Ed Sikov

I love movies from Ms. Davis' era, so expected to like this book. Sadly, just couldn't finish this one. Unfortunately, no matter how well written a biography, if the subject doesn't grab you, the book falls flat. I found Ms. Davis and her life to be completely unalluring, uninteresting and downright mean-spirited. Not to say that I dislike all unsympathetic biographical subjects, but I didn't find enough there to keep slogging through. The only reason I made it as far as I did was for the show more anecdotes about other actors and directors in whom I have an interest. show less

As interesting (and quotable!!) as I found Bette, I was surprised to find that this book was less about her life than it was about Ed Sikov's opinions on her life.

One section illustrates this nicely: Sikov abruptly interrupts himself, completely breaking the flow of the narrative, to tell a rambling, random story of many pages that is supposed to sum up the difficult relationship between Bette and her father. In reality, the story is told to draw attention to the author's incredibly show more insulting attempt to explain Bette's 'psychic agony' to his readers (who are obviously too stupid to understand that her father's coldness hurt her) and his incredibly pretentious attempt to defend soap-opera Hollywood biographies as high art. Apparently, he earned his dual PhD's in Psychology and Literature during a two-week stint as an intern at People magazine.

I abandoned this book on page 190. I only read that far because Bette was just so repulsive and endearing. Now I'm off to find a biography of her that is actually about her. show less

Good for stories about the making of all his films, and anecdotes on his various adventures in Hollywood, but doesn't really get to the heart of who Wilder was. It seems that the author didn't get an interview with the man, and had to rely on various stories being retold from other sources. Nonetheless, it's a pretty good read. I think Wilder Times is a better read, and it's shorter (see my review).

Tedious study of Davis's turbulent career, discussing the details of all of her films, from the viewpoint of a devoted fan. Discusses the fascination of gay men with her work and personality. Includes some pictures. Completely footnoted. Obviously well-researched, but not really insightful from the point of view of people who worked with her. Discusses her career with Warner Bros. much more thoroughly than her later work. All in all, she comes off as a not-very-nice person.