Vanity Fair's Tales of Hollywood

December 8, 2008
Vanity Fair magazine is known for in-depth film histories, and this collection of 13 from the past 10 years is a worthy read for film buffs (though no less likely to satisfy than the next issue's feature). "Iconic" is used loosely here, as some selections hold narrow appeal (is there anyone interested in career-women-in-distress flick The Best of Everything who hasn't already found Laura Jacob's history?), but the writers' access might be reason enough to take a look: Peter Biskind talks, in 2006, to Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton about the making of Reds; Sam Kashner gets John Travolta's thoughts on Saturday Night Fever; and Peter Biskind talks to Dustin Hoffman and John Voight about the unlikely triumph of Midnight Cowboy. Other articles take a longer view: David Kamp looks into Cleopatra, as well as legends that Orson Welles's original director's cut of The Magnificent Ambersons is still hidden away somewhere. Others covered include The Producers, The Graduate, All About Eve and Tommy; for those who haven't come across them before, these gossipy behind-the-scenes chronicles should make compulsive reading.

December 15, 2008
"Vanity Fair" editor Carter has put together an anthology of pieces about the making of 13 very different films. What could "The Magnificent Ambersons, Tommy", and "The Best of Everything" have in common? They were subjects, along with the ten other films included here, of "Vanity Fair" articles over the last ten years. Flops and successes are all grouped together in a what-if kind of book. What if Robert Redford had played Benjamin Braddock in "The Graduate"? What if John Travolta's feet were not shown in his big dance sequence in "Saturday Night Fever"? Can you imagine anyone other than Bette Davis uttering "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night"? (It was supposed to be Claudette Colbert, but she had hurt her back.) All of these things were possibilities. Some of the essays collected here are better than others ("Tommy Dearest" by James Wolcott stands out), and some rehash what most film buffs already know. But all of the pieces are well written yet still juicy, just the kind of thing that appeals to celebrity mavens and film scholars alike. Highly recommended.Rosellen Brewer, Sno-Isle Libs., Marysville, WA

Copyright 2008 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2009
These lively essays from Vanity Fair reveal the stories behind 13 iconic films. The attitude taken toward several of these bakers-dozen movies is, however, more ironic than reverent. But the circumstances surrounding the making of such ringers as Myra Breckinridge, Tommy, and Cleopatra make for reading thats not only shamefully fascinating in a car-wreck sort of way but illuminating of the maddening methods of Hollywood. Not surprisingly, though, its the genuine classicsamong them, Rebel without a Cause, All about Eve, The Magnificent Ambersons, and Midnight Cowboythat concern the most substantive and rewarding entries. The contributors, who include such notable entertainment writers as James Wolcott and Peter Biskind, dish up enough gossip to satisfy the casual moviegoer (e.g., Mike Nichols originally envisioned Robert Redford and Ava Gardner for The Graduate) but pair it with enough substance to satisfy hard-core film buffs. This slender volume manages to cover a surprising amount of territory.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)