Book Description
The life and work of Gershwin recalled by friends, colleagues, associates, and pupils, including Koussevitsky, Schoenberg, Richard Rodgers, and his brother Ira.
Book Description
An unprecedented look at the life of cultural icon Marlene Dietrich that brings together firsthand accounts, remembrances, and anecdotes with pictorial and historical documentation.
Customer Reviews:
Marlene Is Eternal!.......2007-03-12
This is a tremendous book on the great Marlene Dietrich. I did see her perform several times and she was unforgettable. This book is a great tribute to her war work and her entire life and career. We will not see her like again and her grandson does her proud in this beautiful volume.
Book Description
Every major event in Elvis' amazing life is highlighted in this remarkable book: his music breakthrough in 1955 (with "Mystery Train"); his first number 1 hit ("Heartbreak Hotel") and first movie ("Love Me Tender") in 1956; his Army service (1958-60); his marriage (1965) and divorce (1973) to Priscilla; the birth of their daughter, Lisa Marie, in 1968; his Graceland Mansion; his many famous concerts, television appearances and feature films; his death in 1977; and his enormous posthumous influence 25 years after his death. All of these milestones are richly detailed from the files of the Associated Press. The hour-long companion audio CD contains clips of interviews with Elvis, as well as the memories of other entertainers, news-makers, fans, and family. This unique book and audio CD package is a priceless addition to any collection.
Customer Reviews:
A "must" for the legions of Elvis fans everywhere.......2002-09-07
Elvis: The King Remembered by Susan Moyer is the rags-to-riches story of one of America's most influential and beloved figures of American music and popular culture. It is now 25 years since the death of Elvis Presley on August 16, 1977, and yet his legend continues to grow and attract new generations to his music, his performance stylings, and his mercurial life story. A "must" for the legions of Elvis fans everywhere, Elvis: The King Remembered is enhanced with an accompanying CD developed by Elvis Presley authority Jerry Osborne comprising Elvis interviews and reactions.
Product Description
With a career spanning almost five decades, Orson Welles became--and in many ways still is--one of entertainment's biggest names. His temperamental vitality, his humor and his general theatricality contributed volumes to the American stage and movie screen. His concepts of lighting and staging brought a new era to American productions. Welles influenced an entire generation of directors. These interviews conducted between 2003 and 2005 record the reminiscences of 30 individuals who worked with Orson Welles in a professional capacity. Beginning with 1937 and his work in Mercury Theatre, it follows a selected few of many who were part of Welles's life up to his sudden death in October 1985. Including actors, editors, cinematographers, camera assistants and magicians, the work presents a rounded view of Welles's career and, to some extent, his personal life. Each interview is presented in question and answer format with occasional commentary inserted for context or clarification. Projects discussed include Welles's most notable (Citizen Kane and War of the Worlds) as well as others like Heart of Darkness and The Cradle Will Rock which never quite reached fruition.
Customer Reviews:
TOP WELLES TREASURE.......2007-08-19
I have fifty or sixty books by or about Welles, a big collection of his films, and have written my own book about him, THE WELLES REQUIEM, as yet unpublished, and now happily confess to revising what I thought I knew about him, especially about his hands-on mode of filmmaking. For me the most important part of this truly stimulating, wonderful book are the parts about Welles in the cutting room. He himself personally did not cut film! He hired people to do that and told them what he wanted and then came back a day or a week later. Most revealing is the cutter for CHIMES AT MIDNIGHT who tells how Welles did not direct the battle scenes and did not do the cutting or assemblage. I won't reveal the "secrets" about that but they alone made this book worthwhile. Aside from that, this is truly personal about Orson and he is here talking with you straight into your face and gripping your shoulder and feeding you Chinese take-out. Any lover of Welles, no matter how deeply versed in his life-story, can not help but be lifted to the Wellesian heavens by this one-on-one face-to-face meeting with Orson Welles. Congratulations to young author/editor Peter Prescott Tonquette!
Orson Welles and Magic.......2007-07-01
I have always been a fan of Orson Welles on radio and television. Having collected a ton of radio broadcasts on CD and audio cassette and having watched most of his movies, I appreciate the genius of his work. I picked up a copy of this book recently and am amazed at the amount of research put into it. An aspect of Welles rarely discussed is his magic career. At the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention this September in Aberdeen, Maryland, I plan to attend the presentation about Orson Welles and his magic career so I can watch rare footage and films with Welles, and get an even deeper insight to his trickery. Book comes recommended.
Amazon.com
Nadia Stancioff was Maria Callas's friend during the diva's unhappy final years, starting as a publicist for Callas's film of Medea. Interviewing people who had known her earlier, Stancioff sought to explore the woman from the inside--"Maria," not "Callas." Though the result offers no real information we haven't seen before, it is delivered in a personal voice that makes this memoir (first published in 1987) worth reading.
There's plenty about Callas's appearance and love life, but the tone is chatty rather than trashy. The events that Stancioff herself was there for were not especially significant (she was present, however, when Onassis paid his first visit to an agitated Callas after his marriage to Jackie Kennedy). More valuable are the stories she hears from colleagues, fans, and the singer's elusive sister. The one subtle, and indeed moving, touch is something the author doesn't do: she declines to resolve the contradictions people tell her. Maria's mother pushed her into singing; it was Maria's own desire. Maria's family was kept in luxury during World War II by her sister's boyfriend; Maria ate out of garbage cans. In the '40s, the Met offered her roles that she turned down; there was no offer. The stories aren't reconciled because Callas can't be: she exists only in the kaleidoscope of other people's impressions. Stancioff's own Maria is a difficult woman--capricious, superhumanly insecure--to whom she is utterly loyal.
The unanswered questions surrounding Callas's death have been discussed elsewhere, such as in Maria Callas: Sacred Monster. As speculated on by the chorus of voices here, the mystery is particularly unsettling. Neither Callas nor, perhaps, anyone who cared about her was in control of what she left behind. It's a sad end to the tale of a tortured woman whose aura is as strong as ever but who was, ultimately, no more knowable than any of us. --David Olivenbaum
Book Description
Never before in paperback: An intimate portrait of the private Callas
Years after her death Maria Callas remains one of the most renowned and compelling of all divas. Although much has been written about Callas the prima donna, the consummate stage magician, and the tragic lover of Aristotle Onassis, this is the first account of Maria the woman by someone who was close to her. Stancioff, a longtime friend, shares memories of the Maria who gave impromptu concerts of Beatles hits and Mexican ballads; of the Maria who starved herself to conform to the image of a celebrity but would go into rhapsodies about a plate of pasta. And to her own warm reminiscences, Stancioff adds the insights of Maria's friends, colleagues, and family. The figure that emerges is intriguing, infuriating, mystifying-and endlessly fascinating.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful account of a diva!.......2003-07-29
The saga of Callas's life has been told by many people. Some have been close to her and some haven't. Some have been affectionate and some have been cruel. This one was the former. When reading a biography on someone as colorful as Callas you must read everything at face value, however it is nice to know her assistant cared for her. It seemed that she understood her more than anyone and that alone is quite a feat. Callas had so many troubles (family, Onassis, La Scala, press, weight, etc)and Nadia was right there for her.
You must read this as a story of course because the truth we'll never know. Take a read it's worth it for a fan of LA DIVA.
Brava!.......2000-06-02
Most people who write a biography of someone, especially a friend or relative, have a vested interest in either making the person sound like a saint or a sinner.
The author of this amazing book, however, portrayed her good friend, Maria Callas, in what can only be best described as a very objective manner.
One comes away from this book with a very real sense of the person who was Maria Calles, not particularly in the legend that was Calles, the great Diva, the great voice of the 20th Century.
And I found this book to be quite a spellbinder. It was very hard to put it down. My feelings toward the subject ran the gamut from immense like and understanding to immense dislike. I found her at once fascinating and brilliant and on the other hand somewhat stupid. One minute I would think of her as a simple, silly twitt and the next I would find myself thinking of her as a very loving and warm rather intelligent woman. In some instances she was very stingy and other instances she was very giving and generous.
But I think the thing that stood out most to me was the fact that she had suffered from a good deal of betrayal in her lifetime. People had used her and emotionally and abused her. She was also financially used. And I think this made up a good deal of the woman she later became.
Like most people, Maria Callas was neither all good nor all bad. She was neither a saint nor a sinner. What I like about this book was that it gave her dignity and it gives the reader a feel for who the real Maria Callas was. Although it's written by a dear friend, someone who obviously thought highly of her, the author was nonetheless very objective in writing the accounts of Maria's life. She also told of the darker side of Maria Callas. But she did not use her own words entirely. In fact, she went to a great deal of trouble to interview other people who knew Maria well and many of them had very differing views from those of others who were interviewed.
So in the end the reader is left to draw his or her own conclusion about the type person Maria Callas was. I personally came away with a feeling of being quite touched by her life. I felt that she had suffered greatly, although she had indeed brought a lot of on herself, as we all do. I found her a very human person and quite different from the legend that we know as Callas.
There is no question that Calles, the legend, was the greatest soprano of the 20th century. She was the divas diva. The living up to the legend must have been very difficult indeed. And we find in this book an idea just how hard it was.
If you want a history of the career of Callas this is not the book you want to read. If you want what I believe to be a very factual and objective rendition of what her life as a woman was, this book has no equal.
And while you will get glimpses of the glamorous life of the diva, you'll also be able to feel the crashing reality of loneliness that was at the depth and center of the person behind the great diva, Maria.
Average customer rating:
- The Story of the Gentle Genius
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Mendelssohn Remembered (Nick Ward Plays)
Roger Nichols
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0571178618 |
Book Description
Although he died before his fortieth birthday, Felix Mendelssohn's accomplishments were many, beginning with his composition of a Piano Sonata in G minor at the age of eleven, and of his first Symphony at the age of fifteen. Best known as the composer of A Midsummer Night's Dream, and the Scotch (Third) Symphony, he was also a conductor, musicologist, teacher, painter, caricaturist, philospoher, founder of a Conservatory in Leipzig, husband, and the father of five children. To examine the many facets of Mendelssohn's character and to display the strikingly modern tone of his ideas on teaching, composition, and philosophy, Roger Nichols has culled excerpts from the letters, journals, reviews, and recorded conversations of a wide variety of Mendelssohn's family, friends, and acquaintances, including Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Hector Berlioz, Frederic Chopin, Robert and Clara Schumann, Richard Wagner and Queen Victoria.
As illustrative of Mendelssohn's personal life as it is of his musical achievement and forays into other artistic endeavours, Roger Nichols' wise selection and arrangement of texts has resulted in a book that is as accessible to anyone interested in nineteenth century cultural history as it is to the classical music afficionado.
Customer Reviews:
The Story of the Gentle Genius.......2002-05-23
Mendelssohn Remembered is a unique volume telling the story of the composers life and career through letters of those who knew him. We get a complete picture, from Mendelssohn's early years and his relationship with Goethe right up to his final days when exhaustion and grief over his sisters passing drove him to his death bed. The book also contains an excellent chronology of Mendelssohn's life and works matched up with contemporary figures and events. Some nice illustrations are added including some of Mendelssohn's own talented sketches. Perfect as an introduction to Felix Mendelssohn or as a resource for deeper study. Praiseworthy beyond all lauds. BRAVO!
Book Description
Celebrating the personal and musical legacy of Tim Buckley, Blue Melody tells the untold story of an exceptionally gifted and charismatic singer-songwriter rebel of the 1960s. Written by Buckley's lead guitarist and close friend, this combination of fond memoir and incisive biography is a remembrance of concerts, tours, recording sessions, friends, family and fellow musicians - and the tumultuous times in which they lived. It is also an informed appraisal of Buckley's dramatic creative odyssey, offering in-depth insight into his complex and sometimes self-destructive personality. The vivid narrative depicts Buckley's panoramic evolution across folk, folk-rock, jazz, avant-garde, and funk-rock, highlighting his refusal to be defined by critical or commercial success. Revealing Buckley's poetic intelligence and captivating humor, Blue Melody recounts dozens of behind-the-scenes stories, plus new information on the circumstances surrounding his alcohol and heroin overdose in 1975 at age 28.
Customer Reviews:
A True Artist.......2006-01-25
Tim Buckley was a musician from the 1960s and 70s whose life ended tragically at the age of 28 by a heroin overdose. His style was hard to label; he was influenced by a plethora of people, musically by names such as Dylan Thomas and Nat King Cole and literarily by Lorca and Rilke. He refused to be tied down, making CDs as diverse as his folk oriented first album Tim Buckley, his somewhat psychedelic and strange Lorca, and the sexy dance-music album Greetings from LA.
Lee Underwood was Buckley's guitarist and best friend for many years. He experienced countless moments with Buckley and brings memories into this book. His personal relationship with Buckley allows for greater insight into the man as a person and not just as an artist. On the downside, it also makes him incredibly biased, and Underwood is often quite redundant about Buckley's talents. In addition, as many of the stories are based on memories, the book is only vaguely chronological. It also includes a lot of information about Underwood himself, such as his relationships with women and his bout with alcoholism.
Perhaps the biggest hindrance to the book is the fact that most of Buckley's lyrics were unable to be published. Coupled with the inaccessibility of many of Buckley's albums, the reader could feel a bit lost for some references.
The book is supplemented by a few interview transcripts, a discography, a bibliography, and an index.
Many people know Tim Buckley simply as the father of Jeff Buckley; this is how I came to find this book. There are many similarities between the two, some of them are discussed in the text, but it is obvious that the two were very different people. If one finds it difficult to separate the two, this book would be an excellent source.
Even if one does not like Tim Buckley's music, it is easy to respect his musical views and ideas. He was an intelligent man, a gifted artist, and a fascinating musical figure.
a Blue Treasury.......2005-02-20
For those of you who love the work of Tim Buckley, Blue Melody is the final song written on the most important album of all, and the essential companion to your treasured collection of Buckley's music.
In this book, Tim is remembered with love, honesty and respect for his short, but creatively magnificent life. Author Lee Underwood, Tim's lead guitarist and obviously the closest of friends, was a huge part of that life with his own place amongst the shadows and light surrounding Tim. As both a friend and a conceptual helper, Underwood's knowledge and support played an important role in Tim's extraordinary creative evolution.
Blue Melody pulls no punches about the often destructive and hedonistic lifestyle Tim and others led, but that is part of its addictive charm. It is truly the evocation of an age now sadly past, which many of us tragically missed out on.
This is no conventional biography by any means. Most biographies are read from beginning to end and put to one side, sometimes forever. Blue Melody will be dipped into again and again, for a Buckley fact, for the emotions behind a song, for insights regarding the creative process, or the desire to open one's imagination and relive the sights, the sounds, and the lifestyles of the musical age surrounding Tim and his fellow artists.
In Blue Melody, Underwood has created a tapestry of colours for us to enjoy whenever we need to. It is a book that is written with music infusing every word, and packed with the sort of aesthetic and psychological insights this reader wanted to know. He is remembering Buckley not only as a witness of events in Buckley's life, but as a close friend writing with the wisdom of age and the passage of time. He now has the ability to view Tim as a subtle influence on generations of musician since, like a stone cast in the water, whose circles ripple ever outward getting larger as they travel. Buckley was a true original, and a musician well ahead of his time creatively.
One would hope that some time in the future, a similar close and loving friend will write a Blue Melody for Jeff Buckley, a young man who had only just begun to travel in his father's footsteps. Underwood's chapter about Jeff was far more real, fair, balanced, and true than anything else I have heard, read or seen about this man.
This book will always live with my music collection, and there will never come a time when I will not want to dip into it for something to think about. It's that sort of treasure!
Has a few interesting stories, but unprofessionally written.......2004-10-14
BLUE MELODY is a biography of musician Tim Buckley by his long-time lead guitarist Lee Underwood, who worked with Buckley from before this recording of his first album in 1966 to his tragic death in 1975. Underwood not only knew Buckley intimately and can share many stories of his life, but he also appreciated him selflessly and at times the book approaches hagiography.
While the strongest part of Underwood's biography is Buckley's folk period, up until around 1969, I was happy to see him dedicate a great deal of space to the era of STARSAILOR, which Buckley--as well as many fans--considered his masterpiece. Underwood discusses the impact of the album on the music world and concert-goers, and speaks about the musical innovations of that superlative album. The work is divided into two sections, in which the first--the bulk of the book--charts Buckley's life, and the second recounts the circumstances of his death and lasting impact.
This book has a lot of problems. For one, it appears to be a vanity-press offering with little professional editing. Underwood's writing is cliched and repetitious, with the same handful of positive adjectives ("beautiful", "sensitive", "immaculate") used to describe every person he liked. His biggest failing, however, is that he often gets so lost in his memories that Tim Buckley is left beside and the reader wades through Underwood's fond recollections of his own personal life, with all its drug use and illicit road sex.
The last chapter of the book concerns Jeff Buckley, and Underwood swings between lightly praising him and harshly criticizing him as an unappreciative son and a man of limited talent and even more limited acheivement. I found this last section incoherent and quite unfair, for there are many people who are fans of both Tim and Jeff without feeling that the father's career was betrayed by the son's.
BLUE MELODY is a poorly-written and edited recollection that is only for diehard fans of Tim Buckley. I would encourage those looking to know something about the all-too-brief life of this great artist to turn to David Browne's biography of Tim and Jeff DREAM BROTHER.
As only a true friend and sympathetic writer can do it.......2004-09-16
Lee Underwood's "Blue Melody" is an inspired, revealing memoir that could only have been written by someone in close proximity to a beautiful and tragic human life - the artist as fragile human being and as historical event. A unique artist and deeply sensitive witness to life, person, music and culture, Underwood digs deep into memory, impression, music and detail to construct a book on the iconic Tim Buckley, a singer and musical explorer who, the tastes of the listener aside, dug deeper into the human soul and the possibilities of musical expression than most of the more famous legends of "pop" culture.
For a brief overview of Buckley the artist, try reading my review of his Goodbye and Hello; otherwise, Blue Melody is the perfect portrait of the man, his music and his legacy. It is not quite a biography, though it tells a great deal about his early life, his relationships and the arc of his career; it also offers some deeply insightful speculations into the psychological forces that shaped a life of extraordinary openness, love and beauty, and simultaneous self-destruction, interpersonal excess, instability and alienation. From his unique perspective as Tim's best friend and faithful musical colorist (he is a fine and unusual guitarist/pianist himself), Underwood illuminates the often inscrutable paths that Buckley took from one musical inspiration to another. He charts the transformations and distortions in Buckley's personal life that must be seen as the tragic price of living as an acutely sensitive and powerful antenna to the world and to the soul - he comes across as a man barely able to hang onto his relentless need to explore and transform, his desperation to summon and then cast off skins and shells as though ghosts of an untenable life. He felt too much, perceived and responded from within with too much intensity for a sustainable life; as Underwood suggests, through all the pain, it was as though Buckley knew he needed to write and record as much as possible before his time ran out.
Underwood was there with Buckley through most of his albums, through the richness of the New York and California music scenes of the late sixties, and was party and partner in the most wildly creative and diverse period of Buckley's career, as well as co-traveler along the real and figurative roads that took them around the world, between gigs and albums. His writing style is romantic and evocative, but he displays an unstinting clarity and willingness to analyze. A mature writer unafraid of ambiguity and emotional overflow, he offers the rhapsodic sense of a time and a place alongside the irony born of reflection upon blunt facts and an acute awareness of the dark side - a darkness he experienced first hand, both with Buckley, and, revealingly, in painful separation from his friend.
This is a memoir, first and foremost, but it will please lovers of the biographical form, fans of Tim Buckley and students of the American history of the sixties and seventies. It will surely appeal to students of the creative personality who will appreciate a portrait of the quintessential tortured genius whose flame burned out at an age when most flames are still rising.
Recommended without reservation. Now go buy some Tim Buckley CD's, and certainly buy the book.
yea.......2004-02-26
An excellent book, it will make you understand so much about Buckley's inner calling and his music. This book is recommended to anyone who loves music-jazz,rock,funk,avant garde, classical, reggea
Average customer rating:
- I like amazon
- It really brings the composer to life!
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Debussy Remembered
Roger Nichols
Manufacturer: Amadeus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Debussy, Claude
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Debussy and His World (The Bard Music Festival)
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The Life of Debussy (Musical Lives)
ASIN: 0931340411 |
Book Description
An anthology of vivid and revealing memoirs, Debussy Remembered includes recollections from a wide range of Debussy's friends, colleagues, and acquaintances.
Customer Reviews:
I like amazon.......2006-03-21
It's faster to receive my product than I think.
And the protection is so great!
I will continue to buy stuffs at amazon!
It really brings the composer to life!.......1999-01-05
I've been researching Debussy's Piano Music as part of my degree and I found this book to be fascinating because it revealed the composer to me in a new light.
It's a completely enjoyable book to read; reliable and relevant to his music
Book Description
Known for his legendary stone face and incredible physical gags, Buster Keaton (1895-1966) was a genius of silent-film comedy. Decades after their release, his movies remain unsurpassed marvels of comic invention and mechanical timing. In Buster Keaton Remembered, a unique illustrated survey of Keaton's career, Eleanor Keaton, his wife of 26 years, and film historian Jeffrey Vance provide a personal account of this icon of American cinema.
Drawing on professional papers, screenplays, studio records, and scrapbooks, the authors trace Keaton's beginnings in vaudeville, where he perfected his gags; his first silent shorts with Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle; the brilliant features he conceived, directed, produced, and performed in; and his later sound films for M-G-M and others. Fresh prints of classic film stills and never-before-published photos from the Margaret Herrick Library of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, together with a lively, anecdotal text, offer a behind-the-scenes look at how Keaton came up with his hilarious ideas, choreographed his elaborate stunts, and crafted his films.
Customer Reviews:
Buster-a wonderful and fitting remembrance.......2005-02-24
I can't believe I've reached my 50th review.And it is happily on a topic near and dear to my heart.....Buster Keaton.
Buster was not as appreciated as he might have been in his 1920s heydays.And when his downfall at the hands of MGM came in the early 30s,as far as the public was concerned he was just considered just another fatality
like so many of his peers that occured in the late 20s and early 30s with the conversion to sound.He was soon forgotten.
But it didn't keep Buster down the least bit.He eventually battled back from depression and acute alcoholism.He was rarely out of work for very long and whether behind or in front of the camera he continued on like a trouper for the rest of his days.
The man lived and breathed comedy and never lost his ability in the development and creation of gags.And of course his masterful directing abilities and knowledge of the camera were unquestionable.
Buster fortunately lived long enough to see a steady resurgence in his popularity and homages from many in the film industry.And his public persona also reached new heights as new generations rediscovered his older films and/or relished his appearances in newer films and on TV.
This book then is a fitting tribute to a legend and one of the GREAT(and I don't use this word lightly) purveyors of screen comedy in the 20th century.
It is first and foremost a pictorial tribute.It is absollutely filled with wonderful photographs,some I have seen but others I have not.
It even has a photo montage of a Buster how-to on creating his trademark pork pie hat.
All this is nicely rounded out with text from the author and most especially his late widow Eleanor.
All in all I recommend this book highly to those who are just discovering this great screen comedy genius.There's no better way to acclimate yourself to his life and career.And to those like myself who have known and adored this mans' work for years,this book should be an essential piece in the Buster Keaton section of your library.
Well worth having.......2003-07-16
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Being a fan of Buster, I've read numerous bios, ranging from mediocre to all out hatchet jobs. Students of the "Great Stone Face" will learn a lot, I certainly did. The photographs alone are worth the price of the book, epsecially the "stills" from THE GENERAL, STEAMBOAT BILL JR. and ONE WEEK. Keaton always seems to take the proverbial "back-seat" to Chaplin, but Buster was the better comic, by FAR!!! And, as an added bonus, you can see how Buster and Eleanor made the "pork-pie hats" worn in so many of Keaton's films.
Silent No More.......2002-10-13
I've always been a little disappointed that Buster Keaton gets overshadowed by stars like Chaplin, mainly because he was more than just a silent comedian. In many ways, he was a daredevil of his time, always doing his own stunts and risking his life on several occasions. In today's Hollywood, what star would've dared let a whole house fall on him and miss by mere inches as Buster does in Steamboat Bill Jr.?? Not even Jackie Chan would've tried that one!
With that in mind, Buster Keaton Remembered is superb at illustrating a lot of the stunts and tricks he used in making his best movies, not to mention the man himself, with some glorious candid and studio photography.
The only real disappointment I found with this book is the text's general lack of depth. Sure, the classic shorts and features are all here. But his later work (post-1940) is generally glossed over. Many intriguing elements are also introduced like the death of one of his gag writers, his unreleased film "Ten Girls Ago", his family becoming part of Buster's films, etc. But in most cases, these are only mentioned in passing and get little analysis or explanation.
But then, Buster Keaton Remembered isn't really meant to be a biography - this is more of a coffee table book. So if you're looking for a stunning pictorial of his life, this is the one to pick up. If you're looking for more detailed insights into the man and his movies, it's time to head for the library.
gorgeous love letter.......2002-03-25
the photos are worth the price of admission, many i had not seen before as a long time fan of keaton. the text is clear, and not horribly sentimental, which i was afraid to find as the book was co-written by his last wife.
gorgeous. really well done.
A Great Comedian and Grandfather.......2001-10-01
I recently attended the Ninth annual Buster Keaton Festival in Iola .KS. It was my seventh visit. I met Margaret his Granddaughter and she autographed this book. The book is beautifally done in the vailed quality of the golden movie age. The pictures and story line are truly of love for this man from his wife and "grandaughter". James Karen also was present and received the "Buster". Stone face will be remembered as a common man with photos of him smiling. This is special because he was also a proud grandfather to his granddaughter. For a final tribute visit, Find a grave.com GOD BLESS BUSTER
Average customer rating:
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Bruckner Remembered (Composers Remembered Series)
Stephen Johnson
Manufacturer: Faber & Faber
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0571170951 |
Book Description
Over a century after his death, Bruckner the man remains an enigma. Popular ancedotes represent him as a visionary simpleton, his life dominated exclusively by music and religion. And yet this same bizarre figure is widely held to have produced some of the most original and sophisticated music written in the second half of the nineteenth century. The reminiscences collected in Bruckner Remembered allow insights into a much more complicated, sometimes tormented mind riddled by dark obsessions and spiritual doubts, creating a profile that is as tantalizing as it is illuminating.
Part of the Faber's Composers Remembered Series
Customer Reviews:
Informative and poignant.......2003-07-31
A gem of a book in this wonderful series --- this small volume will surprise you with anecdotes and stories of Bruckner's life --- definitely not the theoretical exercise that is popularly supposed. Interesting in particular is the clash between Bruckner and Brahms --- between the sublime and the merely very good. Highly recommended in place of the overpriced and overinflated academic Bruckner studies which are proliferating.
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