French modernist Cendrars (1887 - 1961) provides a fitfully amusing
account of the American movie industry circa 1936. That was the
year the poet, novelist, journalist, and sometime filmmaker spent
two weeks in Hollywood on assignment for Paris-Soir. The resulting
book-length article (originally published in installments) is
occasionally entertaining, as when it details non-encounters with
stars: A roadblock prevents Cendrars from getting to William S.
Hart's ranch; a surly gatekeeper at Paramount causes him to miss a
lunch date with Charles Boyer; he passes but doesn't accost a
furtive-looking Douglas Fairbanks in the rain. The conversation
with Ernst Lubitsch about "the star crisis in Hollywood." The
Frenchman's resigned acceptance of the industry's capricious
operating procedures can be endearing. In a chapter devoted to the
difficulty of gaining entrance to the studios, for instance, he
describes the M.G.M. gatekeeper turning away a mob of Japanese
sailors: "The number of people he was in the midst of executing
when it came my turn to meet him fooded me with admiration."
Cendrars visits the set of The Great Ziegfeld, where an overwrought
production number reminds him, he jokes waggishly, of a Promethean
scene in one of his own novels, "a similar monument of plastic
synthesis and of life's apotheosis." But discussions of economics
and suicide, complete with statistical charts, are weird filler,
and parts of the book are dated in an unenlightening way, such as a
fake-amazed accounting of the phalanxes of technicians required to
film an intimate love scene. The general effect is precisely what
one would fear from 59-year-old specimen of Gallic whimsy produced
for a newspaper: an unflaggingly arch tone that rapidly grows
tiresome. The original illustrations, by Jean Guerin, are
undistinguished. A curious period piece. (Kirkus Reviews)
Blaise Cendrars, one of twentieth-century France's most gifted men
of letters, came to Hollywood in 1936 for the newspaper
"Paris-Soir". Already a well-known poet, Cendrars was a celebrity
journalist whose perceptive dispatches from the American dream
factory captivated millions. These articles were later published as
"Hollywood: Mecca of the Movies", which has since appeared in many
languages. Remarkably, this is its first translation into English.
Hollywood in 1936 was crowded with stars, moguls, directors,
scouts, and script girls. Though no stranger to filmmaking (he had
worked with director Abel Gance), Cendrars was spurned by the
industry greats with whom he sought to hobnob. His response was to
invent a wildly funny Hollywood of his own, embellishing his
adventures and mixing them with black humor, star anecdotes, and
wry social commentary. Part diary, part tall tale, this book
records Cendrars' experiences on Hollywood's streets and at its
studios and hottest clubs. His impressions of the town's drifters,
star-crazed sailors, and undiscovered talent are recounted in a
personal, conversational style that anticipates the 'new
journalism' of writers such as Tom Wolfe. Perfectly complemented by
his friend Jean Guerin's witty drawings, and following the
tradition of European travel writing, Cendrars' 'little book about
Hollywood' offers an astute, entertaining look at 1930s America as
reflected in its unique movie mecca.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
