Customer Reviews

HIGH EXPOSURE~HOLLYWOOD LIVES~FOUND PHOTOS FROM THE ARCHIVES OF THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

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High Exposure is quite a nice coffee-table book, filled with all the glitz and glamour you might expect from a book detailing the inner lives of the elite of Hollywood in the 1950's. The truly remarkable thing about the book, however, is not its attempt to reveal the secrets of Hollywood, glorified or not, (as it seems there are millions of books that do just that) but that it is primarily a book of haunting pictures. To use a rather cliché old saying, "A picture is worth a thousand words." And in High Exposure, every detail counts. The enchancement of Monroe's breasts with cheap photo paint, the pain written all over Mrs (soon not to be) Dandridge's face as she sits, waiting for court to begin at her divorce hearing and the all-too-grown-up Judy Garland, coldly staring into her mirror as she applies a last bit of make-up before a photo-shoot. The captions and essays that follow the photos are well written, insightful... the layout, sleek modern. Perhaps best of all, the author is able to create and sustain interest in this topic, so many times explored. Finally, a clear, definitive take on Hollywood... as only a cultural anthropologist could show it.

For those who still honor the art of photography and who would like to witness the humanity of Hollywood's 50's era stars you must see this book. It presents a cultural anthropology through 200+ extraordinary pictures. Remember the quote: A picture is worth a thousand words!

This is a remarkable book. Pictures from the archives of the LA Times never before seen of the great stars of the Century. With text to match, all chosen by a fabulous photographer/anthropologist with an eye for the unforgettable.

I would recommend this book for the photos alone, but the text is riddled with errors of every kind. Biographical, frequently mislabeled dates. Take all captions with a grain of salt and enjoy the photos. Why didn't the publisher hire a film historian to write this, or at least hire a fact-checker?

I absolutely adore this book. It's a wonderfully voyueristic peepshow into the not so perfect world of Hollywood past. Photo's of those iconic celebrities from the jailhouse, the courthouse, and the nuthouse. It really is something to see.