Customer Reviews

Bette Davis: Larger than Life

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This newest book about Bette Davis is recommended for the many superior photos included, and for the good layout of her films, presented, generally in sequence. There are several factual errors, and the text of the two authors more than occasionally contradicts what the other has written. The errors include actor David Keith being called Brian Keith,by co-author Richard Schickel, and the surprisingly naive statement by the main author, George Perry, that Davis successfully imitated Joan Crawford in telephone scenes in 'Baby Jane' when Crawford had in fact agreed to dub in her own voice while Davis 'lip-synched' her imitation (this information is covered in the 2 disc 'Baby Jane' dvds, and also, in my opinion, is fairly obvious).
Running Press, the publisher, also gave the public the very enjoyable oversized books about Lucille Ball ('Lucy At The Movies') and the excellent (and best of the three) Lana Turner book, 'Lana' The Memories, The Myths, The Movies' which greatly benefitted from having Cheryl Crane's insight and her dedication to having her mother's memory being preserved. The 3 very attractive-looking Running Press books all are worth buying, and are great conversation pieces for those interested in classic films and/or classic stars of an era long-gone.
Of the 2 authors of "Bette Davis: Larger Than Life", George Perry does the better job; Richard Schickel editorializes all over the place and some of his highly subjective observations just don't ring true, to this reader. As I read on, Schickel's opinions became irrelevant and tiresome. He writes from the perspective of his experience of enjoying the work of Davis as being of more import than the films or performances Davis gave in them.
The photos in the book are incredible, and the quality of paper used and photo resolution may make some fans want to buy two copies, one for the coffee-table, and the other for high-quality frameable rare photographs of the greatest film star of the 1940s.

By far the best thing about this book are the photographs. Although many of the pictures are the same as those seen through the years in other Bette Davis bios - there are a significant number I have not seen elsewhere before. Also, all the photographs are magnificently reproduced - crystal clear with great detail and depth.

The text of the book contains absolutely no new information (except for a few careless factual errors) regarding Ms. Davis' personal life, career or movies. However it is an enjoyable,
easy, quick read - a sort of "Cliff Notes" of Ms. Davis' life and movies.

Somewhat offensive is the author's (Schickel) need to rationalize his interest in Ms. Davis in the "Introduction" chapter - which he writes "doesn't make sense". He lets the reader know that his interests are strictly the "regular" man ones -- in movie genres (war, adventure) as well as in other hobbies (football, baseball, etc.). In the next few paragraphs he clumsily describes/apologizes what it could possibly be about Ms. Davis and her movies that would appeal to a person like him. It reminded me of when I was a teenager and a straight friend of mine embarassingly confided in me (and later denied to others) that he watched a movie musical on television the night before rather than an 'important' ball game. I guess some things never change!! Rest easy Mr. Schickel - you can feel free to enjoy Bette Davis without fearing people will think you are gay.

I really can't understand why this book was published. Its glorious, glossy cover and format leads one to believe that it will be a photo-heavy "movie star" tribute. Unfortunately, its author, George Perry (Richard Schickel wrote only the preface) doesn't seem to be any fan of Bette Davis, which would seem to be crucial to what presents itself as a tribute book. His writing is poor in the extreme; confusing, humorless, overweening, and sour. He seems to believe that being critical is the best way to display his superiority. I mean, do we really need to hear someone else complain that Bette Davis smoked? I literally slammed the book shut when Perry began complaining that George Brent's character in "The Great Lie," after having been lost in the jungle, didn't discuss his probate will when he returned (!). Mr. Perry, dear, it's the same reason we didn't see him go to the bathroom. We're talking about a MOVIE here. And Perry doesn't seem to like very many of Bette Davis'.
I hope Running Press continues this lavish series. The Lana Turner entry (penned by her daughter, Cheryl Crane) is absolutely terrific. And I'll probably buy the Lucille Ball book in the series. But this book, sadly, is a DUD, despite the fine photographs inside (few of which seem to be very rare) I can not recommend it.

This is a huge book about our greatest film actress,BETTE DAVIS (ok Meryl Streep comes close) Great Photography" Larger than Life" is just that! a book about Davis! A well deserved tribute. Read it buy it Worth every penny! Very satisfied Has many color large photos which are absolutlely beautiful (most Ive never seen before) !! Very impressive book!

I was sorely disappointed with this volume. Yes, the photographs are beautiful...high gloss on the finest paper. But the prose in this volume is so full of misinformation and factual errors it is an insult.

For example, the author dares to say that Bette Davis does an excellent vocal impersonation of Joan Crawford in a scene in "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane." This is totally wrong. Davis did not do the voice! Crawford did and they dubbed her voice. That is just one of many factual errors in this book. Another is they referred to David Brian (Bette Davis' co-star in "Beyond the Forest" as "Brian Keith"!!!!!" There are many, many more mistakes!

Aside from that, as other reviewers posted here, there is nothing, absolutely nothing new to be learned here. A very poor job of research. This book is not worth the almost $50.00 asked for. Only the most die-hard Bette fans will be pleased with this book.....if only for the photographs. But the beautiful photographs cannot make up for the poor writing and editing job on this book.

I bought this book as a gift for my son, as he loves Bette Davis, but I was just as enthralled with it. I love the format. The photos are beautiful. He stayed up half the night reading it the day I gave it to him, and it's now prominently displayed on the coffee table in his apartment to enhance his classic film decor. This book makes a terrific gift book for anyone who enjoys classic films.

This is a gorgeous coffee table book....the photos alone make the purchase worthwhile whether you find the bio and movie reviews accurate or not-you cannot beat the price for such a great album of beautiful shots of Bette. A must for her die-hard fans!

If you are a Bette Davis fan like I am, then this is the book for you. Written very well, znd the synopsis of each movie she stared in is fantastic. Highly recommend this book to all.

Maybe the trick is to wait "after" the book has been out for a while, before you buy it. I bought this "brand new", sealed and shipped here on Amazon for less then $9. Barnes & Noble also has it for $10 right now.The pictures are FANTASTIC. I saw a few complaints from reviewers here about wrong facts, but if you are a real Bette Davis fan, then you've already read at least a half dozen of her books and know the real facts already.
It's a steal for $10...go buy it now and add it to your collection!

While this book has many beautiful photos of Bette Davis I was expecting this book to be more of a biography. There is the story of her life contained in the book. However, the book is mainly focused on the movies she did. Again this book is filled with gorgeous glossy pictures but leaves a lot to be desired in the biographical department.