Customer Reviews

Peter Lorre (Midnight Marquee Actors Series)

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

 

 

Peter Lorre was blessed, and cursed, with the most distinctive screen persona of all time, including an absolutely unique voice that was quite easy to mimic--- I could do a great Lorre when I was 12. This volume surveys many of the important films in his long career. Though each film is discussed by a different author, there is surprisingly little repetition. In some other volumes in the Midnight Marquee series, film reviews have in fact been nothing more than semi-literate, or painfully illiterate, plot summaries. I am happy to report that this is not a problem with the current book. Although the discussions vary in quality, they are all very well researched and actually function as effective critical reviews of the films in question. Recommended highly.

This is a very good source on both Peter Lorre and his films. Each film is reviewed by a different author so the emphasis, length and tone varies by author. By having this combination of authors all of the heights and shortcomings of Lorre's films are brought out. If you are a Lorre fan you will find this a valuable resource, especially if you want to seach out Lorre films to view - this will guide you to the better ones. Until a definitive biography is written, this will give you some of the facts about Lorre's life in a nutshell.

This is a great book, an entertaining read. Certainly not a reference book although I am familiar of other books being written about Lorre presently. The chapter about the Moto films are nice coverage, though just a recap of the plots. Only gripe is the chapter about Lorre's radio work. As an old-time radio fan, I do ask readers not to take everything to heart. There are many mistakes in the radio chapter, [...] even John Dunning's Ultimate book that every old-time radio fan has is far more correct. I do wish a Lorre book comes out soon that is a reference. This is an entertaining read for any Lorre fan.