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The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock
- An Anatomy of the Master of Suspense
- Narrated by: Qarie Marshall
- Length: 12 hrs and 6 mins
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Publisher's summary
In The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock, Edward White explores the Hitchcock phenomenon - what defines it, how it was invented, what it reveals about the man at its core, and how its legacy continues to shape our cultural world.
The book’s 12 chapters illuminate different aspects of Hitchcock’s life and work: “The Boy Who Couldn’t Grow Up”, “The Murderer”, “The Auteur”, “The Womanizer”, “The Fat Man”, “The Dandy”, “The Family Man”, “The Voyeur”, “The Entertainer”, “The Pioneer”, “The Londoner”, and “The Man of God”. Each of these angles reveals something fundamental about the man he was and the mythological creature he has become, presenting not just the life Hitchcock lived, but also the various versions of himself that he projected and those projected on his behalf.
White’s portrayal illuminates a vital truth: Hitchcock was more than a Hollywood titan; he was the definitive modern artist, and his significance reaches far beyond the confines of cinema.
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No writer is as emblematic of the American 20th century as Susan Sontag. Mythologized and misunderstood, lauded and loathed, a girl from the suburbs who became a proud symbol of cosmopolitanism, Sontag left a legacy of writing on art and politics, feminism and homosexuality, celebrity and style, medicine and drugs, radicalism and Fascism and Freudianism and Communism and Americanism, that forms an indispensable key to modern culture.
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Cloying voice
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The View from the Bridge
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When Nicholas Meyer was asked to direct the troubled second Star Trek film, he was something less than a true believer. A best-selling author and successful director, he had never been a fan of the TV series. But as he began to ponder the appeal of Kirk, Spock, et al., he realized that their story was a classical nautical adventure yarn transplanted into space and - armed with that insight - set out on his mission: to revitalize Trek.
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Mostly good
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Warhol
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To this day, mention the name “Andy Warhol” to almost anyone and you’ll hear about his famous images of soup cans and Marilyn Monroe. But though Pop Art became synonymous with Warhol’s name and dominated the public’s image of him, his life and work are infinitely more complex and multifaceted than that. In Warhol, esteemed art critic Blake Gopnik takes on Andy Warhol in all his depth and dimensions.
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Explaining an Enigma
- By Keith on 05-05-20
By: Blake Gopnik
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Batman Unauthorized
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Compiled by a veteran writer of the comic series, this collection of essays explores Batman’s motivations and actions, as well as those of his foes. Batman is a creature of the night, more about vengeance than justice, more plagued by doubts than full of self-assurance, and more darkness than light. He has no superpowers, just skill, drive, and a really well-made suit.
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batman uninformed opinions
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Chasing the Light
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An intimate memoir by the controversial, Oscar-winning director and screenwriter about his rarefied New York childhood, volunteering for combat, and his struggles and triumphs making such films as Platoon, Midnight Express, and Scarface.
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Impressive
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Another Nice Mess
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Arguably the greatest comedy duo in show business history, Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy delighted filmgoers and theatregoers for over 30 years. The public not only found Laurel's serene simpleton and Hardy's pompous buffoon hilarious, but they also thought of them as friends. Laurel and Hardy may have been nitwits, but they were loveable nitwits.
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Two Hours + of Biography
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Get Happy
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She lived at full throttle on stage, screen, and in real life, with highs that made history and lows that finally brought down the curtain at age 47. Judy Garland died over 30 years ago, but no biography has so completely captured her spirit - and demons - until now. From her tumultuous early years as a child performer to her tragic last days, Gerald Clarke reveals the authentic Judy in a biography rich in new detail and unprecedented revelations.
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A good book, but...
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Age of Cage
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Nicolas Cage is many things, but love him, or laugh at him, there's no denying two things: You've seen one of his many films, and you certainly know his name. But who is he, really, and why has his career endured for over 40 years, with more than a hundred films, and birthed a million memes? Age of Cage is a smart, beguiling book about the films of Nicolas Cage and the actor himself, as well as a sharp-eyed examination of the changes that have taken place in Hollywood over the course of his career.
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Excellent filmography of a successful career
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Superman
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How has the Big Blue Boy Scout stayed so popular for so long? How has he changed with the times, and what essential aspects of him have remained constant? This fascinating biography examines Superman as a cultural phenomenon through 75 years of action-packed adventures, from his early years as a social activist in circus tights to his growth into the internationally renowned demigod he is today.
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Unauthorized and fairly biased
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The Castle on Sunset
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Since 1929, Hollywood’s brightest stars have flocked to the Chateau Marmont as if it were a second home. An apartment building-turned-hotel, the Chateau has been the backdrop for generations of gossip and folklore: where director Nicholas Ray slept with his 16-year-old Rebel Without a Cause star Natalie Wood; Jim Morrison swung from the balconies; John Belushi suffered a fatal overdose; and Lindsay Lohan got the boot after racking up nearly $50,000 in charges in less than two months. Much of what has happened inside the Chateau’s walls has eluded the public eye - until now.
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Was enjoying it until...
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Shakespeare in a Divided America
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The plays of William Shakespeare are rare common ground in the United States. For well over two centuries, Americans of all stripes—presidents and activists, soldiers and writers, conservatives and liberals alike—have turned to Shakespeare’s works to explore the nation’s fault lines. In a narrative arching from Revolutionary times to the present day, leading scholar James Shapiro traces the unparalleled role of Shakespeare’s four-hundred-year-old tragedies and comedies in illuminating the many concerns on which American identity has turned.
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An Entertaining History Lesson
- By David on 08-17-20
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What listeners say about The Twelve Lives of Alfred Hitchcock
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Buretto
- 08-16-22
Thorough, but doesn't spur me to watch his films
I'm not much of a Hitchcock fan, to be honest. I think there are some very intriguing films (The Lodger, Notorious), some verging on ridiculous (North By Northwest, The Birds), and some outright tedious (Vertigo). The last might be what motivated me to try this biography, to try and understand why so many hold it in high regard. I love old films, particularly film noir (a genre which I think Hitchcock only rarely entered), and slow burns. But Vertigo just does nothing for me. Nor does Hitchcock, for the most part. I suspect a lot of the supposed genius may be lost in time, as with the likes of Sid Caesar, Spike Milligan, and Orson Welles, for that matter. Genius of their time, inspiration to those who came after, but perhaps eclipsed by disciples, and unfairly reduced in time by context.
The book details the man best described as the Master of Self-Promotion, even more than Suspense. While I would stop short of calling the author sycophantic, it is overall fawning in nature, with the warts-and-all premise used to burnish the man's image as an enigma. I don't think there is any doubt, that he had a problematic relationship with womankind, and in that arena, nothing particularly new is revealed. Similarly, his own sexuality, long discussed, surely informed a lot of his films, a topic touched on slightly in the book. His visual style, particularly in his color films, is referred to as elaborate and baroque, though in my opinion, might better be called garish. All in all, an interesting listen, but nothing to inspire me to revisit any films, other than perhaps Jamaica Inn, referenced a few times in the book.
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- IsleWait
- 07-18-21
Intriguing Individual!
On just a whimsical read, I was very surprised to encounter such an entertaining biography.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Marky Maypo
- 02-28-22
Fascinating
Could have been a 5 star but a little to much psychological speculation. But highly recommended!!
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- aaron
- 07-31-21
Very Good History of Hitch
This is an incredibly well-researched book. Anyone interested in Hitch, modern day suspense/thrillers, or the history of cinema in general would be well served listening to this book.
There was one HUGE problem, though.
It was totally unnecessary to mention unverifiable, totally baseless accusations made by actresses against Hitch when the man is no longer alive to defend himself. It seemed as though the author included these spurious claims solely to abide by today's woke culture, and the book suffers for it. It only serves to transform the book into a hit-piece on Hitch. It rips the reader out of the past, and vomits him/her into the present without warning. And, again, it was completely unnecessary. It adds NOTHING of value to the story and the book was great without it.
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7 people found this helpful
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- Tim
- 04-07-23
12 lives format mostly works
Splitting Hitchcock’s life and career helps relate his early films to the later ones. It also reveals aspects I overlooked, such as his interest in new film technologies. It all works until Chapter 12, covering his relationship with religion. Here, the author strains to find religious themes and iconography in the films. Almost all of these examples have easy alternative explanations. Still, worth a listen by any film fan.
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- MarkL
- 10-06-22
Really terrible. Bad idea
Terrible idea and dull. Gave uo on this idea to make a buck on a man who has been gone for half a century. Appreciate his w
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- C. Finzer
- 10-07-21
Didn't like
Couldn't finish...didn't hold my interest as I was intrigued when I read a book review
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