A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards (Wesleyan Film) [Hardcover]

Sam Wasson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2009 | Series: Wesleyan Film

With one of the longest and most controversial careers in Hollywood history, Blake Edwards is a phoenix of movie directors, full of hubris, ambition, and raving comic chutzpah. His rambunctious filmography remains an artistic force on par with Hollywood's greatest comic directors: Lubitsch, Sturges, Wilder. Like Wilder, Edwards's propensity for hilarity is double-helixed with pain, and in films like Breakfast at Tiffany's, Days of Wine and Roses, and even The Pink Panther, we can hear him off-screen, laughing in the dark. And yet, despite those enormous successes, he was at one time considered a Hollywood villain. After his marriage to Julie Andrews, Edwards's Darling Lili nearly sunk the both of them and brought Paramount Studios to its knees. Almost overnight, Blake became an industry pariah, which ironically fortified his sense of satire, as he simultaneously fought the Hollywood tide and rode it. Employing keen visual analysis, meticulous research, and troves of interviews and production files, Sam Wasson delivers the first complete account of one of the maddest figures Hollywood has ever known.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"With this title, Wasson fulfills the goal of the 'Wesleyan Film' series, which aims to produce books that are 'rigorous, critical, and accessible both to academics and to lay readers with a serious interest in film.' The study is a pleasure to read, primarily because the author is a fan and intimate with the details of the thematic content and style of Edwards's films. ... Recommended (for) lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers."--S. Vander Closter, Choice

Review

"Sam Wasson has undertaken nothing less than the critical resurrection of Blake Edwards, whose 40-film career, by turns good, great, bad, but never indifferent, has been ridiculously underrated by the critical establishment. Wasson very readably displays the scholarly background, writing skills, historical sophistication and balanced judgment to succeed in his objective. One hopes this impressive work will inspire a splurge of revivals and retrospectives of this more than intermittently hilarious filmmaker." (Andrew Sarris, film critic, The New York Observer )

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 370 pages
• Publisher: Wesleyan (October 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0819569151
• ISBN-13: 978-0819569158
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #145,527 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Sam Wasson is the New York Times Best Selling author of FIFTH AVENUE, 5 A.M.: AUDREY HEPBURN, BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY'S, AND THE DAWN OF THE MODERN WOMAN. He is currently working on a biography of Bob Fosse. You can visit him at www.samwasson.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More than just The Pink Panther! A Major Study of a Comedy Legend, October 1, 2009

By 

Penny Baxter (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards (Wesleyan Film) (Hardcover)

Of all the filmmaker studies I've read (and I've read my fair share) very few come close to A Splurch in the Kisser's complete understanding of its subject. Wasson is a great critic. He takes a hard look at Blake Edwards from all sides - technical, personal, cultural, historical, and even metaphysical - and in so doing sheds new light on a filmmaker that Wasson argues (and I agree) hasn't gotten his due.

Wasson's emphasis is at times more analytical than I would have liked (his descriptions of shots and scenes can go on a little too long), but his prose is never dull, nor is it impersonal or jargony - sometimes it's even funny, which is rare for a book of this kind.

Overall this is a smart, surprisingly fun look at an astoundingly long and dynamic Hollywood career. Splurch is as charming as it is insightful.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and formidable for film historians and people who love film., June 20, 2010

By 

Avid Reader (santa monica, california) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards (Wesleyan Film) (Hardcover)

i tip my hat to Sam Wasson, who has written a comprehensive, copiously researched rich encyclopedia for film historians while deftly weaving his reservoir of facts and faces which is also so appealing for film buffs. Wasson uncovers unknown stories that describe the little known stories behind each movie. We learn about the historical significance of blake edwards and his brand of comedy while getting to know the intimate inside stories of the men and women in front and behind the camera. We learn why we love the movies from A-Z while we learn the same about the players. Mr. Wasson's original and generous style of storytelling and teaching is formidable and fun. Splurch in the Kisser would be quite a feat for a seasoned author, let alone a first time author. I have pre-ordered his second book, Fifth Avenue, 5AM and cant wait.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FANTASTIC, November 7, 2009

By 

Holland Sutton "lola granola" (Occidental, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: A Splurch in the Kisser: The Movies of Blake Edwards (Wesleyan Film) (Hardcover)

This book is so well written and entertaining. Anyone who loves movies will love this book. Blake Edwards is such an interesting character and had such an interesting career. I highly recommend this engaging book.