Average customer rating:
- This is it the real deal up close and personal.
- I COULD NOT GIVE THIS BOOK AWAY
- a great account of life with Freddie Mercury
- Freddie Mercury handbook
- Good Read
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Freddie Mercury
Peter Freestone
Manufacturer: Omnibus Press
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Queen: The Early Years
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ASIN: 0711986746
Release Date: 2001-10-01 |
Book Description
The paperback edition of the biography of the flamboyant frontman of the group Queen. An intimate account of Freddie Mercury's life by the man who was his personal assistant for the last 12 years of his life. A widely-acclaimed, celebrity -studded account of the tragicomedy that was Freddie Mercury's outrageous life. Contains intimate photographs taken from the author's personal collection.
Customer Reviews:
This is it the real deal up close and personal. .......2007-09-14
This is a book by Freddie's personal assisant who lived right along side him. Almost as good as being there yourself. As far as a Freddie a biography this is at the top of the list along with Mercury and Me by Jim Hutton. It's good great pictures too. I highly recommend this book and I like to think of myself as a Freddie connoisseur. Can you ever really get enough Freddie stuff. I think not.
I COULD NOT GIVE THIS BOOK AWAY.......2007-06-13
I do not care how you feel about Freddie or people who lived his lifestyle. THE BOOK IS TERRIBLE AND THE PICTURES ARE A JOKE. I could not even give this book away to the public library!
You can read better and more accurate material for free online. There are many fansites that have reproductions of interviews conducted with Freddie and the other Queen members. A year or so ago, a trade publication dedicated the entire magazine to Queen and I learn new information.
Take my advice and search the web for information and photographs, you will be glad you did.
a great account of life with Freddie Mercury.......2007-01-26
Peter Freestone was Freddie Mercury's personal assistant from 1979 until Freddie's death in 1991. In that time, Peter found himself in the midst of many interesting scenarios, many of which are chronicled in his book. Peter's detailed account of the layout of Garden Lodge (Freddie's palatial home in the Kensington section of London) is especially noteworthy. Peter went around the world with Freddie, experienced many tours, witnessed many recording sessions and video shoots, met many people who came and went in Freddie's life, and was even with Freddie during his declining years. One can tell his loyalty to Freddie was steadfast. Even though I favor Jim Hutton's book over all other books written about Freddie Mercury, this one still gets my stamp of approval, and I would still recommend it.
Freddie Mercury handbook.......2006-03-20
Most complete biography of Freddie Mercury that I've seen. It really takes you inside Freddie's world. After reading it, I almost felt like I knew him. A must have for any Queen fan.
Good Read.......2006-02-25
I enjoyed reading the life of Freddie Mercury on the stage and in his personal life. He was very generous to those who were close to him.
Average customer rating:
- Dull, Dull and Dreadful
- Much Ado about Nothing
- By no means a serious study of GayHollywood, but a good read
- Beef Jerky for the Brain
- Deeper analysis of being gay in Hollywood
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Open Secret: Gay Hollywood 1928-1998
David Ehrenstein
Manufacturer: William Morrow & Company
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Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0688153178 |
Amazon.com
If David Ehrenstein's Open Secret says that somebody is gay, you can safely assume that he or she is (which is why the chapter on Tom Cruise reveals nothing more than reasons why people believe--or want to believe--he might be gay). Interviews with contemporary "out" stars, writers, and studio execs are balanced against the reminiscences of those who spent Tinseltown's golden age in the closet. This reveals how open Hollywood's tolerance of its gay and lesbian members has become, but it also shows the lack of similar progress in how the press deals with potential celebrity queerness. There isn't much difference, for example, between the scandal sheet Confidential's 1955 exposé of Tab Hunter's bust at a "pajama party ... for the boys" and the 1997 "Kevin Spacey Has a Secret" cover story in the ostensibly more respectable Esquire.
Open Secret flits from a visit to the set of the Ian McKellen-Brendan Fraser film Father of Frankenstein (based on the novel by Christopher Bram) to an analysis of Ellen DeGeneres's protracted coming-out process, from an overview of the impact of AIDS on the entertainment industry to the story of how Gus Van Sant almost made a movie of Randy Shilts's The Mayor of Castro Street. But the intersection of queer sexuality and Hollywood admittedly covers a lot of territory, and Ehrenstein does an admirable job of providing an overview. One bit of advice: skip over the very brief prologue, which tries a bit too hard to convince readers of the book's seriousness, and allow the informative and entertaining stories here to speak for themselves. --Ron Hogan
Book Description
Hollywood isn't just a place or an industry -- it's a fantasy that unfolds in the minds of moviegoers the world over. And talking about "who's gay in Hollywood" has always been the most socially acceptable way of talking about homosexuality period.But times have changed for gays and lesbians inside Hollywood and in the culture at large. Ellen DeGeneres "came out" to a world quite different from the one that allowed Marlene Dietrich to "stay in." And while Rupert Everett may be called "the gay Cary Grant," the real Cary Grant would never have described himself as gay -- even though he was.So what has it meant to be gay in Hollywood, not just as a star but behind the scenes as well? How homosexual actors and actresses came to define straight America's sexual self-image is only one of the paradoxical and provocative questions explored in Open Secret, a revealing cultural chronicle of gay Hollywood. From the silent era to the age of the multiplex and beyond, homosexuality has been a fact of life in the film industry, and scores of important personalities -- stars, writers, directors, producers -- have enjoyed long and spectacular careers on both sides of the camera, despite mainstream America's professed bias against gays.
Part social history and part Tinseltown expose, this entertaining book spans seventy years, painting knowing and vivid portraits of many of Hollywood's foremost gays and lesbians, often in the words of eyewitnesses or the principals themselves. Veteran entertainment journalist David Ehrenstein traces the gradual transformation from an era when gays and lesbians had no public profile in "polite" society to the modern era when many top entertainment figures are not merely comfortable with their sexuality but actually celebrate it -- and are in turn celebrated for it. In the process, he presents a unique reflection of American society as a whole and its ever-changing attitudes and values.
Customer Reviews:
Dull, Dull and Dreadful.......2005-11-12
This book has no life to it---I mean the writing--it is redundant, heavy, lackluster. Reads like a boring college research textbook. The author repeats and repeats and is consumed and obsessed with Ellen Degeneres over and over again. It is not like a book, but an overblown article. There is nothing new in the book--it is a historical account of gay and lesbians in Hollywood and boring as can be. Sorry I bought it but am thankful I got a used copy and did not pay much. I could hardly wait to finish it to throw it out as I did not even want to keep it. Forget this dull and dreadful book!
Much Ado about Nothing.......2003-03-05
It seems odd that this book, with its good intentions, would just be so unsatisfying as a read. You almost get the feeling that the author is on the outside of Hollywood looking in. He seems to be obsessed with Ellen. The book has a certain bitterness to it that doesn't play well.
I couldn't in all honesty recommend purchasing this book. Though if you find it at a public library, might be worth flipping through- but not checking out.
By no means a serious study of GayHollywood, but a good read.......2000-03-25
...nonetheless. This book is not a distasteful one unlike a vast majority of books about gays in Hollywood. It is also quite entertaining and should be regarded only as such: an entertaining book on a summer's day... In this case it does not really matter, whether the material is credible or not. If you do not take what you read TOO SERIOUSLY, then you will enjoy this book. If you want some serious study about gay actors, then look some place else for it.
Beef Jerky for the Brain.......1999-07-13
As one reader comments, this book is "a must for any serious Hollywood History library." Yes--in the same sense that the complete works of Ed Wood belong in every comprehensive home video collection.
Deeper analysis of being gay in Hollywood.......1999-06-18
If you want gossip, get a tabloid. If you'd rather read a thoughtful analysis of "gay Hollywood" in a social/historical context, get this book. This is not a list of who's gay and who isn't; Ehrenstein has chosen to write about what happened (and happens) to gays who are part of the Hollywood machine. He demonstrates, through first-person interviews and anecdotal accounts, in what ways Hollywood--the studios, the executives, the media, the audience--is and is not accepting of homosexuals. Not everyone in his book is famous, or a big time movie star, but they all have something to say or show about the difference between the gay Hollywood of the Cary Grant and Rock Hudson era and the gay Hollywood of the Ellen Degeneres and Tom Cruise era.
Ehrenstein's skill is in keeping the history together, so that James Whale's story is appropriately connected to the "Gods and Monsters" story, but each stands on its own as well. He has also taken care in choosing what to cover in this book. It would be impossible to write the entire history of Gay Hollywood in one book; and Ehrenstein has selected only certain aspects of that history and examined them in depth rather than touch only the surface of too many things.
Book Description
It's the classic TV sitcom-now finding a new generation of fans in reruns on Lifetime. Go behind the scenes with
Q Guides to find out just what it is about Dorothy, Blanche, Rose, and Sofia that so attracts both gay and young hetero fans.
Customer Reviews:
Not exactly what we were looking for.......2007-08-16
Bought this book for my wife. She said there was more info in it about the actresses themselves than the characters or the show. Depends on what you are looking for I guess, my wife is more into the show than the real lives of the actors.
I really didnt like the book.......2007-08-15
It wasnt what I expected and it was really boring me and I am a BIG Golden girls fan!!
Girls are back (they have never went away)!.......2007-01-16
Nice book for all true fans of the Golden Girls. Concentrates though too much on the "Girls" meaning in gay culture etc. trivial information. But even I as a devoted fan got a lot new information about the history and especially the creation of the show.
GREAT BOOK FOR ALL FANS!.......2007-01-06
I love the Golden Girls so when I heard about this book, I knew I had to have it! It's informative,fun, and a lot of laughs! I love this book!
Re-tread fan.......2006-11-28
I used to watch "The Golden Girls" along with several other sitcoms. I really hadn't watched it in a while, but after reading this book, I am an energized fan! I loved all the trivia, backgrounds and insights on the characters, writing and the development of the show itself. This is a fun book to pick up and re-read. It is extremely well-written and layed out with lots of interesting sections and surprises. I highly recommend this one!
Book Description
Movie buffs and beefcake fans alike will enjoy delving into Michael Ferguson’s new book IDOL WORSHIP: A Shameless Celebration of Male Beauty in the Movies, a lively, well-researched, and bawdy guide to the careers of 91 hot actors whom readers will want to take to bed…or at least rent for the night.
Customer Reviews:
a celebration of beefcake.......2007-03-13
A walk through history with some of the hottest men ever to grace the silver screen from the silent era through to the present day. Author Michael Ferguson celebrates approximately 90 Hollywood Hunks. Its not meant to be a serious biography of each star represented, rather an irreverent overview of their appeal to gay men and straight women alike.
I loved every page of it and time and time again agreed with the observations and choices.
great bring on volume 2.
Excellent.......2006-12-08
I really liked this book. As a film historian and writer and as one who has worked as a researcher for many authors, I will say that it is the only - and I mean this - the ONLY book that gives a balanced and accurate view of the highly exaggerated sex lives of some of our stars of the classic era. Ferguson seems to have gone back to the beginning of some of these stories and attempted to verify them rather than just adding on more fabrications as many books have. It's not a book for gay people necessarily, it's not a gossipy book nor written in a gossipy fashion.
A book for everyone.......2004-06-17
While at first glance this book may seem like it is only for the gay market, I have to tell you this is not so. As a hetro male who is into movies this book was everything I could hope for. Bravo to the author for the research done for this book, had to be a labor of love. Love old movies? Not me, until I read this book. Now I want to see Valentino's films. What sets this book apart from others is the authors's comments, always on target and usually funny. The author's own personal relanship with the actors and movies also makes this a great read - and every one will have someone they would rather have seen in this book - such is the joy of any list
A Labor of Love.......2004-04-25
Michael Ferguson's "Matinee Idol," subtitled "A Shameless Celebration of Male Beauty in the Movies," makes a fitting companion to Daniel and Jackson's "Bent Lens," not becuase it's about gay film, or even gays in film--it is not--but because it rewrties Hollywood history from the point of view of a gay (male) voyeur. The journey is fascinating. Along the way, Ferguson offers tantalizing insights into the fantasy side of movies, as well as into the public and private lives of the actors who make them. His choices run the gamut of hunks from Valentino to Tyrone Power, and Jan-Michael Vincent to Gael Garcia Bernal, with occasional forays into such related subjects as musclemen and porn stars. There are extra-long articles on some of Ferguson's favorites, including Matt Dillon, Keanu Reeves, and Brad Pitt, but he also takes the time to pay homage to the occasional wannabe, such as Jack Beutel and Rodney Harvey. The text has a tendency to go on too long, and Ferguson may at times appear overly obsessed with the pubic trail that leads from an actor's belly button into his speedo, but that's a minor quibble, and the kind of thing that will inevitably appeal to some readers. Worse is the writer's frequent misplacement of his modifiers (as here on Bernie Schwarz's metamorphosis into Tony Curtis: "Like virtually every other Jew in town, a name change was mandated and he became Jimmy Curtis") and his problems with parallelism (as in this iconoclastic comment regarding "Some Like It Hot": "The film has been deified as one of the greatest screen comedies ever despite not being very funny and my opinion thankfully won't diminish the love audiences and critics have for it." In addition, as in "Bent Lens," there is no index; there is, however, an appendix of sorts, which offers a credit each for a near-exhaustive list of actors, including many not treated in the main text. One criminal, and puzzling, omission, is George Nader, who was doubly interesting in that he was actually gay, in addition to being a pal of Rock Hudson's and a '50s beefcake favorite. But everyone is bound to have his/her quibbles on the point of omissions, a fact that argues, in true Hollywood fashion, for a sequel to the text. I, for one, would buy it.
ýQueer Eye view of the Movie Guysý.......2004-01-21
It's a fantastic read, a "Queer Eye view of the Movie Guys" for both guys and us gals! There are loads of interesting facts (obviously well researched), great tips on which movies your favorite guy will be found looking particularly sexy AND the book serves as a catalogue of new guys to try! If you love movie stars, gorgeous guys or an entertaining celebrity read that is actually literary, you've got to have this book. It will come in handy when you're trying to decide what video to rent next. It will be a reference book you'll want to keep next to the TV's remote in the bedroom!
Book Description
In this searing polemic, Lee Edelman outlines a radically uncompromising new ethics of queer theory. His main target is the all-pervasive figure of the child, which he reads as the linchpin of our universal politics of âreproductive futurism.â Edelman argues that the child, understood as innocence in need of protection, represents the possibility of the future against which the queer is positioned as the embodiment of a relentlessly narcissistic, antisocial, and future-negating drive. He boldly insists that the efficacy of queerness lies in its very willingness to embrace this refusal of the social and political order. In No Future, Edelman urges queers to abandon the stance of accommodation and accede to their status as figures for the force of a negativity that he links with irony, jouissance, and, ultimately, the death drive itself.
Closely engaging with literary texts, Edelman makes a compelling case for imagining Scrooge without Tiny Tim and Silas Marner without little Eppie. Looking to Alfred Hitchcock’s films, he embraces two of the director’s most notorious creations: the sadistic Leonard of North by Northwest, who steps on the hand that holds the couple precariously above the abyss, and the terrifying title figures of The Birds, with their predilection for children. Edelman enlarges the reach of contemporary psychoanalytic theory as he brings it to bear not only on works of literature and film but also on such current political flashpoints as gay marriage and gay parenting. Throwing down the theoretical gauntlet, No Future reimagines queerness with a passion certain to spark an equally impassioned debate among its readers.
Customer Reviews:
Important, but..........2006-03-21
Lee Edleman's book poses important questions for all of us about "queerness" and resistance to our presumedly "normal" cultural investments in a redemptive future figured most vividly in the notion of the "child." I admire the work being done here, and in particular the intellectual chutzpah it takes to dismantle this dominant ideological framework while taking on Baudrillard, Butler and other formidable thinkers. It is, however, unfortunate that Edelman seems to have become enchanted as much by his own linguistic cleverness as by the important ideas he sets out to explore.
Thelabor required to make sense of the dense, overwrought and smugly elitist tone of the text detracts from and, I imagine for many readers unfamiliar with the burdensome jargon, simply impedes understanding. This is particularly painful in the chapter on Hitchcock's "The Birds" which seems to be as much a compendium of bad bird puns as it is a serious inquiry into the themes of the book.
That being said, Edelman has made an important, even daring, contribution to queer theory. His readings of texts and films are original and thought-provoking. Furthermore, the ideas Edelman lays out in "No Future" could and should help shape our understanding of the importance of resisting what he calls a "vision of futurity." Sadly, his impenetrable prose limits access to his ideas and keeps the circuit of discourse firmly shut to those most likely to benefit from the ideas he puts forth.
Amazon.com
More than 20 years have passed since Ellen DeGeneres came out to her mother on a beach in Mississippi. Stunned, Betty DeGeneres could only think of her own disappointed expectations. As she put her arms around her daughter, she was struck by the realization that she would never see Ellen's picture on the engagements page of the Times-Picayune, her local paper. That Ellen would eventually appear on the front page of the Picayune and countless newspapers and magazines around the world is an irony not lost on her mother: "If I had known she was going to grow up to be Ellen DeGeneres," Betty quips, "I would have taken more pictures."
Now the spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Project, Betty DeGeneres travels the country explaining how she came to terms with her daughter's sexuality, and how love and acceptance can transform a family. Love, Ellen is an extension of her warm and much-admired public speaking, providing insight into her own life as well as Ellen's and arguing for further education, compassion, and the passage of antidiscrimination laws. --Regina Marler
Book Description
"Mom, I'm gay." With three little words, gay sons and daughters can change their parents' lives forever. Twenty years ago, during a walk on a Mississippi beach, Ellen DeGeneres spoke those simple, powerful words to her mother. That emotional moment eventually brought mother and daughter closer than ever, but it was not without a struggle. In Love, Ellen, Betty DeGeneres tells her story: the complicated path to acceptance and the deepening of her friendship with her daughter, the media's scrutiny of their family life, and the painful and often inspiring stories she's heard on the road as the first nongay spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign's National Coming Out Project.
Insightful, universally touching, and uncommonly wise, Love, Ellen is a story of friendship between mother and daughter and a lesson in understanding for all parents and their children.
"Mom, I'm gay." With three little words, gay children can change their parents' lives forever. Yet at the same times it's a chance for those parents to realize nothing, really, has changed at all; same kid, same life, same bond of enduring love.
Twenty years ago, during a walk on a Mississippi beach, Ellen DeGeneres spoke those simple, powerful words to her mother. That emotional moment eventually brought mother and daughter closer than ever, but not without a struggle. Coming from a republican family with conservative values, Betty needed time and education to understand her daughter's homosexuality -- but her ultimate acceptance would set the stage for a far more public coming out, one that would change history.
In Love, Ellen, Betty DeGeneres tells her story; the complicated path to acceptance and the deepening of her friendship with her daughter; the media's scrutiny of their family life; the painful and often inspiring stories she's heard on the road as the first non-gay spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaigns National Coming Out Project.
With a mother's love, clear minded common sense, and hard won wisdom, Betty DeGeneres offers up her own very personal memoir to help parents understand their gay children, and to help sons and daughters who have been rejected by their families feel less alone."Mom, I'm gay." With three little words, gay children can change their parents' lives forever. Yet at the same times it's a chance for those parents to realize nothing, really, has changed at all; same kid, same life, same bond of enduring love.
Twenty years ago, during a walk on a Mississippi beach, Ellen DeGeneres spoke those simple, powerful words to her mother. That emotional moment eventually brought mother and daughter closer than ever, but not without a struggle. Coming from a republican family with conservative values, Betty needed time and education to understand her daughter's homosexuality -- but her ultimate acceptance would set the stage for a far more public coming out, one that would change history.
In Love, Ellen, Betty DeGeneres tells her story; the complicated path to acceptance and the deepening of her friendship with her daughter; the media's scrutiny of their family life; the painful and often inspiring stories she's heard on the road as the first non-gay spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaigns National Coming Out Project.
With a mother's love, clear minded common sense, and hard won wisdom, Betty DeGeneres offers up her own very personal memoir to help parents understand their gay children, and to help sons and daughters who have been rejected by their families feel less alone.
Customer Reviews:
good read.......2007-08-22
gave me insight into the feelings a mom would have learning of a childs homosexuality. An easy read.
Love it!.......2007-08-07
A great book for Ellen lovers, and parents of gay and lesbian people, and for really anyone. Book came fast and it is a great read!
An Ordinary Family.......2007-06-01
Love Ellen is a beautiful story about the unbreakable bond between mother and daughter. No matter how difficult the challenges faced by either Betty or Ellen their love has always remained strong proven in this eye opening book. So many times we read about celebrities lives and are only shown a small portion of their emotions as though they need to hide their most sensitive side from public view. Love Ellen is an exception to that as we see a side of both women as they truly are: sensitive, emotional and very human. Read for yourself the laughter, sadness and tears as you explore their journey together. You will come away with the realization that no matter how difficult your own struggles there is help for you if only you can open your heart and trust. As you get to know the DeGeneres family you will realize they are just as ordinary as the rest of us. I highly recommend this book for those who need help coming out, loved ones needing a better understanding of homosexuality and that it is not a choice, but rather just another side of many individuals and also to fans of Ellen's who just want to explore who she is and how she made some of the most difficult decisions of her life. This book is a very real account of the understanding we, as human beings who all share so much in this world, need to accept.
Unconditional love.......2006-09-06
What is it like to have a child who is gay? In this book, Betty DeGeneres describes the moment that her daughter Ellen came out to her and admitted the secret which she kept from her mother for 20 years. After learning that her daughter was gay, Betty herself was forced to keep this secret for 20 more years, before Ellen came out to the world. This is a book about a mother's unconditional love for her daughter and about how her daughter's sexual orientation caused a complete change in her life. It is also about Ellen's family and how she went from being a sweet, funny little girl from New Orleans to being one of the top actess/comediennes of our times. It is also about how mother and daughter went from keeping Ellen's homosexuality a secret to how they became activists in the gay/lesbian movement. Throughout the book, the loving and positive spirit of both Ellen and Betty become very evident.
Love, Betty! .......2005-11-28
It's simply one great book!
Betty is an outstanding author and mother.
Amazon.com
The history of gay male erotic images is largely undocumented. Even when the material has been available, "good taste" and "common decency"--those concepts used to stop all talk about sex--have prevented their display. Thomas Waugh's full-length, profusely illustrated study is a breakthrough book that has information and analysis enough for three books. Thoughtful, smart, and well-written,
Hard to Imagine uncovers a visual history of gay male eroticism that few know. It chronicles the complicated history of homosexual desire and how it has been depicted and repressed.
Book Description
Spanning more than a century of photography and film, Hard to Imagine is the first visual chronicle of the evolution of gay male image culture, from the canonical works of "art" photography and cinema to the private and often highly explicit productions of amateurs. This comprehensive work explores a vast, eclectic tradition in its totality, analyzing the aesthetics of the visual imagery, its production, circulation, and consumption, and broad social and legal implications.
Customer Reviews:
Amazing Book.......2002-07-10
This book collects the amazing research the author has done on physique photography, magazines and gay porn of the 30s, 40s, and 50s. It is great stuff, presented with a smart and detailed analysis. The only downside is the format, a weird and pricey mix of scholarly tome and coffeetable book. With the boom in "visual culture" and gay studies, it's a pity Cambridge has never brought this out in paper: it would be a surefire hit.
WOW.......1998-04-05
This is truly a great book..especially for vintage gay porn buffs... Its written and produces with an college text book feel.... which on one hand.. is good.. gives it a lot of depth.. and smarts.. but..
with the $75 price tag.. i was a bit dissapointed..
was hoping for some really great quality photos.. while the photo's quality arent bad at all. quite clear and sharp. was hoping for something along the lines of art book quality... so ifyou looking for an art coffee table book.. this really isnt one.. but if you r looking for indepth analysis (still with loads of pictures) of early gay porn.. then this is for U!!!!!!!
Average customer rating:
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Beyond Flesh: Queer Masculinities and Nationalism in Israeli Cinema
Raz Yosef
Manufacturer: Rutgers University Press
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Binding: Paperback
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Identity Politics on the Israeli Screen
ASIN: 0813533767 |
Book Description
Raz Yosef explores Israeli cinema's role in the creation of national identity and the complex ways the marginalization of queerness became necessary to that goal. Zionism was not only a political and ideological program but also a sexual one. The liberation of Jews and creation of a new nation were closely intertwined with a longing for the redemption and normalization of the Jewish male body. That body had to be rescued from anti-Semitic, scientific-medical discourse associating it with disease, madness, degeneracy, sexual perversity, and femininity—even with homosexuality. The Zionist movement was intent on transforming the very nature of European Jewish masculinity as it had existed in the diaspora. Zionist/Israeli films expressed this desire through visual and narrative tropes, enforcing the image of the hypermasculine, colonialist-explorer and militaristic nation-builder, an image dependent on the homophobic repudiation of the "feminine" within men.
The creation of a new heterosexual Jewish man was further intertwined with attitudes on the breeding of children, bodily hygiene, racial improvement, and Orientalist perspectives—which associated the East, and especially Eastern bodies, with unsanitary practices, plagues, disease, and sexual perversity. By stigmatizing Israel's Eastern populations as agents of death and degeneration, Zionism created internal biologized enemies, against whom the Zionist society had to defend itself. In the name of securing the life and reproduction of the new Ashkenazi Jewry, Israeli society discriminated against both its internal enemies, the Palestinians, and its own citizens, the Mizrahim (Oriental Jews).
Yosef's critique of the construction of masculinities and queerness in Israeli cinema and culture also serves as a model for the investigation of the role of male sexuality within national culture in general.
Average customer rating:
- The Little Superstar with the Immense Talent and Looks Gets Some Respect, at Last!
- Everything You Need to Know About Joe Dallesandro
- Great Document To A Working Actor
- Well written and highly thorough biography of an pop icon
- Info packed
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Little Joe, Superstar: The Films of Joe Dallesandro
Michael Ferguson
Manufacturer: Companion Press (Laguna Hills, CA)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 1889138096 |
Customer Reviews:
The Little Superstar with the Immense Talent and Looks Gets Some Respect, at Last!.......2006-07-26
Joe Dallessandro (or Dalessandro, or D'Allessandro, etc.) is an actor for whom I always have had an almost obsessive passion, not simply because of his incomparable and mysterious physical beauty, which has such a sheen to it (e.g. the pellucidly luminous glow of his nipples, the impressive scale and beautiful shape of his genitals, his skin's fine complexion, the lure of his long, straight, beautifully textured hair, etc.), but because Dallessandro drew one into his acting and persona so compellingly yet in such a seemingly effortlessly low-key, unself-consciously subtle way. His acting was not deadpan, or stiff, or overly reliant on his magnificent physical attributes alone, but deeply personal and compellingly genuine. Small gests that others do not notice, a change of _expression, a look of cunning manipulation, of a kind of passive surprise, and so forth, would be hard for most actors to realise if they were scripted for them, yet Dallessandro did all of this in the semi-improvisatory manner in which his films with Warhol and those associated with him were made. Ferguson has a keen appreciation of these elusive qualities that made Dallessandro such a rivetting and fascinating actor as well as such an overwhelmingly gorgeous physical presence in his films, where he so eclipses in interest all but a few of the other actors in the casts. He deals feelingly with Joe Dallessandro's brother, who died at such a young age and whose own physical allure shares such an obviously fraternal resemblance to that of Little Joe himself.
The photos in the book are not particularly well reproduced, merely adequate in quality, but would have benefitted from being printed on glossy paper with greater photographic resolution and contrast, as some of the same photos reveal their potential on the glossy front and back covers of the book. Still, it is good to have so many photos (from those of his "beefcake" physique photo posing days of the earlier years of his adolescence onwards) of this incomparably sensuous man in one place. The author's style is enthusiastic and not particularly literary, but his real love of Dallessandro and of his work gives the book a sincerity and depth of appreciation that still, alas, are all too seldom expressed regarding Joe Dallessandro. It is quite a wonderment to learn of the many films, besides the famous ones, that "Little Joe" made over the years, and the author's appreciation of them makes one yearn to see them all, and Ferguson's success in arousing such curiosity to explore Dallessandro's legacy is one indicator of his own success as a writer!
I have lived with this book, returning to it often, and it always gives me pleasure to open it, to gaze on Joe Dallessandro's sheer physical splendour and to read his words quoted and those of the author expressed so feelingly about this icon of erotic (and other) film.
Everything You Need to Know About Joe Dallesandro.......2006-01-10
"Gay and straight fans worldwide have been infatuated with Joe Dallesandro since Andy Warhol made him famous, and the underground films made him a sexual icon. Now, at long last, Dallesandro talks--in detail--about his life, his career and his films. More than 100 photos--including several full-frontal nudes of the not so little Joe! Softcover; 216 pages. 'Here it is at last: everything you need to know about Joe Dallesandro. A wonderful actor who forever changed male sexuality on the screen.'--John Waters, director"--© zebraz
Great Document To A Working Actor.......2005-01-29
I love this book. It is really too bad that many of these films haven't been released as some sort of "Little Joe" DVD Box Set in the United States, particularly the post-Warhol European films like "Black Moon" and "Seeds of Evil." Joe has been a hard-working actor for decades now, and he deserves this well-researched testament to his work.
Well written and highly thorough biography of an pop icon.......2004-12-29
I don't know that you can fairly judge a biography or autobiography based on the subject matter. If the person interests you then you are going to find the book interesting - unless the book is just horribly written (this is often the case, sadly). However, Michael Ferguson has done a fine job of working with a man who literally stumbled into acting years ago in New York.
Joe Dallesandro (or Little Joe) was a street tough kid from New York when he wandered onto the set of an Andy Warhol film. He was cast in that film right away. I won't summarize the biography, because there's no point in doing so. However, I will say that Ferguson takes us along on a brief, but thorough walk through Joe's life to the present day. Then we get to learn about each of the films that Joe has made in great detail.
No, Joe isn't Bette Davis or Olivier or even John Wayne, but I would have liked to have had the biographical information appear in a bit more detail. That's my own peeve, but it isn't really fair, since we're talking about a guy who was doing nudity in "art" films in the 60's - a guy who played a German peasant in turn of the century Germany with a Brooklyn accent. This is not an actor who would ever win any awards for his talent, unless his talent was is body and face. And what a body and face he had for the times.
Little Joe lets us take a brief look at a Warhol creation that lived far beyond its intended artistic life. Joe Dallesandro the man is far different from the beautiful face and body on the screen. Timeless there in appearance, his real life was never what others fantasized about him. This guy is still a street tough scrapper who is just barely scraping by today.
I think the material is interesting and the writing is effective and worthwhile. If you have a nostalgic bent toward Warhol's Factory days or just liked his weird horror films or sexy films, then you'll enjoy reading this book.
Info packed.......2003-01-10
I can not believe the bad reviews - I feel they have a personal issue, not one with the book. No book has this complete of a listing of Joe films. The author has done a fantastic job of not just reviews the film, but giving a reason why they should be seen. Joe has had quite a life and this B movie stars book is a good read. But for a collector of movies and someone who is interested in film, this book is the bible for Joe.
Book Description
This collection brings together the work of both film scholars and queer theorists to advance a more sophisticated notion of queer film criticism. While the âpolitics of representationâ has been the focus of much previous gay and lesbian film criticism, the contributors to Out Takes employ the approaches of queer theory to move beyond conventional readings and to reexamine aspects of the cinematic gaze in relation to queer desire and spectatorship.
The essays examine a wide array of films, including Calamity Jane, Rear Window, The Hunger, Heavenly Creatures, and Bound , and discuss such figures as Doris Day, Elizabeth Taylor, and Alfred Hitchcock. Divided into three sections, the first part reconsiders the construction of masculinity and male homoerotic desireâespecially with respect to the role of womenâin classic cinema of the 1940s and 1950s. The second section offers a deconstructive consideration of lesbian film spectatorship and lesbian representation. Part three looks at the historical trajectory of independent queer cinema, including works by H.D., Kenneth Anger, and Derek Jarman.
By exploring new approaches to the study of sexuality in film, Out Takes will be useful to scholars in gay and lesbian studies, queer theory, and cinema studies.
Contributors. Bonnie Burns, Steven Cohan, Alexander Doty, Lee Edelman, Michelle Elleray, Jim Ellis, Ellis Hanson, D. A. Miller, Eric Savoy, Matthew Tinkcom, Amy Villarejo, Jean Walton
Customer Reviews:
Essential Reading.......2002-04-02
Everything you'd expect and hope to find in a scholarly work on film and queer theory, and a good many surprises. Ellis Hanson's well edited collection has found its way onto numerous college reading lists and will doubtless stay on them for years to come as this is indeed a seminal volume in the history (brief as it is) of queer theory and film. Academic yet readable and engaging, these essays leave behind discussion of queer films in terms of whether or not they contain "good" or "positive" representations of gay men and lesbians, and rather celebrate what is illusive, problematic, complex, and interesting about the queer themes and characters that have appeared in film since its earliest days.
Hanson's own essay tackles lesbian vampire films, a genre which most critics and film theorists have seldom taken seriously. By the time he's done with it, however, you can't imagine how lesbian vampires could have been igorned for so long. The book, like Hanson's essay, invites us into new and unfamiliar territory and rewards us with fascinating perspectives and analytic energy that can only come when scholars are turned loose on fresh subject matter.
Although talking about anything "queer" is apt to offend certain constituencies, these essays cannot be lightly dismissed. The book is challenging, provocative, and absolutely essential reading for anyone who is interested in queer theory, film, or both.
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