Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise
Scott Eyman
Rave
Positive
Mixed
Pan
Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise
Scott Eyman
Rave
Positive
Mixed
Pan
Rave
Positive
Mixed
Pan
Eyman is a master at unveiling the person behind the iconic disguise.
Mr. Eyman supplies what feels like the 'true gen'—the real lowdown—on the directors, producers and studio heads with whom Cary Grant worked. He is up on the complex, even arcane, manipulations of Hollywood finance and is able to explain them lucidly. He knows not only where the bodies are buried but also who buried them. He also has a fine ear for gossip..
In the most entertaining and enlightening star biography in years, writer Scott Eyman poignantly notes the realities behind Grant’s remarkable subterfuge while exploring his phenomenal career.
Cary Grant wasn’t a real person. Archie Leach, from Bristol, England, was a real person; Cary Grant was a facade. Eyman attempts to bring the two together, as he did in his excellent John Wayne: The Life and Legend (2014). However, this book isn’t nearly as lively or revelatory as that one. Eyman covers all the biographical bases—Grant’s humble birth, his rise to stardom, his many relationships and marriages—but he never quite gets at the heart of the man. There are tantalizing suggestions of an interesting story to be told, but we sense there’s more going on behind the scenes. Speaking of behind the scenes, Eyman does a nice job of taking us onto the sets of some of Grant’s most famous films painting a picture of Grant as a perfectionist, but also as a generous actor, more concerned about the quality of a movie as a whole than his own star turn. A well-written and respectful biography, but it leaves Grant’s personal story a mystery..
Eyman takes a fresh look at a movie legend in the sparkling biography.
Cary Grant emerges as a modest egotist, a bold introvert and a handsome man who seemed unaware of his dashing good looks in this sweeping biography by bestselling author Scott Eyman. Drawing from an encyclopedic storehouse of sources, Eyman pictures Grant first as the frustrated teenager determined to escape his dark, troubled family in Bristol, England.
...estimable and empathetic.
Alfred Hitchcock once remarked that likability was not something actors could fake. According to author Scott Eyman, the director added that there was 'only one actor in the world so formidably skilled that he could fake a charm he did not in fact possess.' The star Hitchcock had in mind is the subject of Eyman’s richly entertaining new biography, Cary Grant: A Brilliant Disguise. The book offers ample evidence that many who knew Grant were convinced his charms were genuine. But Hitchcock’s piercing assessment jibes with Eyman’s thesis that the legendary leading man was, even more than most Hollywood stars, a pure invention. The actor admitted as much himself: 'He’s a completely made up character and I’m playing a part.'.
I think this is Eyman’s best and most heartfelt book.
... engrossing.
Among the several biographies of Cary Grant (1904-1986), prolific film historian Eyman’s version garners top billing. Replete with meticulous research, perceptive observations, and sharp critiques, this account of the actor’s life consistently engages and illuminates.
... enjoyable if overstuffed.