Otto Preminger: The Man Who Would Be King
Foster Hirsch, . . Knopf, $35 (573pp) ISBN 978-0-375-41373-5
Meticulously researched with nearly 100 new interviews with family members and co-workers, this epic biography offers a multifaceted portrait of the Viennese-born filmmaker and reappraisal of his films. Preminger's “creativity was fueled by abrasion,” says Hirsch, so nearly every film boasts testimony from actors who were verbally abused. His explosive rows extended to censors, crew members and studio heads. But Hirsch also reveals the gentler side of “Otto the Terrible,” protecting fragile stars and doting on his family. “With family, Otto was like a marshmallow, and capable of great love in a primal way,” says Erik, his son with Gypsy Rose Lee. Film buffs will enjoy the candid looks behind his volatile productions (including
Reviewed on: 08/20/2007
Genre: Nonfiction
Other - 442 pages - 978-0-307-48921-0