Customer Reviews

AGAINST TYPE: The Biography of Burt Lancaster

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chronicles the professional life and accomplishments of one of Hollywood's most loved stars, Burt Lancaster. I was disappointed with the lack of insight into the personal life of Lancaster, but as a biography of his professional life it was excellent. It was fascinating to read of the diametrically opposite views that co-stars and directors had for him, ranging from ardour to hate. This is an unbiased portrait of a great star

Gary Fishgall is very good on the professional life of actors. He's written about James Stewart, Burt Lancaster, and Gregory Peck. Fishgall seems not very much interested in [physical activity] and social name-dropping, which is fine with me. He gives the bare facts of the actor's social life without the juicy and sordid detail for which many people read star biographies.

On the actor's professional life and accomplishments, Fishgall is excellent. He covers childhood and youth thoroughly as it relates to the future career. He discusses every professional job the actor ever had. You learn not only about the big successes, with which you may already be familiar, but also the small successes and the failures. Nothing relating to the professional life is left out. You learn what the subject thought about his coworkers and what they thought about him.

I have now read two of Fishgall's bios and plan to read the third. This is just the kind of information I find fascinating. If you enjoy any of Fishgall's bios, you may also enjoy Vincente Minnelli's "I Remember It Well." Minnelli's story-telling mode is very similar to Fishgall's. He dwells on his professional life and downplays the personal.

I enjoyed reading Against Type, but wish the author had been more expressive and inspired. Gives good overview of Lancaster's career.
Fishgall covers most of the bases but I would have liked more of Burt's impact on pop culture.

Burt Lancaster was the epitome of rugged masculinity, and yet he was always ready for a challenge. Not content to rely on his good looks, flashing teeth and muscles, Lancaster also played several meaty and more complex roles in his staggering career. No matter which way we remember him, he was unforgettable.

Gary Fishgall vividly recreates Lancaster's early life in New York where he learned all the values from his strong mother that would remain with him all through his life as well as his years as an acrobat. Lancaster's good looks were his ticket to stardom when he was discovered in an elevator by a talent scout which led to a play called THE SOUND OF HUNTING. This led to "overnight" success in Hollywood.

Lancaster's career lasted from the last years of the golden age through to the modern era with stars of different eras such as Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Ava Gardner, Kirk Douglas, Deborah Kerr, Peter O'Toole, Gene Hackman and Kevin Costner. Throughout these years, Lancaster mixed it up with commercial hits and offbeat roles that stretched his talents. Fishgall provides us with many of the details behind the scenes of Lancaster's films.

His private life is also examined. Throughout his life, Lancaster was always willing to challenge the system of the day. His work for Civil rights and his accusations of Communism made him a popular enemy of the government. There was also his affairs with other women, rumors of bisexuality and his personality. Off-screen, Lancaster was arrogant, egotistical and volatile, but he was also kind, loyal and generous. He was always a larger than life figure.

Fishgall's book is what all biographies should be, an excellent insight into both the man and the actor.