Famous sensationalized autobiography of "The Most Beautiful Woman in Film"
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Pat Luther
Format:Paperback
This book was ghost-written for her by Leo Guild without her input. He got so many facts wrong, and took so many liberties, that she ended up suing the publisher over them.
There are much better books written about Hedy Lamarr, truly a remarkable woman worth reading about, but sadly she never wrote one herself.
There are much better books written about Hedy Lamarr, truly a remarkable woman worth reading about, but sadly she never wrote one herself.
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By Dick Grune
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
True to the subtitle "My Life as a Woman", the book reports only about those aspects of and events in the life of the author, Hedy Lamarr, in which the fact that she was a woman played a major role: marriages, sex, and movies, in about equal parts and in considerable detail. Her achievements and her patent in electronics are not mentioned at all, not even hinted at.
Although the over-all story is roughly chonological, there are many flash-forwards and flash-backs. Whether the narrative can hold up agianst these, is a matter of opinion; I could have done with a little less. The main time line starts with her birth and shows repeatedly how here life was influenced by the movie "Extasy" she made when she was 18 years old (hence the title). It ends with the infamous shoplifting affair, of which she gives a vague account, clearly unwilling to tell the whole truth, but equally clearly unwilling to lie. This tension is, to a lesser extend, discernable throughout the entire book. The book ends with about eighty small paragraphs of personal wisdom and advice.
Not high literature but definitely a good read, if you are interested in H.L. or in the Hollywood movie industry of 1935-1965.
Although the over-all story is roughly chonological, there are many flash-forwards and flash-backs. Whether the narrative can hold up agianst these, is a matter of opinion; I could have done with a little less. The main time line starts with her birth and shows repeatedly how here life was influenced by the movie "Extasy" she made when she was 18 years old (hence the title). It ends with the infamous shoplifting affair, of which she gives a vague account, clearly unwilling to tell the whole truth, but equally clearly unwilling to lie. This tension is, to a lesser extend, discernable throughout the entire book. The book ends with about eighty small paragraphs of personal wisdom and advice.
Not high literature but definitely a good read, if you are interested in H.L. or in the Hollywood movie industry of 1935-1965.
6 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By C. Chandler
Format:Mass Market Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
.....Miss Lamarr sued the publisher for inserting false assertions by her ghost writer that she claimed were not true. So how much of the book is fact and how much fiction is up for grabs. One thing is certain, if only one half of the book is factual then Miss Lamarr had a serious problem with her sexuality. She claims that she was over sexed and was under the care of psychiratists for many years. The word nymphomaniac was never used but most certainly must have been the case.
.....I think Miss Lamarr's world class beauty turned out to be a curse instead of a blessing and kept her from ever realizing true contentment or happiness. She admitted as much in her book ..."My face has been my misfortune. It has attracted six unsuccessful marriage partners. It has attracted all the wrong people into my boudior and brought me tragedy and heartache for five decades. My face is a mask I cannot remove: I must always live with it. I curse it." ...
.....I was disappointed that the book did not discuss her patent for frequency hopping which today is called Spread Spectrum Technology and is one of the foundations for modern wireless communications. This to me was the most interesting part of her life. That such a great mind could be smothered and hidden behind a beautiful face is a tragedy.
.....I believe that Miss Lamarr was used and exploited by Hollywood for the money her beauty would generate but I also belive that she was a willing accomplice.
.....I think Miss Lamarr's world class beauty turned out to be a curse instead of a blessing and kept her from ever realizing true contentment or happiness. She admitted as much in her book ..."My face has been my misfortune. It has attracted six unsuccessful marriage partners. It has attracted all the wrong people into my boudior and brought me tragedy and heartache for five decades. My face is a mask I cannot remove: I must always live with it. I curse it." ...
.....I was disappointed that the book did not discuss her patent for frequency hopping which today is called Spread Spectrum Technology and is one of the foundations for modern wireless communications. This to me was the most interesting part of her life. That such a great mind could be smothered and hidden behind a beautiful face is a tragedy.
.....I believe that Miss Lamarr was used and exploited by Hollywood for the money her beauty would generate but I also belive that she was a willing accomplice.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hedy Lamarr a beautiful woman, quite intelligent and underappreciated...
A beautiful women with a great deal of intelligence. All too often she was dismissed for her beauty, much like the great silent star, Barbara LaMarr, who L.B. Read more
Published 8 days ago by Mary A. Cade
4.0 out of 5 stars
Not entirely reliable, but a very entertaining read
The history of the book itself is somewhat mysterious, as is the life of its subject. The bulk of the book's material came from lengthy interviews with Hedy Lamarr by the... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Ari
1.0 out of 5 stars
hedy lamarr extasis and me
The book was in very bad shape, dirty, and very used. Very expensive for its quality. Extremely disappointed with the real product compared with its description.
Published 20 months ago by jorgel
1.0 out of 5 stars
If all you have is beauty, you ain't got much!
She's not all that beautiful to me. I've seen better. I think Linda Darnell and Gene Tierney were more beautiful. Read more
Published 22 months ago by MeMyselfandI
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Complete Woman!
Aside from being one of the most beautiful woman in her era of the screen, and a totally unappreciated fine actress in her own right -- she also had brains, coinventing an... Read more
Published on August 29, 2008 by Norman A. Faber
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poorly written
This book is very poorly written beginning with an incorrect date of birth, the lady goes on and on and never talks about her scientific accomplishments but harps on her sexual... Read more
Published on January 10, 2008 by Prabal Guha Biswas
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