World's Coolest Movie Star: The Complete 95 Films (and Legend) of Jean Gabin, Vol. 2 - Comeback/Patriarch [Hardcover]

Charles Zigman (Author), Brigitte Bardot (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 20, 2008

VOLUME TWO OF TWO. France. Germany. Italy. Russia. Poland. Czech Republic. Romania. Mexico. Japan. Iran. All over the world -- everywhere except in the U.S. -- the legendary Jean Gabin continues to be considered one of the greatest movie stars of all time. In the U.S., he's definitely considered to be a cult figure (in 2002, twin Gabin festivals were presented at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, and at the Walter Reade Theatres in New York), but for the vast moviegoing public, and just like a lot of the greats, he's fallen off of the radar.

That's about to change, however, because in 2008, Allenwood Press presents the very first English-language (and two-volume!) book about Jean Gabin, ever. (There's not even an old, out-of-print book about Gabin in English, if you can believe that!)

WORLD'S COOLEST MOVIE STAR: THE COMPLETE 95 FILMS (AND LEGEND)OF JEAN GABIN by CHARLES ZIGMAN VOLUME TWO, which has been subtitled "Comeback/Patriarch," covers Films 47 through 95, which Gabin made between 1954 and 1976. During this period of his career, instead of playing his famous tragic drifter character, he played a series of mega-cool gentleman-criminals, and world-weary (yet life-loving) patriarchs, and he even turned out some hilarious comedies during this period, which are criminally unknown in the U.S. The tone of the book is "fun," as opposed to "academic" and "pretentious," and its goal, is to introduce as many people as possible to the films of Gabin; to that end, this book is loaded with rare photographs, many of which have never appeared even in previously published French-language books about Gabin.

This is a book for Jean Gabin 'newbies' and 'completists' both: For the uninitiated, there are some biography and 'intro' chapters which place Gabin, and his famous big-screen persona into perspective. For the completists, I (the author) have 'unpacked' every single one of Jean Gabin's ninety-five theatrical feature films, even the more than fifty pictures which have never been subtitled into English before, so that readers can feel, by poring through the chapters, that they are actually seeing the films, first-hand. Excerpts from newspapers written 'back in the day,' both in the U.S. and in Europe, show how prominent movie critics received Gabin's pictures the day they were first released, in the 1930s through the 1970s.

In short this two-volume book is for everybody. Besides being the first books about Jean Gabin in the English language, WORLD'S COOLEST MOVIE STAR is also a first, because it happens to be the very first filmography book related to Gabin in any language: Even in France, where there have been many published biographies of Jean Gabin, there has never been a book concentrating on each of the actor's ninety-five films.

Brigitte Bardot contributed an original foreword to Volume Two. (VOLUME ONE IS AVAILABLE SEPARATELY - ISBN #978-0-9799722-0-1.)

Editorial Reviews

Review

The Greatest Movie Star of all time... outside the English speaking world - "World's Coolest Movie Star: The Complete 95 Films(and Legend) of Jean Gabin" is a look at one of the best film actors the world has ever known which spanned nearly fifty years, and a war hero, husband, father, and farmer on top of all that. Covering his life and career in completion, author Charles Zigman introduces him to the English speaking world, where he holds quite the cult following, as best as he can, and leaves no detail to the reader's imagination. "World's Coolest Movie Star: The Complete 95 Films (and Legend) of Jean Gabin" is a must for any serious collection dedicated to film and cinema. -- Midwest Book Review, June 5, 2008

"Zigman doesn't hide his love for many of these films -- or for Gabin's multi-faceted talents -- while bringing attention to dozens of fascinating titles. More than just a labor of love, this is also a truly invaulable resource to any cinematic historian." -- Steven Puchalski. --Shock Cinema Magazine #36, Spring 2009

"What can one say about French superstar Jean Gabin? If he's not the "world's coolest movie star" as proclaimed by the title of Charles Zigman's entertaining and endlessly illuminating new biography of the actor (in two mammoth volumes!), he has to be up there in at least the Top 5. Gabin's appeal, like that of Bogart, his American counterpart, relies on a quiet, unpretentious toughness, an unassailable integrity, a cynical -- but not nasty -- sense of humor and a classy, non-judgmental wisdom about people and the ways of the world. He projects his persona effortlessly, but forcefully, from the screen, the world-weariness and resigned, wisecracking fatalism of a wide-ranging array of characters, from tragic drifter to insightful patriarch." --Chris D., Author of "Outlaw Masters of Japanese Film"

"A tightly-packed two-volume edition containing everything you could possibly want to know about Jean Gabin and his films...Charles Zigman writes in a light and readable style and has aimed the book at everyone from the uninitiated to the confirmed fan. No book on Jean Gabin, even in French, has covered so much ground." --French News, October 17, 2008

"This is probably the most important publication in the world, the most complete, about this well-known French actor." --Eric Le Roy, Director of CNC/Ministry of Culture Film Archives, Paris. August 5, 2008

"...a high-quality memory of a great star of French cinema." --Honorable Christine Albanel, Minister of Culture and Communications, France, December 2, 2008

From the Publisher

This is the all-new 2009/2010 Edition (aka, The Second Edition) of WORLD'S COOLEST MOVIE STAR. It has been extensively revised and updated.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 534 pages
• Publisher: Allenwood Press; 2nd Revised edition (July 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0979972213
• ISBN-13: 978-0979972218
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,623,113 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Los Angeles on the 4th of July, Charles Zigman is the author of WORLD'S COOLEST MOVIE STAR: THE COMPLETE 95 FILMS (AND LEGEND) OF JEAN GABIN.

He is also a journalist and screenwriter, as well as a professional editor and ghostwriter of "other people's books."

Charles is a graduate of UCLA's undergraduate film school and Columbia University's Graduate Department of Film. He has taught film and television courses at Augusta State University, Georgia and the New York Film Academy.

Visit www.jeangabinbook.com (click on "About the Author") to learn how to contact Charles.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Phenomenal Film Book, July 8, 2009

By 

Eileen "Classic Cinema Critiques" - See all my reviews

This review is from: World's Coolest Movie Star: The Complete 95 Films (and Legend) of Jean Gabin, Vol. 2 - Comeback/Patriarch (Hardcover)

This is really a brilliant book, and I'm glad that I purchased both of the two volumes. I have always enjoyed Jean Gabin's movies, but here in
America, we only know about handful of them, and author Zigman, a true wordsmith, lovingly critiques each of the actor's films in a kind of fun/vibrant/gonzo style that really makes the book "pop." Not only is book great to read, but it's also been beautifully designed (the credited book designer is Michael Kellner, a true artist), and it's an asset to anybody's book collection. Part filmography, part biography, part reference book, I can't recommend this book too highly.

Jean Gabin made movies between 1930 and 1976, and they are all worthwhile, although in America, we only know about a handful of movies which he made in the late 1930s, such as "La Grande illusion," "Pepe Le Moko," "La Bete humaine," and "Le Jour se leve." (During this same period of '37 through '39, Gabin also appeared in a few movies which are just as interesting as the ones I've mentioned, but which were never released in America -- principally 1938's "Le Messager" and 1939's "Le Recif corail." On the recommendation of Mr. Zigman, through his book, I sought out these additional two films, which are available on DVD in France, without Engish subtitles, and found them to be amazing.)

In short, I'm bowled over by both volumes of "World's Coolest Movie Star: The Complete 95 Films (and Legend) of Jean Gabin," and I think that you will be, too.

5.0 out of 5 stars Cool book on a movie star too often ignored in the US, May 27, 2009

By 

pjjp (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World's Coolest Movie Star: The Complete 95 Films (and Legend) of Jean Gabin, Vol. 2 - Comeback/Patriarch (Hardcover)

I learned a lot from reading this comprehensive and entertaining book. Like many film buffs, I had seen Gabin in La Grande Illusion and also in Carne's masterpiece, Le Jour Se Leve. But I did not know he had been in nearly 100 films; nor did I know how he worked practically up to his death in wide-ranging roles that would have stretched and broken many actors. Zigman does a thorough job in tracking down many Gabin rareties and the love for his subject is evident. I plan to revisit many Gabin films using this book as a guide.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Coolest Books, October 23, 2008

By 

samsara (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World's Coolest Movie Star: The Complete 95 Films (and Legend) of Jean Gabin, Vol. 2 - Comeback/Patriarch (Hardcover)

I've been a longtime fan of the French actor Jean Gabin, and am thrilled to find this English-language book about him. I just completed this two-volume set about Gabin's life and films and was completely engaged and entertained. The second volume, which details Gabin's life and films when he was older, is just as great as the first volume. The two books together are an in-depth look at his life and work. I have friends who love old movies, and I'm definitely buying them both volumes for the holidays. I agree with a previous reviewer - with a great title and fascinating subject, WORLD'S COOLEST MOVIE STAR makes a great coffee table book!