Pier Angeli: A Fragile Life (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This work is the first full-length biography of actress Anna Maria Pierangeli, from her early life in Italy to her death at the age of 39. She was discovered by Vittorio De Sica and soon after starred in her first film, Domani è troppo tardi (Tomorrow Is Too Late), which began her meteoric rise to fame in Italy. She arrived in Hollywood in 1950 at the age of 18, and the first thing MGM did was change her name to Pier Angeli and predict great things for its newest actress.

The book covers her seven year career with MGM, her two unhappy marriages to Vic Damone and Armando Trovajoli, her love for her children Perry and Andrew, her brief and stormy relationship with James Dean, her dependent relationships with her mother and such stars as Kirk Douglas, Richard Attenborough and Debbie Reynolds, and the mystery surrounding her death.

About the Author

Writer and psychologist Jane Allen lives in Bowral, New South Wales, Australia.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: McFarland & Company (October 29, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786413921
• ISBN-13: 978-0786413928
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 7.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #932,393 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pier Angeli; A Fragile Life., November 30, 2002

By	sue legg (Minehead, Somerset. United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

Here at long last is a first rate biography of Anna Maria Pierangeli.
Jane Allen has managed to capture here the whole of the Pier Angeli era perfectly, from a wealth of personal family interviews and worldwide media reports.
For the first time,the writer has delved into Pier's mind and given us all an illuminating scene of what made her so irresistable with her unique beauty.Many previously unpublished photographs are included and there are chapters devoted to her relationships with James Dean and Kirk Douglas.
Her sad and declining years are written in a sympathetic and moving style with great depth and sincerity that any Pier fan would appreciate.A comprehensive Filmography of all her films from 1949 to 1971 are covered, and a very detailed Notes section covers some 16 pages.
This is a very fine definitive volume, and Jane Allen should be congratulated for this labor of love.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great biography of a sad life, December 19, 2002

By	Soupface Sally (Wilmington, DE United States) - See all my reviews

Information on Pier Angeli is hard to find; I'm so glad I found this book! Pier's story is wonderfully told - I simply could not put this book down. I highly recommend it!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You Can't Put This Book Down!, November 13, 2002

By	Curious Kitten (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

I was in my early teens when Pier Angeli was on top. I remember Vic Damone's television show (my mother always watched it). Plus I barely remember the custody battles between the couple in the late fifties. Since I am an ardent James Dean fan, I didn't care a lot for Pier because I thought she was a flighty thing with little substance. This book changed my mind. It is beautifully written and well-researched. The writer pulls you into the setting, leaving you with the sense that you are really there. The author is both a writer and a psychologist; her analysis is quite perceptive. She views the situations from all aspects and doesn't throttle the reader with her own opinion. Some biographies are manipulated to the writer's benefit. Such is not the case here. For anyone who has ever been an admirer of any of the people in Pier Angeli's short life, this book is a must!