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Loading... Fred Astaire (Icons of America) (edition 2009)by Joseph Epstein (Author)
Work InformationFred Astaire (Icons of America) by Joseph Epstein
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. It is hard not to like this book if you like Fred Astaire, and since I love Fred Astaire, I loved this book. ( ) I love Fred Astaire, so I did like all the information I got from this book, even if it wasn't all that new to me -- Fred Astaire as an icon is just that fascinating to me. However, I didn't really enjoy the writing style or tone. The biographer's presence was really there at times, which I find rather annoying as I think a good biographer should focus on the subject more, not inject his view of the subject as much. Unfortunately, the author did this a bit too much for me (even if it wasn't completely pervasive throughout the whole book, it was still enough to make me aware of the biographer more than I care for in biography writing, excluding autobiographies, of course). On top of that, I just wasn't a fan of his writing style, even if it wasn't bad or anything. Still, I adore Fred Astaire, so it was worth reading in that respect. I learned a little about Astaire, but much more about the author and his biases. Too much of the book is devoted to criticisms of the physiques and dancing abilities of Astaire's partners (in Epstein's view, anyone not named Ginger Rogers was seriously inadequate). Epstein also has harsh words for Gene Kelly and Bing Crosby, as if he felt he had to tear them down instead of just building Astaire up. This combined with Epstein's sometimes awkward language (such as the random "aint's" sprinkled throughout -- maybe to make himself hip?) has landed this book on my discard pile. no reviews | add a review
Joseph Epstein's Fred Astaire investigates the great dancer's magical talent, taking up the story of his life, his personality, his work habits, his modest pretensions, and above all his accomplishments. Written with the wit and grace the subject deserves, Fred Astaire provides a remarkable portrait of this extraordinary artist and how he came to embody for Americans a fantasy of easy elegance and, paradoxically, of democratic aristocracy. Tracing Astaire's life from his birth in Omaha to his death in his late eighties in Hollywood, the book discusses his early days with his talented and outspoken sister Adele, his gifts as a singer (Irving Berlin, George Gershwin, and Jerome Kern all delighted in composing for Astaire), and his many movie dance partners, among them Cyd Charisse, Rita Hayworth, Eleanor Powell, and Betty Hutton. A key chapter of the book is devoted to Astaire's somewhat unwilling partnership with Ginger Rogers, the woman with whom he danced most dazzlingly. What emerges from these pages is a fascinating view of an American era, seen through the accomplishments of Fred Astaire, an unassuming but uncompromising performer who transformed entertainment into art and gave America a new yet enduring standard for style. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)792.802The arts Recreational and performing arts Stage presentations, Theatre Ballet and modern dance Techniques, procedures, apparatus, equipment, materials, miscellanyLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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