Customer Reviews

The Hustons

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I read "The Hustons" several years ago and am now rereading it. Sure, it's about many of the brightest stars in Hollywood, and John Huston is a giant among them, but it's also very much about the creative process. Anyone who is interested in writing, directing, acting, or any other of the creative roles in the making of a film should read this book. It is thoroughly researched and brilliantly written. Go on, you'll find it inspiring.

Congratulations, Lawrence Grobel, on this great work. Why hasn't it become a movie too? Hello, Hollywood?

Hollywood (and much of the United States, for that matter) was built by powerful families. The Zaibatsus of early Hollywood -- the Barrymores, the Zanucks, the Gish sisters -- gave us some of the finest films ever made, as well as a template for film production that has survived for eighty years.

Add to this list the Hustons. In many ways, they represent the last half of the Twentieth century in Hollywood. This book brilliantly captures the power, fame, and scandals in which the Huston's were involved. The prose is informative without sacrificing readability, and the book is thoroughly researched. I recommend it for anyone interested in the Hollywood Studio System and how it changed after the 1940s. Fantastic reading on an important subject.

Though the title is "The Hustons," this is really John Huston's book. Walter and Angelica are bookends to the wild brilliance and debauchery that was John Huston's improbable life. It's fitting that he receive the lion's share: as remarkable an actor as Walter was, and as talented as Angelica continues to be, the son and father in this dynasty is the real story, after all. Grobel digs deep and speaks to as many people as he can to evince a towering portrait of a writer/director/actor who ranks at the top of the Hollywood pantheon, and must surely also rank at the top of the list for unmitigated son-of-a-bitchery of all kinds. His behavior to the women in his life is almost pathologically cruel on uncountable occasions-- and surprisingly tender at times, if only sporadically. There's nobility here, but it struggles to rise above the utter misogyny of his many marriages and unceasing affairs. He was one of a kind, and this book captures him-- it's a fascinating behind-the-scenes guide to his many fine films as well. This is likely the most complete portrait we'll get, and it makes for compelling reading.

Many things written about Collin Green in this book are untrue, and Larry Grobel should have known better after meeting him in person. But apparently he chose to take the word of others without checking out whether it could be true or not, medically. How many other things did Mr. Grobel just take people's word on, without checking them out?!? Collin Green would certainly be justified in suing Mr. Grobel and the publisher to have those things removed from any future printings and is owed an apology!

Many things written about Collin Green in this book are untrue, and Larry Grobel should have known better after meeting him in person. But apparently he chose to take the word of others without checking out whether it could be true or not, medically. How many other things did Mr. Grobel just take people's word on, without checking them out?!? Collin Green would certainly be justified in suing Mr. Grobel and the publisher to have those things removed from any future printings and is owed an apology!