensively researched her material and is extremely well informed. What the average Bette fan will be shocked to discover however is how ruthless it appears she was. Wheather it was her treatment of her first husband, various directors or Jack Warner she seems to have had little respect for anything other than her own fame which both saddens and intrigues the reader. The book deals very thinly with Bette's clear fall from social grace and her inability to work with some of the stronger scripts she was given in her later years. It is both the celebration of a once mecurial talent and a sad glance at a selfish arrogant woman who had it all and threw it away.
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3.0 out of 5 stars Mixed feelings about this book, 14 Nov 2008
This review is from: Bette Davis: A Biography (Hardcover)
The first thing that has to be said about this biography is that it is by no means a glowing tribute to Bette Davis.It is at times brutal,shocking and surprising.It shows the legendary actress as a very insecure woman who feigned illness to suit her needs.Barbara Leaming tells of Davis' cruel jibes at her sister Bobby and how she was dominated by her own mother Ruthie.At times the actress is seen as being a pathetic figure and someone that was incredibly difficult to work with.Indeed,this book did at times feel like a hatchet job.

I am not suggesting for one minute that we shouldn't know all the ins and outs of a complex figure like Bette Davis and it comes as no surprise when we learn just what a nightmare she could be.At times there is no doubt that this is an engrossing read.The times she tells of her marriage to the actor Gary Merrill makes for grim reading as Bette encouraged him to hit her and he is shown as a vile and violent drunk.At the same time we are told of the many beatings he gave to Bette's daughter B.D. while she apparantly stood by and did nothing.But this book does have it's failings.

I feel it is written in too melodramatic a way and it almost feels as though it is written as a film script.The narrative has a habit of jumping about too much as one minute we are reading about 1930 and the very next chapter skips to 1937.There is a time when the author talks of one movie and in the next paragraph she announces Bette's Oscar for an entirely different role.There are also a couple of paragraph's that start off with Bette's mother screaming purely for dramatic effect I felt.One sentence from this book shows the overly dramatic style that Ms Leaming can fall into and I quote "They were standing on the dock where the gasoline had been drained from Ruthie's car in anticipation of hoisting it aboard".You can almost here the music start to swell!

Not enough time is given to Bette Davis' movies in my opinion.Her legendary comeback in 'Whatever Happened To Baby Jane?' is given just a few lines which is a great shock as the feud whilst filming between Bette and Joan Crawford is worthy of a book on it's own.By contrast,the whole of chapter 26 is devoted to a meeting that Bette had with Mae West which feels overblown and long winded.

This is an interesting book in general but a little disjointed.You will learn about the darker side of Bette Davis but may well feel the need for a lighter touch at times.
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