Rate this book

Hollywood Hellraisers: The Wild Lives And Fast Times Of Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, Warren Beatty, And Jack Nicholson (2010)

by Robert Sellers(Favorite Author)

3.24 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

1616080353 (ISBN13: 9781616080358)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Skyhorse Publishing

review 1: After reading and enjoying Seller's take on four home-grown hellraisers it was a given I'd enjoy this too, especially considering that I'm far more familiar with the body of work from these dudes than I was the Brits.Featuring a different brand of hellraising than before - there's far less stories that sound like they're being recounted down the pub - I'm not entirely sure of the inclusion of Warren Beatty. A health food freak who didn't really drink or take drugs, Warren's own brand of raising hell seemed focused on women and boardrooms and while I understand how important his role was in changing movie-making for the better, he's never been a favourite of mine. Of all his films I've only ever seen Bonnie & Clyde and I'm not particularly bothered about searching out more.... more Of the remaining guys, I became a huge fan of Brando whilst still a teenager after getting my first taste watching A Streetcar Named Desire, and proceeded to go on a Brando bender for the next few years (drawn by both his incredible talent and incredible looks). A deeply damaged man, even if he had a hell of a way with words, I find reading of his life more sad than anything else and whilst I may have sniggered at some of his more choice quotes, I never really felt that comfortable being asked to find other aspects amusing (though I could read about his torturing of Sinatra all day long).Jack Nicholson comes across as the far more likeable of our quartet, and much like his performances is rarely less than charming and entertaining, but my favourite by miles was Dennis Hopper. I've always had something of a soft spot for those people who are fearless, fucked up and crazy talented, and Hopper perfectly fits that bill. Hugely self-destructive and most likely a nightmare to have worked with or be around when at his worst, as Peter Fonda said: "This guy's a looney tune. But he sure is interesting."You're not going to learn anything particularly new from reading this, but it's a fun diversion skipping lightly through the lives of some of Hollywood's more interesting characters, and one that makes me wish that our stars of today had a little more hell in them.
review 2: I had a difficult time getting over the gossipy tone of this book. Okay, yeah, I do realize that it basically is a gossip book about 4 of America's most famous actors. But there was something about the author's tone (a certain smugness) coupled with his tendency to use provocative language for shock value (in my opinion) that was off-putting.But I kept reading it anyway. If you want to save yourself the trouble, this is the basic gist: these 4 men made a lot of movies (the vast majority of them awful), had lots and lots of sex, and some of them did copious amounts of drugs and/or alcohol. Also, I wouldn't recommend reading if you like any of these men and don't want to have your opinion changed. Here is how it went for me:Marlon Brando: Pre-book, I thought he was a great actor but a bit of a weirdo. Post-book, still think he's a great actor & he was a weirdo, but now I understand why.Dennis Hopper: Pre-book, no opinion other than "He was that whacko in Blue Velvet!" Post-book, what a fascinating man! He painted, did photography, and was a director too? Wow! But I didn't know that a human being could do that many drugs and live to tell about it.Warren Beatty: Pre-book, Dick Tracy was a terrible movie. Post-book, man, what a jerk. And Dick Tracy was a terrible movie.Jack Nicholson: Pre-book, he's an oddly lovable cad. Post-book, he's an oddly lovable cad.--This was a difficult month for me, with the sudden death of my mother. I've been needing escapist fare. This was a good book for me to lose myself in at a time when I didn't have a lot of concentration. Perhaps that's why I'm being kinder to it than a lot of other reviewers I've seen (check out the reviews on the other edition to see what I mean). less

Download links for: Hollywood Hellraisers: The Wild Lives and Fast Times of Marlon Brando, Dennis Hopper, Warren Beatty, and Jack Nicholson

Advertising