Customer Reviews

Fasten Your Seat Belts: The Passionate Life of Bette Davis

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

 

 

As an avid fan of Bette Davis, I was really excited to get my hands on a copy of this book because I'd been told it was one of the best biographies about her. The author (himself a film critic) takes you through her life, step by step, taking time to focus on the films (good and bad), the men, and the events that defined her career. From her outstanding performance as Mildred in Of Human Bondage to her slightly campy double role in Dead Ringer, the author covers them all. The book is impressive in the amount of research and personal interviews the author conducted with former co-stars and other Hollywood notables that helped frame this book. Bette had no shortage or enemies or admirers, that's for sure! Before I read this book, I always believed that Bette and her mother Ruthie were very close because that was merely the nature of their relationship; in reality, Ruthie was one of Bette's many hangers-on. I'd expected to hear more about Bette and B.D.'s relationship - or lack thereof - but it wasn't there. Bette cut her only natural child out of her will, and it was even mentioned that B.D. would have been prevented from attending the funeral (she wasn't going anyway). It would've merely added to the book to have heard more about B.D., but the author devotes only a few passages to her. This book represents a total of 43 years of researching, interviewing, and writing, and the author makes it clear how much admiration he has for Bette, as he frequently uses the first person and interjects his feelings about a film or an event. Bette Davis was a fireball on and off screen, and this book does good justice in illustrating that. Because of the author's comments about some of Bette's lesser-known films, I will be heading out to the video store in search of more Bette. Great book.

As a big Bette Davis fan, I looked forward to reading this biography of her, particularly as it had been written by an individual who had also been a film critic. I was not disappointed. This is a very well researched, extensive book of the life of Bette Davis, her relationships, and her body of work. The author takes the reader through her early beginnings in Lowell, Massachusetts to her last breath in Paris, France. It is evident that for the author this was a labor of love.

Given the author's own connection to the film world, as well as the fact that he, himself, is a big fan of Ms. Davis, much of his writing is peppered with interesting insider information. It is the culmination of an amazing forty three years of research. Being a member of the cognoscenti, the author provides a great deal of colorful background that fleshes out her life, grounding it in the context of the time in which she lived and developed as the great star that she eventually became. He does this through extensive interviews of the people who had played a role in her life, news clippings, film reviews, and his own interviews of Ms. Davis.

The author takes the reader through her relationships, many of which were rocky, with her family, her fellow actors, directors, writers, producers, and studio heads. The author discusses her marriages, of which there were a four, and her lovers. It is, however, when discussing her films, her highs and her lows, that the author's knowledge really comes to the forefront. Having seen most of the films of which he writes, I especially enjoyed and was totally fascinated by all the background information, skullduggery, and behind the scenes hoopla that went on in the making of these films. I will definitely go back and see some of these films again, as they are now couched in a new light.

This fascinating book is, without a doubt, the definitive biography of Bette Davis, warts and all. The author succeeds in painting a three dimensional portrait of a feisty, determined woman, who brooked no nonsense when it came to her craft, but who also had a softer side, wanting to love and be loved. This is a woman who asserted herself and refused to countenance anyone who would try to make her be something that she wasn't. While this may not have made her very popular with those who lived or worked with her, this quality shone through in her films, making her one of the most popular and enduring superstars of all time. Bette Davis eventually became more than the sum of her parts. She became a legend.

As a big Bette Davis fan, I looked forward to reading this biography of her, particularly as it had been written by an individual who had also been a film critic. I was not disappointed. This is a very well researched, extensive book of the life of Bette Davis, her relationships, and her body of work. The author takes the reader through her early beginnings in Lowell, Massachusetts to her last breath in Paris, France. It is evident that for the author this was a labor of love.

Given the author's own connection to the film world, as well as the fact that he, himself, is a big fan of Ms. Davis, much of his writing is peppered with interesting insider information. It is the culmination of an amazing forty three years of research. Being a member of the cognoscenti, the author provides a great deal of colorful background that fleshes out her life, grounding it in the context of the time in which she lived and developed as the great star that she eventually became. He does this through extensive interviews of the people who had played a role in her life, news clippings, film reviews, and his own interviews of Ms. Davis.

The author takes the reader through her relationships, many of which were rocky, with her family, her fellow actors, directors, writers, producers, and studio heads. The author discusses her marriages, of which there were a four, and her lovers. It is, however, when discussing her films, her highs and her lows, that the author's knowledge really comes to the forefront. Having seen most of the films of which he writes, I especially enjoyed and was totally fascinated by all the background information, skullduggery, and behind the scenes hoopla that went on in the making of these films. I will definitely go back and see some of these films again, as they are now couched in a new light.

This fascinating book is, without a doubt, the definitive biography of Bette Davis, warts and all. The author succeeds in painting a three dimensional portrait of a feisty, determined woman, who brooked no nonsense when it came to her craft, but who also had a softer side, wanting to love and be loved. This is a woman who asserted herself and refused to countenance anyone who would try to make her be something that she wasn't. While this may not have made her very popular with those who lived or worked with her, this quality shone through in her films, making her one of the most popular and enduring superstars of all time. Bette Davis eventually became more than the sum of her parts. She became a legend.

If you are looking for an indepth analysis of every movie Bette Davis made, and the personal and business circumstances behind them, then this book is for you. If you are looking for more of a character study of Davis, insights into her personality and psychology and interpersonal relationships, you might to better to look elsewhere. As this book was written by a long time critic, it makes sense that it is so oriented toward the film angle. Some good "dirt" on the old Holywood pantheon---but sometimes the author told me more (esp. about their sexual lives) than I wanted to know.

This was probably the worst Bette Davis book I've ever read. Every man in it comes off as either a womanizer or gay; and I feel the author spent WAY too much time exploring the sexuality of other men in Hollywood. Really, does Clark Gable's or Tyrone Power's sexuality have ANYTHING to do with Bette Davis? Mr. Quirk comes off as obsessed with who is or isn't gay in Hollywood, and the men in Bette's life's sexual habits than he is in Ms. Davis. This book was truly awful. Giving it 1 star because there are no negative star ratings.

Overall I must say, I found 'Fasten your Seat Belts' to be well worth my time. The book takes a different tack than what I expected but, it is deliciously entertaining with tales of Miss Davis and a number of Hollywood legends. A very interesting read indeed - as told by someone who was in the know during the heydays of Hollywood.