Humphrey Bogart

December 15, 2009
In the initial volumes of this new series, noted film critic/historian Thomson ("The New Biographical Dictionary of Film") brings his opinions to bear on the lives and careers of four stars of the golden age of American cinema, all of whom remained active until their deaths. With classic films such as "Jezebel, Dark Victory", and "Now, Voyager", Bette Davis was the premiere leading lady at Warner Brothers for some 17 years. Gary Cooper ("High Noon") became a star with the introduction of talking pictures and remained one, albeit somewhat diminished, to the end of his life. After being frequently cast as the snarling petty crook, Humphrey Bogart played a series of distinguished roles, climaxing with his Oscar-winning triumph in "The African Queen". Ingrid Bergman's roles in "Casablanca, For Whom the Bell Tolls", and "Gaslight" seemed to presage a lengthy stardom, but the scandal concerning her affair with director Roberto Rossellini stalled her in the late 1940s. Thomson presents little more than a brief overview of each star's career but discusses what he considers their best films in somewhat more detail. His look at the actors' personal lives includes his quirky suppositions about their sex lives, and he often writes as if speaking, sometimes quite disconcertingly, directly to the reader. VERDICT These books seem intended primarily for film buffs with limited knowledge of these particular stars as well as curious general readers.Roy Liebman, formerly with California State Univ., Los Angeles

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2010
REVIEW UNDER BETTE DAVIS by DAVID THOMSON(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)