Kieron Connolly
Autor von Disasters: The Biggest Disasters in History
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Werke von Kieron Connolly
Abandoned Places: A Photographic Exploration of More Than 100 Worlds We Have Left Behind (2016) 68 Exemplare
Dark History of Hollywood: A Century of Greed, Corruption and Scandal behind the Movies (Dark Histories) (2014) 54 Exemplare
World's Worst Monsters & Villains Scary Creatures of Myth, Folklore, and Fiction (2012) 51 Exemplare
The History of Hollywood: A Century of Greed, Corruption, and Scandal Behind the Movies (2023) 3 Exemplare
America's Bloody History from Vietnam to the War on Terror (Bloody History of America) (2017) 2 Exemplare
America's Bloody History from the Civil War to the Great Depression (Bloody History of America) (2017) 2 Exemplare
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This history is not a film history or cinema history, nor does it claim to be, but a history of the sensationalistic side of the industry. Things that, when about current events, are called gossip but as we move further back in time, and more facts are known, become simply a history of the personal and industry flaws. Nothing more and nothing less. Some of the things impacted film history, most are just footnotes. It is, however, all quite interesting.
This isn't so much an attempt to uncover new information but to gather the various stories and rumors together into a single narrative about the underbelly of the film industry. As such the useful aspect is placing these events in relation to each other. What trends, if any, seemed to present themselves? How did what was happening in society at large affect what was happening behind the scenes? The book succeeds to a large extent in this regard.
But Connolly is an annoying writer who insults both the memories of the stars as well as his readers. I am just going to concentrate on one section, namely because he chose to capitalize on Marilyn Monroe's image to entice people to look at his book. First, in this section, he goes out of his way to cite only those sources that denigrate Monroe. When he uses the famous shot with Monroe's billowing skirt to go off about "Knickers," he calls grown women girls. Connolly has been an editor, and editors have to know what is current usage and what is considered insulting, which means this was a choice on his part. Must have to compensate for his shortcomings, I guess. Since he is a boy (I assume if calling a grown woman a girl is acceptable he doesn't mind being called by his mental and emotional label, a boy) I guess maybe it is okay. Then, just to make sure he slams her as much as possible before putting her on his book cover, he claims "[a]part from Some Like It Hot...none of her films is screened much or even rated that highly." The same AFI list that has Some Like It Hot rated number one also has The Seven Year Itch rated number fifty-one. I guess Connolly knows better than AFI about films. And of course Gentlemen Prefer Blondes doesn't have an iconic scene that has been referenced in everything from music videos to other films, not to mention Fassbinder calls it one of the 10 best films ever. But again, Connolly is to be trusted more. NOT!! His misogyny is showing big time, which makes every single comment in this book unreliable.
While I would still recommend this to many readers, I would suggest they use it as a timeline then find reliable sources to get any actual stories or background. Connolly is unreliable and sexist, at best.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.… (mehr)