- Hardcover: 352 pages
- Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press; 1 edition (Mar 25 2004)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0299197700
- ISBN-13: 978-0299197704
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.7 x 2.5 cm
- Shipping Weight: 431 g
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
#710,891 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #44 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Movie Directors
- #44 in Books > Entertainment > Movies > Biographies > Directors
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Product Details |
Product Description
Review
"In a world where film buffs can choose from among 15 biographies and critical studies of John Ford and an equal number devoted to George Cukor, a book about the life and work of Edmund Goulding, the underrated and multitalented director of, among others, Grand Hotel, The Dawn Patrol, and the Bette Davis weepies The Old Maid, The Great Lie, and Dark Victory, is long overdue....Matthew Kennedy, who teaches anthropology at City College of San Francisco and film history at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, has balanced scholarship with spice, unveiling the dark (alcoholism, drug-taking, and orgies) as well as the victories in the bisexual filmmaker's life. Goulding's brief marriage to tubercular dancer Marjorie Moss (Louise Brooks said he 'filled the last three years of her life with beauty') is intriguing, in a De-Lovely way. His sordid side helps to explain his anomalous noir masterpiece Nightmare Alley, starring Tyrone Power, whose sleek beauty was just beginning to crumple around the edges: Now we know just how a guy could sink so low."—San Francisco Weekly
“Edmund Goulding’s Dark Victory provides a welcome look at a man whose career deserves reexamination.”—Silent Era Film Books
Product Description
Edmund Goulding’s Dark Victory: Hollywood’s Genius Bad Boy is the first biography ever written about this eccentric genius of early-twentieth-century filmmaking. Goulding (1891–1959) was by turns a writer, producer, composer, and actor, but it is as a director that he made an indelible impression. He is most remembered today as the director of Grand Hotel, the great Event Movie of the Depression. At the dawn of sound, he wrote the story for the Academy Award–winning musical The Broadway Melody and collaborated memorably with Gloria Swanson and Joseph Kennedy for The Trespasser. He excelled at anti-war drama (White Banners, The Dawn Patrol, We Are Not Alone), fantastic Bette Davis weepies (Dark Victory, The Old Maid, The Great Lie), lilting romantic dramas (The Constant Nymph, Claudia), big-budget literary adaptations (The Razor’s Edge), and even film noir (Nightmare Alley). The London-born Goulding was a complicated and contradictory man whose notorious orgies, bisexuality, drinking, and drug addictions were whispered about in Hollywood for years. Yet his well-crafted plots and compelling characters set a new standard in American cinema and had a profound influence on the future of filmmaking.
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Most helpful customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Film writing at its best,
By
This review is from: Edmund Goulding's Dark Victory: Hollywood's Genius Bad Boy (Hardcover)
I must add my chorus of praise for Matthew Kennedy, who has given us not only the life of a director with amazing talent, but also a new way of looking at both silent and sound films. Maybe you've heard of Goulding, and certainly you've seen a number of his films, but never before has anyone been abel to put together all the facts, do all the right research, and conduct an amazing number of pertinent interviews to produce such a stunning result.If Goulding had only directed "Dark Victory" and "Grand Hotel" his place in film history would be assured--and even higher. It's his lesser efforts and indeed misses that have complicated his stature. Goulding's work in music could be a book all of its own. I had no idea he wrote the music for so many films, including such notable songs as "Love Your Magic Spell is Everywhere" (from The Trespasser), "Mam'selle" (from The Razor's Edge) and "Dodie" (from "Teenage Rebel"). Given all that you'd think he'd be a natural filming a musical, but Kennedy's account of "Friendly Island" a/k/a "Down Among the Sheltering Palms" gives one pause. Now I'm dying to see "We are Not Alone" and "The Constant Nymph." I've read both novels but are these films on DVD? Sounds like not. Oh well, something to look forward to. Thanks, Matthew Kennedy. You do San Francisco proud!
5.0 out of 5 stars
Well Researched Bio on Forgotten Film Giant,
By A Customer
This review is from: Edmund Goulding's Dark Victory: Hollywood's Genius Bad Boy (Hardcover)
Edmund Goulding's Dark Victory is a perfect read for anyone looking for a bit of the unusual. Here was a first-rate director, adored by actors for his sensitive style, who has been largely forgotten in Hollywood history.Reading Kennedy's book will make you wonder why - for his life and his art both make for compelling reading. Kennedy writes in a lively style well suited to the mercurial, complicated Goulding. Highly recommended!
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Forgotten Talent Brought Back Into the Spotlight,
By A Customer
This review is from: Edmund Goulding's Dark Victory: Hollywood's Genius Bad Boy (Hardcover)
I was very pleased that finally someone has written a full-length treatment of versatile film director Edmund Goulding. Not only does the author explore the many facets of his enormously popular film career, but delves into the subject's many other talents (play writing, song writing, etc). Of importance to anyone interested in the cultural history of Hollywood is the author's detailed evocation of the era in which Goulding reigned (1930s-1940s) and Kennedy brings forth a fascinating tapesty of the director's offbeat personal life.Like the author's past book on Marie Dressler--another too often unsung talent--this new work on Edmund Goulding shines a bright light on a major Hollywood personality who deserved (and NOW HAS) a solid examination and strong evaluation. Good job!!
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