Mel Gibson: Living Dangerously [Paperback]

Wensley Clarkson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 6, 1998

In just a few short years, Mel Gibson shot from drama school obscurity to international fame. This biography follows the trajectory of his career, starting with his first roles in Australia's Mad Max movies, through a variety of notable films like Peter Weir's Gallipoli, the ambitious The Year of Living Dangerously, and the mega-hit Lethal Weapon, to his current position as one of Hollywood's top-grossing stars and an Academy Award-winning director.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

From cult screen actor to major movie director, Mel Gibson has firmly secured his place as a Hollywood player. His latest directorial project, The Passion of the Christ, has landed him center-stage once more, and author Wensley Clarkson reveals Mel¹s views on the controversy surrounding it. In addition, he¹ll uncover: the years of girlfriends, drinking and gambling; the inside stories of Mel¹s Hollywood business deals and how powerful Hollywood figures helped him to overcome his addictions to alcohol and cigarettes, plus the details of his marriage to Robyn and the secrets of his life with his many children. Mel Gibson: Man on a Mission provides an in-depth glimpse into the life of an actor who, despite his up-front public persona, is a fiercely private man about whom relatively little is really known. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Wensley Clarkson wrote A Year in La La Land and numerous biographies of Hollywood stars, including John Travolta, Tom Cruise, and Quentin Tarantino. He lives in London.

Product Details

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: Thunder's Mouth Press (December 6, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560252251
• ISBN-13: 978-1560252252
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,091,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars In Depth View of Mel's films and personal life, August 6, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mel Gibson: Living Dangerously (Paperback)

Mr. Clarkson wrote a book in 1994 titled "Mel the Inside Story" (hardcover). This book was held up and not released in the United States because Mr. Gibson's lawyers were trying to stop it from being published. I have that book and can understand why he didn't want it published. Although it does give and excellent film history, throughout the book the author seems to have a jealousy of Mel and his success and repeatedly slanders and denigrates his father and religious beliefs. This book in paperback is the same book, a little updated. I am a big Mel fan and don't like the author's tone at times, but if you are a fan you will find it extremely interesting and informative. You will just have to take some parts of it with a grain of salt- "he said, she said" stuff and rumors. In any case, if you have the hardcover "Mel the Inside Story", dont bother to purchase this update. I could only rate either of these 3 stars because of the sense of personal bias throughout. A good book on Mel is Lethal Hero which is out of print (I have it, too) but you may be able to get a copy. It has better personal views of Mel, but, surprisingly, some really juicy stuff that Mr. Clarkson missed out on. In any case, MEL RULES!!!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Not worth your time, February 20, 2005

By 

Seminole Librarian (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mel Gibson: Man on a Mission (Hardcover)

I am ashamed to say I read this entire book. I kept hoping it would get better but it didn't. It is filled with typos and poor organization of thoughts and topics. Clarkson actually spells Mel Gibson's name wrong several times throughout the book, and refers to Lethal Weapon director Richard Donner as "Dormer" for several pages! He jumps back and forth from one movie production to another making it difficult to follow. Lastly, he relies on the accounts of people who had met Mel Gibson at one time but who had either a personal or professional conflict with him. In the retelling of these conflicts and what went down, we hear one point of view only - and generally that is the view of someone who is harboring bitterness and resentment towards Gibson, so their accounts are slanted and untrustworthy. The best part of the book is the end for two reasons: Clarkson finally gets to Gibson's most recent project, The Passion of the Christ. The subtitle and the picture on the back of the book gives the impression this project will be a major focus of the book, but after 300 pages of reading, I was still waiting for the subject to come up. I have to say I felt that this was the only well written part of the whole book - thoughtful and interesting. The second reason the end is the best part of the book is that it was finally over. I'm sorry to be so blunt, but I can't help it. I highly recommend reading the book about the making of the Passion of the Christ - you can learn a lot about Gibson there - but I cannot recommend this biography.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Details but no Delivery, February 28, 2005

By 

Carol Wanzor (Oklahoma) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Mel Gibson: Man on a Mission (Hardcover)

If you are looking for every detail known to modern man regarding all of the OTHER movies Mel Gibson ever starred in or directed, this is the book for you. If you are looking for true insight into The Passion, just skip to the last few pages and you will still be disappointed. I, too, am ashamed to say I spent a good deal of time wading through all of the details in the bulk of this book, hoping to get to the point. Very disappointing.