Search results for ""Author Mark A. Vieira""

Book SynopsisKnown as Hollywood's 'Boy Wonder', Irving Thalberg created classics such as "Ben-Hur", "Tarzan the Ape Man", "Grand Hotel", "Freaks", "Mutiny on the Bounty", and "The Good Earth", but died tragically at thirty-seven. This work uses production files, financial records, and correspondence to confirm the genius of Thalberg's methods.Trade Review"Vieira has accomplished something quite extraordinary... This is the definitive volume about a towering figure in the history of Hollywood." -- Leonard Maltin Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy "Vieira has written the definitive biography of Thalberg." STARRED REVIEW -- Teri Shiel Library Journal "The third biography of Thalberg, and far and away the most thoroughly researched, comprehensive, and penetrating ... as close to definitive as any biography of Irving Thalberg is likely to get." -- Joseph Epstein The Weekly Standard "Vieira writes with great verve and enthusiasm, and he has a flair for narrative movement that suits these exponents of the new storytelling ... well written and extensively researched." -- David Thomson New Republic "If you want to know about Hollywood's Golden Age, then you must know about Thalberg. And if you want to know about Thalberg, then you must read this book." -- Anthony McKenna Screening The Past "Among the many virtues of Mark Vieira's biography is the use he makes of the story conferences preserved in the MGM archives." The Economist "Vieira's work is both exhaustively researched and beautifully presented, rich in detail yet compulsively readable. If you want to know about Hollywood's Golden Age, then you must know about Thalberg. And if you want to know about Thalberg, then you must read this book." -- Anthony McKenna Screening The Past "This is a worthy, well-documented account of [Thalberg's] life." -- R. D. Sears Choice "A well-researched and readable biography." -- David Yezzi Wall Street Journal "This is a sympathetic, diligent, and intelligent account of a wondrous era in Hollywood." Jewish Book World "Vieira has put the enigmatic producer back in the spotlight with his biography ... a thorough and readable book." -- Matthew Rovner Forward "Vieira's excellent biography reveals a master player...[and] sheds much needed light upon significant, influential life." Magill's Literary Annual / Salem Press "The jury has been out for 70 years on the MGM studio chief, even though F Scott Fitzgerald immortalised him as the "last tycoon". Was Thalberg art's gift to Hollywood, with his well-bred epics (Romeo and Juliet, Marie Antoinette)? Or was he a mogul playing to the middlebrow? Read this impressively researched study and decide." -- Nigel Andrews Financial Times "An engaging new biography ... an unusually animated and revealing tour of Hollywood in the 1920s and '30s." -- Noah Isenberg Bookforum "An important book on a pivotal figure in Hollywood history... Vieira's biography is an invaluable resource." -- Camille McCutcheon, University of South Carolina Upstate Jrnl Of American Culture "Vieira takes students of movie history deep into the bowels of MGM." -- Robert Fulford The National Post "A fast-paced and well-researched new biography of Thalberg." -- Kent Jones Film CommentTable of ContentsPreface Part One The Merger 1 The Boy Wonder 2 A Funny Little Man 3 Three Shaky Little Stars Part Two The Perfection of Silence 4 A Studio Style 5 Wicked Stepchildren 6 A Business of Personalities 7 Top of the Heap 8 “More Stars Than There Are in Heaven” Part Three The Talkies 9 The Golden Silents 10 All-Talking, All-Singing, All Profitable 11 The Production Code Part Four “His Brain Is the Camera” 12 Visiting Royalty 13 New Morals for Old 14 The Right to Be Wrong 15 Hollywood Icarus Part Five The Thalberg Unit 16 The New Setup 17 Honor with Credit 18 “To Hell with Art!” Part Six The Crown Prince of Hollywood 19 “Napoleon Thalberg” 20 A Feverish Energy 21 A Labor of Love 22 The Gods Are Jealous Part Seven The Legacy 23 Unfinished Projects 24 Marie Antoinette Epilogue Appendix: The M-G-M Films of Irving Thalberg Notes Select Bibliography Acknowledgments Index Illustrations

Read more less

Book SynopsisGeorge Hurrell was called the Rembrandt of Hollywood. Before his arrival, movie star portraits were soft focus and undistinguished, derivative of the Main Street USA portrait salon. Hurrell instituted a sharp, dramatic look. The vibrant, temperamental artist was an original, loved by the subjects he glamorized. For these performers, a Hurrell portrait was the passport to immortality.In this paperback edition of photographer and historian Mark A. Vieira''s original volume, the author offers a wealth of new images to illustrate a compelling narrative. Featuring rare and never-before-published portraits and behind-the-scenes shots, George Hurrell''s Hollywood covers Hurrell''s entire career, from his beginnings as a Los Angeles society photographer to his finale as the celebrity photographer who became a celebrity himself. More than 400 pristine images showcase his work with Hollywood icons from 1929 to 1992. Vieira''s text recounts the artist''s life, from his childhood

Read more less