Vanity Fair's Tales of Hollywood: Rebels, Reds, and Graduates and the Wild Stories Behind the Making of 13 Iconic Films by Graydon Carter (Editor), Graydon Carter (Introduction)

From the Publisher

The stories behind the stories of some of Hollywood's most iconic movies

The magazine world 's monthly arbiter of culture, personality, and world affairs, Vanity Fair has always offered the definitive insider's look at Hollywood power and glamour since its relaunch twenty-five years ago. Now, for the first time ever, Vanity Fair presents a one-of-a-kind collection featuring thirteen behind-the- scenes stories on some of cinema's most iconic films—including pictures as varied as All About Eve, Cleopatra, Sweet Smell of Success, Rebel Without a Cause, and Saturday Night Fever. For pop-culture fanatics and movie buffs alike, Vanity Fair's Tales of Hollywood is an irresistible glimpse at how classic films—and box office bombs—are made.

Publishers Weekly

Vanity Fair magazine is known for in-depth film histories, and this collection of 13 from the past 10 years is a worthy read for film buffs (though no less likely to satisfy than the next issue's feature). "Iconic" is used loosely here, as some selections hold narrow appeal (is there anyone interested in career-women-in-distress flick The Best of Everything who hasn't already found Laura Jacob's history?), but the writers' access might be reason enough to take a look: Peter Biskind talks, in 2006, to Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton about the making of Reds; Sam Kashner gets John Travolta's thoughts on Saturday Night Fever; and Peter Biskind talks to Dustin Hoffman and John Voight about the unlikely triumph of Midnight Cowboy. Other articles take a longer view: David Kamp looks into Cleopatra, as well as legends that Orson Welles's original director's cut of The Magnificent Ambersons is still hidden away somewhere. Others covered include The Producers, The Graduate, All About Eve and Tommy; for those who haven't come across them before, these gossipy behind-the-scenes chronicles should make compulsive reading.
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Rosellen Brewer - Library Journal

Vanity Fair editor Carter has put together an anthology of pieces about the making of 13 very different films. What could The Magnificent Ambersons, Tommy, and The Best of Everything have in common? They were subjects, along with the ten other films included here, of Vanity Fair articles over the last ten years. Flops and successes are all grouped together in a what-if kind of book. What if Robert Redford had played Benjamin Braddock in The Graduate? What if John Travolta's feet were not shown in his big dance sequence in Saturday Night Fever? Can you imagine anyone other than Bette Davis uttering "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night"? (It was supposed to be Claudette Colbert, but she had hurt her back.) All of these things were possibilities. Some of the essays collected here are better than others ("Tommy Dearest" by James Wolcott stands out), and some rehash what most film buffs already know. But all of the pieces are well written yet still juicy, just the kind of thing that appeals to celebrity mavens and film scholars alike. Highly recommended.

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