What are you reading?

[charliechaplinfan]

I finished reading Gavin Lambert's book on George Cukor, in it Cukor discusses the movies he made and some of the people he knew, he's quite cutting about Marilyn for instance, he obviously wasn't a fan. Yet he paints lovely memories of others. I found that I whizzed through the book and I'd highly recommend it. Now I'm reading George Sanders an Exhausted Life as recommended by Moira.

[JackFavell]

oooh! that's one I need to get- thanks for jogging my memory.

[charliechaplinfan]

It's quite good, I can't say I warm to him as a person, he seems a complex individual, it's a good biography, it's not worth the price on Amazon unless you are a massive fan. A rental from the library if you can.

[JackFavell]

I am a massive fan! But I do hesitate to buy when I can borrow.

[charliechaplinfan]

It is incredibly expensive to get hold of, I've also borrowed his biography. I'll soon be an expert.

[JackFavell]

I just finished reading The Great Gatsby over again, thanks to the discussion here of the Alan Ladd 1948 movie.

God, what beautiful writing! I had forgotten just how moving the book was. It's even better now than when I first read it.

You can read it here if you like (though I prefer a real book in hand). It's an amazingly fast read. Fitzgerald's sumptuous prose pulls you right through the book at lightning speed.

http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/f/fitzger ... tt/gatsby/

[charliechaplinfan]

I haven't read it in a long time but I loved it. I always had the image of Robert Redford as Gatsby and I think he's reasonable casting, he's more of a blank canvas than some, Gatsby is classless and many actors bring preconceptions with them. I wasn't keen on Mia as Daisy though. I haven't seen any other versions but might try the book again soon.

I finished George Sanders biography. What a troubled man, yet the book wasn't really satisfying. I think the author had his own preconceptions, which might be true, he didn't discuss much of his movie work, he ever mentioned his work for Disney, I mean George Sanders is Shere Khan, for me one of his most famous roles yet it was never touched on. I think he wanted to give the impression that Sanders was on a irrevocable career decline after his marriage to Benita. His union with Benita seemed the happiest of his life but most of their marriage was blighted by her cancer battle and a financial scandal he got caught up in. This part was really interesting but too little details were given, he cited a Parliamentary report that found Sanders culpable, he had more knowledge than he let on and was guilty of criminal deception but he didn't fill in the details. I find in reading this book that I'm even more confused about the man than I was before.

[JackFavell]

Perhaps you might get more of a glimmer about Sanders from Brian Aherne's book, A Dreadful Man. It's really just a collection of anecdotes, but at least it's obvious that Aherne was fond of Sanders and especially Benita Hume.

So Sanders remains enigmatic, as he probably wished to be. Sad. I'd love to know what made him that way.

[Ann Harding]

Perhaps you might get more of a glimmer about Sanders from Brian Aherne's book, A Dreadful Man. It's really just a collection of anecdotes, but at least it's obvious that Aherne was fond of Sanders and especially Benita Hume.

So Sanders remains enigmatic, as he probably wished to be. Sad. I'd love to know what made him that way.

I read the Brian Aherne book and didn't like it. I felt Aherne had an axe to grind about his own career. And overall, you don't get much about Sanders. I far prefer George Sanders' own autobiography. It's called Memoirs of a Professional Cad. It's beautifully written with a humour not unlike Wilde. He won't tell you that many facts, but between the lines, you learn far more about the man.

[JackFavell]

I absolutely loved Memoirs of a Professional Cad, but I found out more about those who circled through Sanders' life than I did about he himself. He's quite amusing. It's a VERY enjoyable book.

I too felt a little on the meh side about Aherne himself, but did find genuine affection for Sanders, especially in the final chapters.

[charliechaplinfan]

Well, Aherne's version was rubbished by the author of Sander's biography, I think perhaps there is an axe to grind, most possibly about his career. What does the title Dreadful Man allude to? Is it to Aherne himself or Sanders? I have Sanders own book hired from the library along with 10 other books. It might take me a while

[MichiganJ]

I'm reading Despite the System: Orson Welles Versus the Hollywood Studios and the opening chapter has some very fascinating excerpts from Welles' script for Hearts of Darkness. Does anyone know if that script was ever published? I'm not having any luck finding it at Amazon.

[ChiO]

MichJ --

Always happy to assist a friend in need of more Welles. http://www.wellesnet.com/?p=1173

A 1972 commentary by Jonathan Rosenbaum is reprinted in his Discovering Orson Welles (2007), and James Naremore has some worthwhile comments in the first chapter of his The Magic World of Orson Welles (1989 new ed.)

[RedRiver]

I'm another who enjoys light fiction. I don't want to work too hard. I'm reading a new mystery called THINK OF A NUMBER. About a retired cop drawn into a puzzling situation. I don't just love it. But it was recommended by a friend. It will be fun to talk about it with him.

Recently, I've been reading Baltimore based crime fiction by Laura Lippman. Thoughtful, if slightly padded, stories of people suffering the repercussions of choices made long ago. The author is best known for her Tess Monaghan books. I prefer non-serial stuff.

Prior to that...ABRAHAM LINCOLN, VAMPIRE HUNTER! I can't resist another opportunity to say that! This absurdly titled fantasy is surprisingly intelligent. There's a fair amount of history. I enjoy that. And there's a quantity of...vampires! The author also wrote PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, so he knows the territory. I haven't read that one. The Lincoln book is exciting, funny and thoroughly entertaining!

Pardon me if I've repeated something already referenced. I didn't read the whole thread.