A Talent For Trouble: The Life Of Hollywood's Most Acclaimed Director, William Wyler [Paperback]

Jan Herman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 1997

The films of William Wyler (1902–1981) include some of the most memorable and honored motion pictures of all time; Jezebel, The Letter, The Little Foxes, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Heiress, Detective Story, Roman Holiday, Ben-Hur, Funny Girl, and more than two dozen others. His great ability to conceal his directorial presence in order to better serve his material, coupled with the variety of genres in which he excelled, have earned his films 127 Academy Award nominations, winning Wyler three best-director Oscars. Based on his previously undiscovered papers, and hundreds of interviews, this perceptive, spellbinding biography reveals both the director and the private man in startling close-ups as he lived his turbulent life at a bit more than twenty-four frames per second.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

William Wyler is not as well known as Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, or John Ford, but he deserves a place among the superstar directors of classic Hollywood. His style was magnificently fluid; while his films are masterpieces of cinematic artistry, they are also filled with beautiful elements that make his characters and situations utterly real. Among other classics, he directed "Dead End," "Wuthering Heights," "The Little Foxes," "Mrs. Miniver," "The Best Years of Our Lives," "The Heiress," "Roman Holiday," "Ben-Hur," and "Funny Girl." Jan Herman's biography is a lively account of Wyler's life and career that pays special attention to the director's early experiences in Europe, his relationship to the Hollywood mogul Carl Laemmle, his combative partnership with Samuel Goldwyn, his friendships with John Huston and Lillian Hellman, his marriage to Margaret Tallichet, his harrowing experiences making propaganda films during World War II, and his long, immensely successful professional career.

From Publishers Weekly

Researched and written with the Wyler family's cooperation, Herman's richly satisfying biography takes a close look at the feisty, mischievous William Wyler (1902-1981), who directed Wuthering Heights, Roman Holiday, Friendly Persuasion, Funny Girl and many other memorable films, won three Academy Awards and guided more actors to Oscars (13) than any other director. Herman describes Wyler's painstaking approach to making his 32 films, showing how he worked with writers, actors, producers and technical crew. Equally well-covered are Wyler's early romances, his marriage and family life, his friendship with director John Huston, his thorny but productive relationship with producer Samuel Goldwyn, and his brave defiance of the House Un-American Activities Committee. Finally, Herman reveals how the death of his brother in 1971 led to Wyler's surprising decision to retire from filmmaking and spend the final decade of his life traveling around the world. Written by an award-winning journalist for the Los Angeles Times, this biography is a major addition to the literature of Hollywood's golden age. Photos.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 544 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press (August 22, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 030680798X
• ISBN-13: 978-0306807985
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #585,401 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The ultimate look at Hollywoods most honoured director, February 20, 2001

By 

Keith Burnage - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Talent For Trouble: The Life Of Hollywood's Most Acclaimed Director, William Wyler (Paperback)

A thoroughly engrossing book that delves not only in Wyler the director, but Wyler the man. This books offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of this phenomenal director, from his early days as a young immigrant to becoming honored by the AFI.

Learn what went on before, during and after some of filmdom's greatest movies (Mrs. Miniver, Best Years Of Their Lives, and Ben-Hur) as well as Wylers' time in the service, shooting award winning documentaries. As well as how the HUAC hearings impacted on his professional life and those he came to rely on, and how he dealt with personal triumphs and tragedies.

Jan Herman has taken what could have been a dry retelling of movie making, and offers up a book that is both informative and entertaining.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful insight into a fascinating film maker, February 11, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: A Talent For Trouble: The Life Of Hollywood's Most Acclaimed Director, William Wyler (Paperback)

Until I read this book, I had no idea that so many of my favourite classic films were directed by William Wyler.

The book tracks through Wyler's early childhood in pre-WWI Europe, his move to the United States and how he made his start making 3 movies a week for his uncle.

The book examines the process behind Wyler's great films - Roman Holiday, The Heiress and so on. Having read a biography of Audrey Hepburn and read about how she coped with the filming of Roman Holiday, it was really interesting to read the director's verion of what happened during filming. The quality of the final product was important to Wyler. He was a meticulous film maker who cared about his films. He was also a man of principle as shown by his efforts to make realistic fims during WWII, often puttin ghis wn life at risk as he shot footage of bombing raids over Europe.

The book also shows a little bit of Wyler's personal life. He was married for most of his life to the same wonderful woman and had a family that he clearly loved.

All in all, the book was a fascinating insight into pre-sound Hollywood and into a very interesting man and great director. It was extremely well written and an "easy read". It was tough to put down!