Tediously written and sloppy—barely an also-ran for any film buff's shelf. (49 film stills)
A revised and updated version of And the Winner Is . . . (1987) provides a decidedly less-than-stellar overview of Hollywood’s annual exercise in tackiness and self-congratulation.
Levy (Cinema of Outsiders, 1999, etc.), senior film critic for Variety, identifies the motive behind the founding of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences in 1927 as a desire to establish the film industry “as a respectable, legitimate institution,” an ambition that has borne fruit in the Academy Awards: “part variety show, part news event, part horse race, part fashion display—and all promotion.” In theory, he has a subject of such intrinsic interest that simply presenting nuggets of trivia (e.g., that Ben-Hur was the first remake ever to win Best Picture) is a sure-fire winner. Unfortunately, his narrative reads like a collection of index cards endlessly reshuffled into different topics, such as early and late recognition of nominees, types of roles most associated with Oscar winners, and the award’s impact on winners. Much of this information will not surprise Oscar junkies. What will surprise them are some of Levy’s “facts” about nominated films: that Anatomy of a Murder hinges on the alleged rape of Lee Remick by a black tavern owner; that Blanche DuBois of A Streetcar Named Desire is a “repressed” Southern belle; and that Forrest Whitaker (rather than Stephen Rea) is shocked by Jaye Davidson’s real gender in The Crying Game. Levy also displays a tin ear for such nuances of language as correct word usage, noting for example that Nurse Ratched of One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is “indoctrinary” when he means “doctrinaire.” At times, he produces what can only be viewed as unintentional howlers. Does he really think that Mildred Pierce gave Joan Crawford “a perfect role that captured the essence of her offscreen life”? Christina Crawford might beg to differ.
Tediously written and sloppy—barely an also-ran for any film buff's shelf. (49 film stills)Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2001
ISBN: 0-8264-1284-X
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Continuum
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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