Leo Fuchs: Special Photographer from the Golden Age of Hollywood [Hardcover]

Leo Fuchs (Author), Alexandre Fuchs (Introduction), Bruce Weber (Contributor)

Book Description

Release date: November 16, 2010

Leo Fuchs is a Hollywood veteran who spent over 40 years shooting some of the most moving and memorable images ever made of 50s and 60s film icons. Fuchs’ introduction to moviemaking came as one of the world’s leading “special photographers” on movie sets in Europe and North America. Starting as a freelance magazine photographer, he was one of the rare outsiders invited onto movie sets, where he often befriended actors, actresses, and filmmakers and captured candid shots both during shooting and after hours while socializing with the stars. With the support of his dear friend Cary Grant, Fuchs gave up photography in 1964 and spent the next 20 years as a motion picture producer.

Fuchs' photographs of Hollywood’s undisputed heyday are collected for the first time in Leo Fuchs: Special Photographer from the Golden Age of Hollywood, along with a rare essay by photography great, Bruce Weber. Film icons Rock Hudson, Audrey Hepburn, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Sean Connery, Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Cary Grant, and never-before-published photographs of To Kill a Mockingbird’s Harper Lee as well as such legendary directors as Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger, Fred Zinnemann, and Alfred Hitchcock
all appear unguarded—unlike any other photographs of the era. These images are complemented by pages of insider details taken from the recorded remembrances of Leo Fuchs himself.

Leo Fuchs: Special Photographer offers never-before-seen, behind-the-scenes photographs of the glamorous world of post-war Hollywood. It serves as a valuable piece of history and a reference for the style, attitudes, and personalities of the dream factory’s elite that define modern-day celebrity. With a career spent steadily rising through the ranks of production, from outsider to boss, Leo Fuchs saw it all. Now his personal vision has been captured for the world to enjoy in Leo Fuchs: Special Photographer.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

From Leo Fuchs
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Review

“It's full of gorgeous, iconic images of gorgeous, iconic people.”
Gawker

“If the cover shot of Paul Newman isn’t bait enough to buy, the ensuing collection of behind-the-scenes images of Tinseltown’s greatest generation (Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, Marlon Brando) snapped by Hollywood veteran photog and producer Leo Fuchs should reel you in.”
Daily Candy

“This beautifully produced coffee-table volume shares…vivid, candid portraits by Leo Fuchs, a ‘special photographer’ (and later a producer) who gained the trust of, and won extraordinary access to, some of Hollywood's biggest stars of the 1950s and early '60s.”
Seattle Times

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: powerHouse Books; First Edition edition (November 16, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157687558X
• ISBN-13: 978-1576875582
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 1.2 x 13.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #590,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing photos and insight! November 18, 2010

By Alex

I had seen a few online slideshows promoting this book popping up over the last few weeks, but it wasn't until I finally picked up a copy that I realized how extensive it is! It has like 200 photos in it, and I've seen maybe one or two of them before (if that...) This is a must have for any cinema or Hollywood buff--it really is like seeing your favorite stars from a whole different angle.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic look at the old Hollywood November 23, 2010

By Adam Kowalski

I am a great fan of movies in general, but I especially love the old Hollywood. This book gave me an amazing look behind the scenes of some of my favorite movies. People featured on the pages of this book were THE REAL movie stars- won't find them these days anymore. Photographs are beautiful, touching, and funny. Going through this book made me add a lot of old movies to my Netflix queue- great stuff!
Special Photographer was a fantastic birthday present. Thank you!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Old Hollywood Glamour At Its Best November 19, 2010

By LB

I just received my copy yesterday and the photographs in this beautifully made book are AMAZING. Old Hollywood stars like you've never seen them before. AMAZING shots of the glamorous Audrey Hepburn!!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book, a keyhole into Hollywood. November 20, 2010

By Nick Hooker

This lovingly created book tells the story of Leo Fuchs, a set photographer from the post war glory days when Hollywood left LA and went out around the world to make movies. Fuchs had that special combination of charm, discretion and a wonderful eye that put jittery movie stars at their ease. The book is full of beautiful photographs of the greatest movie stars of the day: Newman, Peck, Hepburn, Cary Grant, Lollobrigida, Connery, Brando, Jack Lemmon, Shirley Maclaine and Hitchcock, Preminger and Billy Wilder. The wonder of these photographs is that Fuchs manages to capture the star and the human being at the same time. Looking at the photos one feels simultaneously close to the subjects and in awe of them.

Fuchs's beginnings as a Betty Page-style glamour photographer, shooting risqué pinups, just makes him all the more appealing as a character. The first photographs in the book are of fifties pin-ups in New York City and they are a delight - sweet, humorous and clearly taken by an artist. All in all this book is a wonderful thing to have. Open it up at any page and you are transported to another era, before the internet, before vietnam, when Hollywood and America were at their peak.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Classy Hollywood November 21, 2010

By Reto

The book contains many iconic photographs on movie sets but also and more interestingly many candid shots of some of the best known movie stars of that wonderful period. It leaves one wondering what other treasures may come out of Leo Fuch's archives!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Special Photographer Indeed November 29, 2010

By intl.intrigue

Amazon Verified Purchase

If there is one time period that has infinite popularity, it is Old Hollywood. Therefore, I must say that Leo Fuchs could not have picked a more fitting subject. The glamour, the decadence, the high-class taste of these moments in history come out even more refined and impeccable through the lens of a camera. The high quality and unique touch that these photographs bring to fans of photography, Old Hollywood, and Leo Fuchs himself are things that will cause this book to have the same everlasting effect as its subject.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Perfection Through and Through November 27, 2010

By maya

Amazon Verified Purchase

Amazing photography. Fuchs manages to capture some of the best shots I have seen with an insight that is spot on. The writing is also inspiring. Really gets into what it was like to be a young photographer starting out in Hollywood. I ordered the book on a whim and when it arrived it arrived the quality of the book brought the images and words to life. It is larger than I expected and truly beautiful. I immediately went back and bought three more for Christmas presents. Absolutely stunning. A great present for anyone interested in Photography, Hollywood, classic films or iconic stars. The stories also go into some interesting anecdotes wich I won't give away. I love it. One of those coffee table books that I find myself continuously flipping through and going back to different parts to look at and reread.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Amazing Holiday Present - so special! November 21, 2010

By Peppie

What particularly fascinates me about the book is the odd time period these images cover - the tail end of the studio system meeting the paparazzi age. Gosh how the world has changed since then! These really are unbelievably unguarded images of our film icons: Rock Hudson, Audrey Hepburn, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck, Sean Connery, Shirley MacLaine, Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando & Cary Grant, to name a few. I loved the never-before-published photographs of To Kill a Mockingbird's Harper Lee as well as the rather kooky images of directors - Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger, Fred Zinnemann, and Alfred Hitchcock. All my friends are getting this for Christmas!