Customer Reviews

Gene Kelly: A Celebration

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

 

 

The other reviewers have said what I am going to say: There just is not enough about Gene Kelly's life in this book. It's a little TOO "celebratory". Any conflicts that arise between him and others at the time are glossed over as Kelly doing no wrong. Some of his failures are presented as if they did not create a problem for the star, yet anyone who has lived on this planet (so then everyone) KNOWS that Kelly's failures and difficulties were probably not as ho-hum as the authors would like us to believe. In their attempt to be respectful of the venerable star, they take us sometimes for fools who have not experienced life. I'm only two-thirds of the way through the book, but it does not seem to me they are going to mention the fact that Kelly kept Michael Kidd from becoming more than he could have been, speculated by some to be the result of jealousy and insecurity about the competition Kidd offered. Also, several of Kelly's famous dance numbers are referred to as "the most remembered", "his biggest", "his most famous", "his daringest", etc. Well, they can't ALL be that. This indulgence in hyperbole is reminiscent of a "That's Entertainment" film. The photographs are wonderful, but the book's layout creates an awkardly cumbersome book that is too heavy for what it contains, and just doesn't "fit" well on your lap when reading in bed, nor does it carry around well when moving from room to room in your house on a lazy Saturday when trying to enjoy your book. I know that seems petty, but reading is an entire experience with a definite ritual. The shape of this book interferes with that coffee-and-pajamas-on-the-couch ritual. It's just too heavy and could have been easily condensed into something smaller and more manageable. Nitpicking aside, read this if you are a Kelly fan. It's a delightful journey back in time.

I really thought this book was great! If you are a Gene Kelly fan this book is for you. It has little tid bits about Gene that a fan would want to know. Gene Kelly- A Celebration mostly talks about the movies Gene made and his contributions to the movies. Great pictures also. I highly recommend buying this book.

This book is a must for all Gene Kelly fans. It has wonderful pictures of him, and allows you insight into his life. This book describes the making of each movie that he made. Buy this book, and I'm sure you won't regret it.

Do you realize how HARD it is to find a book on the great Gene Kelly? He is one of my all-time heroes,& I cannot believe books about him are so hard to find. He was essential to the success of many (and future) musicals, as a "down-to-earth" choreographer who blended his athletic ability and new insight to the movie scene. This book highlights his genius, & I cannot say how absolutley eccstatic I am about reading this book. The collection of pictures are beautiful, showing the man at work...THANK YOU so much to the authors who wrote it, and Amazon books for selling it! Thank you! Thank you!
Maya Geisler, age 19

Initially, this book is very alluring. Now, i'm not one to "dog on" anything affiliated with the legendary icon, Gene Kelly... However, this book is less than PERFECT. It contains many wonderful pictures, as well as commentary(nowadays, the "bare-minimum requirements of any "celebrity tribute" book), but lacks in-depth information about the artist. In that sense, this "celebration" does not do Mr. Kelly justice. Mr. Kelly is great, the jem of americana. Sadly, this book is only half as pristine.

Gene Kelly: A Celebration offers Gene fans a good

overview of his life and work, with many excellent

photographs. The only down-side is that the authors

rely heavily on the previous biography by Clive

Hirschorn, so that his earlier errors are repeated,

such as Gene's birthday (August 23rd, not the 3rd).

Unfortunately, as a bio, the book does not offer

any insight into Gene's involvement with liberal

politics in the 40's, or into the dissolution of his

friendship with Stanley Donen, or into the later

years of his life and his marriage to Patricia Ward.

Despite this, the book is a MUST for Gene fans!

The pictures are excellent and fans will love reading

about his inspiring life!

I am so ecstatic that they finally have a book out there all about Gene Kelly.. The pictures are great. It's well worth your time to order it.. I am such a HUGE fan of Gene Kelly, he is the ultimate cure for the blues, him and chocolate <grin> Forever sigin' In The Rain.. :o)

Great purchase. I salivated over each and every picture and read it through from cover to cover within hours of getting this in the mail. It now sits atop my coffee table, where I can quickly glance the cover and get a happy chill just thinking about all those old musicals with Gene.