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More copies of this ISBN:Spellbound by Beauty: Alfred Hitchcock and His Leading Ladiesby Donald Spoto
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:"The trouble today is that we don't torture women enough." — Alfred Hitchcock. It is remarkable how infrequently, over a period of more than fifty years, Alfred Hitchcock spoke about the beautiful, legendary and talented actresses he directed. And when he did, his remarks were mostly indifferent and often hostile. But his leading ladies greatly enriched his films, even as many of them achieved international stardom precisely because of their work for Hitchcock — among the dozens of women were Madeleine Carroll, Joan Fontaine, Grace Kelly and Tippi Hedren. Yet he maintained a stony, insistent silence about the quality of their performances and their contributions to his art. Spellbound by Beauty — the final volume in master biographer Donald Spoto's Hitchcock trilogy that began with The Art of Alfred Hitchcock and continued with The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock — is the fascinating, complex and finally tragic story of the great moviemaker and his female stars, the unusual ideas of sex and romance that inform his films and the Hollywood dreams that often became nightmares. Rich with fresh revelations based on previously undisclosed tapes, new interviews, private correspondence and personal papers made available only to the author, this thoughtful, compassionate yet explosive portrait details Hitchcock's outbursts of cruelty, the shocking humor and the odd amalgam of adoration and contempt that time and again characterized Hitchcock's obsessive relationships with women — and that also, paradoxically, fed his genius. He insisted, for example, that Madeleine Carroll submit herself to painful physical demands during the making of The 39 Steps. He harbored a poignantly unrequited love for Ingrid Bergman. He meticulously and deliberately constructed Grace Kelly's image. Finally, he stalked, harassed and abused Tippi Hedren. His treatment of his daughter, Pat, was certainly unusual, while his strange marriage to his sometime collaborator Alma Reville was a union that (according to Hitchcock himself) was forever chaste after one incident. Spellbound by Beauty offers important insights into the life of a brilliant, powerful, eccentric and tortured artist, and it corrects a major gap in movie history by paying tribute at last to those extraordinarily talented actresses who gave so much to his films. Review:"In this enthralling third installment of his Hitchcock trilogy (after The Dark Side of Genius and The Art of Alfred Hitchcock), Spoto paints a portrait of a man as talented as he was troubled. Spoto examines each film in terms of its leading lady, but focuses especially on the three cool blondes with whom Hitchcock was famously obsessed: Ingrid Bergman (Spellbound, Notorious and Under Capricorn), Grace Kelly (Dial 'M' for Murder, Rear Window and To Catch a Thief) and Tippi Hedren (The Birds and Marnie). While Bergman never returned Hitchcock's romantic advances, the pair struck up a lasting friendship. With Kelly, Hitchcock felt he had molded the young actress into his ideal woman with just the right mix of elegance and sexuality. When Kelly left Hollywood, Hitchcock sought a replacement and found newcomer Tippi Hedren, whom he both fawned over and humiliated during their two films together. Relying on hours of personal interviews with both Hitchcock and his various players, Spoto shines an admiring yet unflinching light on one of the most celebrated directors in history." Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.) Review:"While it may add little to an understanding of Hitchcock's art, the knowledge of where Nova Pilbeam...was living quietly in 2008 attests to Mr. Spoto's tenacity — and also makes a good story." Janet Maslin, New York Times Review:"This coda reconsiders the master of suspense against recollections that interviewees requested remain unpublished until they or Hitchcock died." Kirkus reviews Synopsis:The final book in the master biographer's Hitchcock trilogy offers a new look at the famed director's life, career, and movies through his complex and often shocking relationships with his legendary actresses, among them Ingrid Bergman, Grace Kelly, and Kim Novak. 30 b&w photos. About the AuthorDONALD SPOTO, who earned his Ph.D. from Fordham University, is the author of twenty-four books, including The Art of Alfred Hitchcock and The Dark Side of Genius: The Life of Alfred Hitchcock. His other bestselling biographies include the lives of Audrey Hepburn, Ingrid Bergman and Marlene Dietrich. He lives in Denmark. What Our Readers Are SayingAdd a comment for a chance to win!
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