Description
Book SynopsisAt the time of her death in 1993, Lillian Gish was universally recognized as a film legend. This title uncovers a life that was cast in the shadow of self-generated myth. It shows how the actress carefully shaped her public identity while keeping much of her life private.
Trade Review"To the very end, she did her part in raising awareness about the endangered legacy of silent film. But her insistence on going to any means to guard and sugarcoat Griffith's legacy distorts the reality of the silent film era. The truth, plain and simple, would serve a greater purpose today in bolstering awareness of the great work done by silent film artists. With this book, Affron takes a step in that direction by demystifying the actress and the world in which she worked."-Mary Houlihan, Chicago Sun-Times; "Gish, born in 1893, lived for 99 years. She spent the first quarter of a century becoming a legend and the last three-quarters of it acting as shaper and custodian of that legend.... Though most of Gish's story is known, we've never had it told with such balance and completeness. Affron completes the picture by restoring details Gish resolutely omitted."-Jay Carr, Boston Globe; "Well written, ambitious and intelligent, this biography is an essential addition to the work on Gish and on American film and theater."-Publishers Weekly; "Affron unearths the less edifying facts airbrushed out of his subject's memories yet retains his respect for her pioneering artistry. Gish emerges here as a stronger, savvier woman than we have met in previous accounts."-Wendy Smith, Variety; "[Affron] politely, consistently refutes Gish's line, remaining unfailingly generous to his subject's art and indomitability, all the while fastidiously and expertly devastating the fairy tale in which she wrapped herself. If we are ever to rescue silent film from its status as a dwindling cult's enthusiasm and restore it as a vital part of our cultural heritage, we need more work of this balanced and balancing kind."-Richard Schickel, New York Times Book Review; "[A] deeply honest book.... Granted unprecedented access to Gish's private letters and journals, [Affron] has used his privilege well. Stripping away Gish's own layers of selective memory and self-invention, and eclipsing earlier 'authorized' biographies, he challenges many assumptions.... A balanced and detailed portrait."-Jeanine Basinger, Washington Post
Table of ContentsAuthor's Note
Introduction: Just to Make a Movie
1 An American Family
2 The Wicked Stage
3 "I Don't Know Why I Ever Left Massillon"
4 The "Flickers" and D. W. Griffith
5 Becoming a Movie Actress
6 The Mothering Heart
7 Dorothy Gish' s Sister
8 A Role for Movie History
9 "Griffith's Girls"
10 Becoming a Movie Star
11 The Movies and the Great War
12 "You Can Photograph Her Upside Down,
Because It's All Even"
13 From Melodrama to Tragedy
14 In the Director's Chair
15 "The Most Superlatively Exquisite and Poignantly
Enchaining Thing I Have Ever Seen in My Life"
16 Good-bye Mr. Griffith
17 "A Wistful April Moon"
18 Inspiration Pictures
19 Charles Holland Duell Jr.
20 George Jean Nathan
21 Kisses for Mimi
22 The Perils of The Wind
23 The Master of Schloss Leopoldskron
24 Interlude
25 GishSpeaks
26 "The Most Interesting Actress on Our Stage"
27 "Dreadful Man"
28 Sinners, Saints, and Shakespeare
29 America First
30 "Oldtime Cinemactress"
31 "Asking Nothing of the Role for Herself"
32 The Small Screen
33 Acting American
34 "Will Come Running at Any Time"
35 "My Blessed Sister"
36 Oscar
37 Final Close-Ups
38 The Girl and the Rose
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Chronological Record of Lillian Gish's
Dramatic Performances
Acknowledgments
Index
