Amazon.com
As celebrity biographer McGilligan tells it in Clint, Eastwood's career is the classic tale of power and fame corrupting: a small-town boy (who actually grew up in San Francisco) comes to L.A. with a wide grin and an easy manner; is remade by agents and directors (Sergio Leone said, that at first, "Eastwood had only two expressions: with or without a hat"); becomes one of the richest stars in Hollywood; and stops smiling--except wolfishly. McGilligan depicts him as a master of betrayal, casually discarded friendships, and alleged extramarital affairs (which seem to shock the author), complete with alleged children out of wedlock.
Readable though kiss-and-tell breathless, McGilligan's book sometimes overlooks Clint's full significance as a crafter of classics. He should remember the sage words of the French critic who observed, "If you love the films, nothing else matters." --Gregory McNamee
Book Description
Like The Man With No Name, one of his most famous roles, Clint Eastwood has always had an aura of tight-lipped mystery. He has long been an internationally famous star, first of television and then of the movies, and he has more recently joined a select group of Oscar-winning actor-directors, including Orson Welles, Charlie Chaplin and Woody Allen.
But the real Clint has always been an enigma-until now. With this gripping and scrupulously researched biography, Patrick McGilligan, one of America's top film writers, has revealed the man behind the indelible image.
Throughout his remarkable near-half century career, Eastwood has tended to play characters who are cold, hard and morally ambiguous-from Sergio Leone's "spaghetti westerns" through Hang Em High and Dirty Harry to In the Line of Fire and Unforgiven. No star is more the hero to his audience: a symbol of simple solutions, law & order, and rebellion against bureaucracy. But offscreen, Clint Eastwood has always been an arch manipulator: of women, friends and colleagues, publicity and finance.
Always even-handed, managing to steer clear of both fawning over and unfair excoriation of its fascinating subject, this biography sheds definitive light on Clint as actor, director and human being.
Customer Reviews:
No Million Dollar Bio.......2007-07-29
If this biography was a boxing match, the author, Patrick McGilligan, would have been disqualified in the first round for low blows for its condescending tone and tabloid style. Being that as it may, I came into the book thinking there would be major revelations based on the other Amazon reviews I'd read. Hardly. A major Hollywood star of Eastwood's caliber had affairs behind his wife's back? Shocking! Eastwood's style of acting is "wooden"? No way! The only juicy tidbit is that Eastwood was physically abusive toward women. One story depicts him smacking his wife around in front of some friends. The only problem is, this isn't backed up by multiple sources, as the other reviews would have you believe. It's the word of one person, as are the majority of quotes and anecdotes from this biography. Some attributions even have an US Weekly feel to them, saying things like, "A friend added..." Contradictions abound as well. McGilligan claims Eastwood wouldn't allow the characters he played to be badly injured or beaten up to give his screen persona a sense of invincibility. Yet a few pages later he discusses, at length, Eastwood's first major American film "Hang `Em High," where Eastwood's character Cooper is hanged from a tree and left for dead "before the credits roll" and then later shot so many times in a bar fight that the director said it was rather preposterous that Cooper survived. Not to mention Cooper spends a rather long sequence of the film recuperating from the shooting with the aid of, say it isn't so, a woman! This is invincibility, Patrick? I am an Eastwood fan and I hope McGilligan's claims about physical abuse toward women are false. Since he provides little evidence to support these claims, and since Eastwood's films have always championed strong female characters---long before mainstream Hollywood caught on to this idea---I will choose to believe that this wasn't the case. It's true no Eastwood biography written prior to this one was the least bit confrontational or critical of the star, so I understand McGilligan's angle. But if you come to challenge an American icon like that, you better fight a good, clean fight. You can't put lead in your gloves or repeatedly punch someone in the groin and expect to be taken seriously by anyone other than the casual fight fan.
Clint Fans Beware !.......2007-06-01
Patrick McGilligan's book "Clint: The Life and Legend" presents the reader with a negative account of the life of Clint Eastwood from beginning to end.
One can't help but wonder what was the motivation for McGilligan's vilification of one of the most popular living movie giants.
Little is said of the millions of moviegoers to whom Clint has given unquantifiable enjoyment in timeless works.
McGilligan's biography is unauthorised, which is no surprise after the first few pages.
The attention given to movies varies from too much information to very scant detail. "Where Eagles Dare", for instance, hardly gets a mention.
What a pity to waste an obviously good writing talent in such an unbalanced criticism.
Clint fans should definitely give this a miss.
Truth or Fiction.......2006-12-30
If you really like Clint then don't bother with this bio. McGilligan paints Eastwood as a total bastard with no positive character attributes whatsoever. It's pretty much a total character assasination. There is some interesting info about his early career but there is an aweful lot of negative. Maybe that was McGilligan's intention to focus only on the negative and present Eastwood as a sod.
is "dirty harry" a "rotten clint"? .......2006-11-03
john steinbeck said that all good books can be described in one sentence.
following that reasoning, i'd say this: "clint eastwood is not a good person".
according to the 4 year research by the author, eastwood always treated women like garbage, is given to attacks of fury, is an egomaniac, a sloppy director, lazy, holds grudges, is a sadist, is stupid, is a total coward, has no character, is a shmuck... etc.
clint was a sort of a teen idol of mine, i've seen all his films. according to the author, clint's career and myth are a triumph of publicity, of projecting a false image to a worldwide audience.
we all know that people under the spotlight of fame are exposed to false accusations, etc. but even steve mcqueen, with all his faults, had, according to at least 2 biographies, a very human side. according to this book, clint is a block of ice without remission. sometimes, it feels the author is not talking about a human being.
like other reviewers said, the author of the book may have a grudge against clint. but many of the episodes and stories contained in the book are checked and confirmed by 2 or 3 sources, on the record. either this is an extremely violent personal attack or, if it's the truth, well, clint eastwood is a despicable individual.
the author writes well, it's a very readable book. but it's not pleasant to know that dirty harry is, in fact, a "rotten clint".
there are 2 misinformed reviewers here. one says clint sued. but the book doesen't say he beat his ex wife. the book is still in circulation and the judge apparently decided that way. and there is another book by sondra locke which confirms many of the facts presented here. other reviewer says that the author of the book didn't get good reviews. i'd advise him to read the back cover, with praise from prestigious newspapers and magazines. someone also says here that it's an attack on eastwood political values and the author of the book is biased. eastwood supported nixon all through the watergate. any people with any sense of decency or any degree of honesty couldn't ever support nixon's activities in the watergate. need i say more?...
Disturbing yet necessary-Clint's still Clint though..........2005-04-12
I've read this book 4 or 5 times now and I still find it fascinating. Though there are some errors in it, it's still tarnishes Clint's reputation-somewhat. Despite being overtly negative, and sad for those of us who are big fans, Clint will still be Clint to the vast majority. I find it disappointing that he fathered so many kids that he wasn't really a father to, and that he could distance himself from people who were once his friends without so much as a backward glance, but the quote at the end of the book says it all, really. It says: "If you like Clint's films, that's all that matters". I agree, sort of. I just feel let down knowing that someone I admire so much has so many deep character flaws.
Book Description
Over four decades, Clint Eastwood has become a Hollywood legend, with his success on both sides of the camera assuring him a place in cinema history. Born the son of a steel worker in 1930, Eastwood’s drive for success led him to his first break, in 1959, on the TV series Rawhide. Eastwood broke from television in 1964 with A Fistful of Dollars—his steely gaze and strong, silent screen presence made the film a surprise box-office smash. In 1971, his performance in Dirty Harry cemented his reputation as an electrifying talent, and he has since gone on to star in and direct some of the most memorable films in Hollywood history. Now, drawing on exclusive interviews with the star, Douglas Thompson gives us a definitive portrait.
Customer Reviews:
Great look at a still underrated filmmaker.......2005-07-14
The focus of this volume is Mr. Eastwood the director, and this book collects a good variety of American and international interviews with him discussing his process, from PLAY MISTY FOR ME and THE OUTLAW JOSEY WALES to BIRD and UNFORGIVEN and up through MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD & EVIL (the book was published in '99, so of course it does not feature any of his works from this new century). If after MILLION DOLLAR BABY you're finally starting to come around and see Eastwood the artist, this book is a great negotiation of his career in the director's chair, in his own, laconic, well-chosen, unpretentious and to-the-point voice. Highly recommended for any budding or hardcore Clint Eastwood fans alike. Or any serious filmfan, for that matter.
DOA from boredom........2002-11-10
I had to read this book for an English class. It's just a collection of articles of people interviewing Clint Eastwood through the years. Want to know how he makes movies? He shoots the first take, moves fast and comes in under budget. His history is told over, and over, and over, and over. Nice to read if you run out of sleeping pills.
Boring.......2002-05-12
These interviews are dull and repetitive. Just buy the Schickel book.
Good book, but too pricey.......1999-08-04
An interesting book for serious Clint fans. However, the $45 price tag is a little steep, and unjustifiably so. Very few photos, only black and white. Save your $$ and buy the paperback instead.
Customer Reviews:
You won't be able to put it down.......2006-10-31
Rarely have I ever read a more honest, powerful, moving and funny book. I read the book in two days and was sick the entire time, but was unable to put it down and rest myself. My only wish is that this will be made into a movie...Sondra, god bless.
new title: Hot Flash.......2006-09-03
But she is bright enough to keep it at bay. Sandra Locke is the beautfiul southern actress I admired since I was a child for her unique beauty.
I bought this knowing that it took two to Tango and I stay with it. She sounds bitter and like she does live to be a victim.
If my memory serves me correctly, she had limited success and she made her name in the 70's through Clint Eastwood. She did not have this great success she claims before him. Now that her meal ticket is closed off, she is resounding victimhood. What she denies in the book is actually what she is doing.
Save the money and watch the Lifetime channel to hear how women are victimized on a daily basis.
Awesome book!!!.......2006-01-31
This book was fascinating, mostly because of precious Gordon and Sondra's interesting encounters with synchronicity. I wish she would write more about it. I was especially fascinated because my mother and I wrote a mystery novel and screenplay about synchronicity titled "Fireworks" (Stargate Press, 2003). I know I was led to read Sondra's book! I wish she and Gordon would produce a movie from our screenplay! How can I reach Sondra?? I'm at www.stargatepress.com
Lies And Spin.......2005-04-09
My whole family watches the Clint Eastwood movies, we like them very much and think Mr. Eastwood is a great actor. Sondra Locke is just telling a bunch of lies just because Mr. Eastwood did not want to marry her, I can see why also. If Mr. Eastwood was such a cold hearted weirdo, why does he have seven kids and has been married twice? Anyway, don't buy this book, if you want some good laughs rent it from The Libary. Go out and buy 'High Plains Drifter'.
A Class Act Book by a Classy Lady.......2005-03-17
The Good, the Bad & the Very Ugly is an excellent book written by Sondra Locke showing the 'other-side' of the coin, the public doesn't see, of the imperfect 'icon'. Her book has flair, reads smooth and is written with 'class'. Having watched many of Eastwood's films, the most memorable line to me, of all his famous quoted lines, is the one his 'ghost' character articulates in High Plains Drifter - "... it's what a man knows of himself, that makes him afraid..." I hope Eastwood learns what caring and consideration is all about. Caring is an extension of Unconditional Love...something that seems to be drastically missing from his life.
Reviewed by Stephen R. Sulik, author of "Color of Laughter, Color of Tears."
Amazon.com
Schickel, a movie critic for Time magazine, surveys the life and career of Hollywood's laconic macho superstar. Eastwood's career has slowly developed: television success in Rawhide; his icon-defining role as the nameless gunslinger in Sergio Leone's spaghetti Westerns; movie superstardom with the Dirty Harry series; then a softening, and even some intellectual respectability, with his Oscar for directing Unforgiven. Shickel chronicles Eastwood's middle-class upbringing in Oakland, California, details a personal life that included a drive to bed many women, and recasts Eastwood from his role as the male equivalent of the "dumb blonde" to that of "one of the great ironists of the age."
Book Description
"Authoritative . . . highly nuanced . . . gives the reader a palpable sense of Mr. Eastwood's career."
--The New York Times
From the moment The Man With No Name first fixed the screen with his murderous squint, from the first time audiences heard Dirty Harry Callahan growl "Make my day," Clint Eastwood has been an icon of American manhood in all its coolness and ferocity. But that icon is also an actor of surprising subtlety, a filmmaker of vast intelligence and originality--and an intensely private man who eludes the stereotypes with which his fans and critics try to label him.
In this in-depth biography, the distinguished film critic Richard Schickel talks with Eastwood's family, friends, and colleagues--and, above all, with his notoriously reticent subject--to produce a portrait more astute and revealing than any we have ever had.
Following Eastwood from his unstable childhood through his turbulent love affairs, assessing films from A Fistful of Dollars to the Oscar-winning The Unforgiven, and locating the subversive streak of rage and solitude that runs through all his work, Clint Eastwood is candid and endlessly fascinating, an unerring closeup of one of our brightest stars.
"Exhilarating . . . substantial, insightful, and right."
--Newsday
Customer Reviews:
Fawning and ridiculous.......2006-08-18
Eastwood has always been one of my favorite action stars. Generally a stiff and unsurprising actor, he has played virtually the same character in all his movies. Which is not a problem (for me). My problem is biographies like this one written by Schickel, a usually intelligent and perceptive critic. I'm assuming he had to kiss up to Eastwood in order to get certain information in this book, and his writing reflects this position. Toadish and lacking in objectivity, Schickel finds nothing wrong with Eastwood's constant cheating on his first wife, his inability to work with other directors (he is a control freak), and his hiring of sycophants who would not question his motives--and if they did, they never worked for him again. A major disappointment for anyone seeking an honest evaluation of Eastwood's film career. However, if you worship the ground he walks on--as Schickel obviously does--then this is the book for you!
Padded and Nonobjective..........2004-08-10
If you are looking for a thick book about actor/director Clint Eastwood's life and career, illustrated with some unusual photos, then this will fill the bill. If you want an objective biography of Eastwood, together with an objective analysis of his film work, this is not the book you want. Schickel was basically an employee and friend of Eastwood during the researching and writing of the book, and he tends to ignore or downplay the dark side of Eastwood's activities, particularly his alleged "women are like kleenex" philosophy, and his alleged cruelty toward former collaborators.
The long book is made longer by merciless padding, including detailed and completely unnecessary plot summaries of the films.
Viewed from 2004, Clint Eastwood is an important actor--- as good an actor as Jimmy Stewart and as iconic an actor as John Wayne. He is also an important and stylish director, and justifiably famous for his gentle ways with cast and crew, as well as his efficiency in coming in under budget. One of the author's continuing themes, brought up on nearly every page, turns upon the consistent misunderstanding of Eastwood, both as actor and director, by two generations of famous mainstream film critics. This theme wears thin quickly when one realizes that there is probably not a single case in which famous mainstream film critics have had the slightest clue as to the value, importance and significance of any new film or film star.
Eastwood is an important figure in 20th Century cinema, and he deserves an objective, scholarly, independently-researched analysis of all aspects of his life and career. I don't know of one... we'll keep looking.
Enjoyable read, very informative........2004-07-12
This is an excellent book about the life and work of a legend. Richard Schickel gives us a close look at the free spirited man that's living inside of the veteran actor. Very detail work about Mr. Eastwood's movie making process and his no bulls**t attitude toward the studio execs and anyone who stands on his way. Ms. Pauline Kael should just say it out loud that she's begging for the legend's attention or just shut the hell up. Any Eastwood fan will really appreciate the author's work.
A mixed bag biography.......2004-01-03
Being a huge fan of Eastwood as well as a close personal friend creates quite the conflict in TIME film critic Richard Schickel as he attempts to write a biography about an artist who closely guards his privacy. This obstacle results in a hap-hazard biography that provides few surprises or insights into the laconic, silent man who has become on of America's true unique artists.
Schickel also drives a stake through the pacing of his writing by providing scene by scene recounts of each of Eastwood's key films. He is overlooking the fact that the majority of his intended audience already has each film memorized. This causes the book to often languish in molasses and cause the reader to skim- never a good thing.
Where Schickel does succeed is in the all-too brief insights into Eastwood's technique and artistic philosophy. Had Schickel chosen to focus in this area, his work would have provided more depth and sustained interest.
As is CLINT EASTWOOD: A BIOGRAPHY is a mixed bag read. Worthwhile only if one is willing to skim.
Sufficient overview of Eastwood's career.......2003-10-23
With few biographies of Clint Eastwood available, Richard Schickel's 1996 effort fills a void. Unfortunately, the void, though smaller, still exists since this is far from an objective look at either Eastwood the man, the star, or the filmmaker. It's certainly not a surprise. Schickel wrote a 1992 TV special promoting "Unforgiven," and also compiled the film clips for the tribute preceding Eastwood's reciept of the Irving Thalberg Award at the 1995 Oscars. Eastwood cooperated with the author for this biography and even did some interviews in tandem with Schickel to promote the book. And when informing us that the critic for Life magazine praised 1968's "Hang 'Em High," Schickel neglects to point out the name of that critic who just so happened to be...duh, Richard Schickel. When biographer and subject are such good buddies, well, you just have to wonder if you're getting anything closely resembling the truth. But...
As an overview of Eastwood's career, particularly his transformation from a superstar in genre movies to respected auteur, it is sufficient, even though some easily detected errors go undetected ("Unforgiven" recieved 9 Oscar nominations, not 8 as Schickel says - doesn't anybody bother to check these things?).
Average customer rating:
|
Persistence of Double Vision : Essays on Clint Eastwood
William Beard , and
William Beard
Manufacturer: The University of Alberta Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Actors & Actresses
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Music
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 088864356X |
Book Description
Clint Eastwood represents probably the single strongest icon of heroic masculinity in popular cinema over the past quarter-century. But how odd that, through ironic allusion and gesture, this figure seems continually to deconstruct its own stature. Such problems form the foundation for Bill Beard's examination of Eastwood. Director, producer, and star, Eastwood has become one of the most important figures in American cinema today. This collection of linked essays examines Eastwood's unique position as overpowering cinematic icon and creative filmmaker; as reflector, perpetuator, and even producer of mainstream cultural and ideological values; and as idiosyncratic, complex manipulator of the narrative he inhabits.
Average customer rating:
|
CLINT EASTWOOD: A BIOGRAPHY
Richard Schickel
Manufacturer: Alfred A. Knopf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Actors & Actresses
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0224038117 |
Average customer rating:
|
Clint Eastwood
Christopher Frayling
Manufacturer: Virgin Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
| Actors & Actresses
| Artists, Architects & Photographers
| Authors
| Composers & Musicians
| Dancers
| Entertainers
| Movie Directors
| New Age
| Television Performers
| Theatre
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 0863693075 |
Average customer rating:
|
Clint Eastwood
Robert Tanitch
Manufacturer: Pub Overstock Unlimited Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
Acting & Auditioning
| Theater
| Performing Arts
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Arts & Photography
| Subjects
| Books
Actors & Actresses
| Arts & Literature
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Biographies & Memoirs
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Foreign Languages
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 028980132X |
Books:
- Confessions of a Video Vixen
- Dark City Dames: The Wicked Women of Film Noir
- Dark City: The Lost World of Film Noir
- Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television
- Eyes Wide Open: A Memoir of Stanley Kubrick
- Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy (Fancy Nancy)
- Film: A Critical Introduction
- Film: A Critical Introduction
- Film: A Critical Introduction
- Film: A Critical Introduction
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Flat Tax Revolution: Using a Postcard to Abolish the IRS
- Bangalore Tiger
- The Seduction of Silence
- Thunderstruck
- This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession
- Anthem
- A Field Guide to the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific
- Employment and Wages Annual Averages, 2002
- Who Packed My Baggage
- Manual De Beneficios Del Seguro Social / Manual Of Social Security Benefits
Clint Eastwood: A Biography
The Good, the Bad, and the Very Ugly: A Hollywood Journey
Clint Eastwood: Billion Dollar Man
Clint Eastwood: Interviews (Conversations With Filmmakers Series)
Jack's Life: A Biography of Jack Nicholson
