Molly HaskellBesprekingen

Auteur van From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies

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My Brother My Sister: Story of a Transformation door Molly Haskell

This book had its good parts, when it actually talked about Ellen. However, most of the book was the author thought about all of the transformations, etc. There was too much talk about what the "research" shows. That is not why I wanted to read the book!½

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yukon92 | Apr 22, 2024 |

From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in… door Molly Haskell

From memory, a library book read back around 1989.

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Karen74Leigh | 1 andere bespreking | Dec 24, 2020 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) door Molly Haskell

Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.

Stephen Spielberg is perhaps the most influential and well-respoected movie director of the 20th century. Yet little is known about the man, perhaps because he is not the typical Hollywood extrovert. This definitive biography breaks down Spielberg's life, from childhood to modernity, and details how each of his films correlates to his life (his childhood, specifically). Listening to the audiobook with the lights off, felt like watching a movie about the man's life, as opposed to reading about it. I will now watch his movies in a different light.

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06nwingert | 9 andere besprekingen | Apr 23, 2017 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) door Molly Haskell

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Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films by Molly Haskell is part of the series Jewish Lives from Yale University Press. To quote the YUP site: "JEWISH LIVES is a major series of brief, interpretive biography designed to illuminate the imprint of eminent Jewish figures upon literature, religion, philosophy, politics, cultural and economic life, and the arts and sciences." In other words, this is not simply a biography of Steven Spielberg and it is even less a fan-driven pop biography. It is, as it was supposed to be, an "interpretive biography." Haskell, who was approached to write this book, not the other way around, does a wonderful job of providing an interpretive frame that at once takes Spielberg at his word when he said “everything about me is in my films” while making into a whole the fragmented parts of his story as it has been told in the past.

Haskell brings her usual sharp eye and broad range of ideas to this project and succeeds on almost every level. We get a better, more coherent, picture of Steven Spielberg as a person, a fimmaker and as a storyteller. We also come to understand how being Jewish factored into how he became who he is as well as how he tells his stories.

I listened to the audio version, which was satisfactory but I am the type of reader who probably prefers nonfiction in paper form for note-taking purposes. My only complaint, a small one, is that I would have preferred a female performer throughout the book since the book was written by a woman. I like Molly Haskell's work and her authorship was as big a factor in my interest as the object, Steven Spielberg. So to hear Haskell's words in a male voice just bothered me. That is my opinion, however, and should not be taken as a negative comment about the work Johnny Heller did here.

If a reader understands and is willing to approach this book for what it is, I would highly recommend this to everyone with an interest in film, Jewish Studies and contemporary intellectual history. There is enough here for a fan who would prefer a fandom-type bio to be satisfied as long as they remember that that is not the work's primary aim.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via LibraryThing Early Reviewers.

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pomo58 | 9 andere besprekingen | Apr 11, 2017 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) door Molly Haskell

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What an incredible book. I like how it was written and the stories that went along with the movies. The insights with Mr. Spielberg were fascinating. He is a great writer and director, who has a unique way of tacking his projects. Now, I have not seen a lot of his movies, but now, I will look at them a bit differently and I bet I will enjoy the movies even more. Steven Spielberg is a very interesting, unique person. This is a great book and I do recommend it.

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BonnieKernene | 9 andere besprekingen | Mar 24, 2017 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) door Molly Haskell

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Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) by Molly Haskell is a biography of the prolific director. Ms. Haskell is a film critic and author.

I admired Steven Spielberg since he burst on to the big screen when I was a child. I remember eagerly anticipating the next Spielberg flick and reading every word I can in such magazines as Starlog (when it was a great film magazine) about his projects and special effects breakthroughs.

So you can understand my delight in getting Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) by Molly Haskell. I can say that I’ve watched almost every Spielberg film out there, many with the enthusiasm of a teenager, so the book spoke to me.

Recently I re-watched the Indiana Jones movies with my kids. I was not looking forward to it because I wanted to remember those great movies as the groundbreaking extravaganzas I remember them (I ran to the theater after school on the opening day of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). To my great delight the Indiana Jones movies are just as good today as I remembered them. The kids loved them (my son dressed up as Dr. Jones for Halloween), and I dare say that even if they were released today, as they were released originally, they’d pass muster with the fans and delight audiences.

Ms. Haskell wrote an interesting, witty book telling stories which I thought I knew but never connected the dots. While I don’t agree with every evaluation the author makes, I appreciate the honesty and thought that went into the narrative.

Mr. Spielberg’s Jewish story is very insightful and the author is obviously very interested in his journey as a proud Jew and a genius film maker. The author connects the director’s life experiences relative to the movies he was making at the time.

This is a great film book about one of our generation’s most notable and prolific directors. The book is insightful, well written, and frankly – just a lot of fun. I listened to the audio CD, narrated by Johnny Heller and Jo Anna Perrin who did a great job and kept my interest throughout.

I got this book for free in exchange for a review

For more reviews and bookish posts please visit my bookish blog at http://www.ManOfLaBook.com

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ZoharLaor | 9 andere besprekingen | Mar 20, 2017 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life In Films door Molly Haskell

Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.

This audio book is a very enjoyable and well researched work about one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Spielberg did not agree to an interview for this work. Ultimately it ends with Spielberg being categorized as a director/producer of moral relativist films and a Democratic fundraiser for the party which encourages racial and sexual diversity. A Life in Films has a weak and abrupt ending but is nonetheless a very well written and fast paced work. Johnny Heller, the narrator had several mispronunciations but overall was easy to listen to and was not distracting from the topic itself. Duration time was six and a half hours total.
Although it is considered close to a crime against humanity to assume authorial intent (an axiom of deconstruction theory), as long as a listener allows this as Spielberg’s life take shape, the audience will be home free to enjoy Haskell’s work. I personally consider almost of Spielberg’s films to be very important cultural statements by an American about America. By bringing Spielberg’s life to illuminate his many films, I found it worthwhile, though risky.
Spielberg’s career is handed very well with special emphasis on selected movies (AI, Schindler's List, ET, Jaws, Lincoln, Raiders, Empire of the Sun). The early films are shown as attempts by Spielberg to deal with his own family of origin issues (fear of monsters, childhood abandonment, religious phenomena, and aircraft). The latter films are depicted as his attempts to rectify past character deficiencies and the promotion more “Boy Scout” men and women of principled moral values (Bridge of Spies, Lincoln). This was well worth listening to and I wish I had been given the print version to review. This work is part of Tantor media’s Jewish Lives series.

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sacredheart25 | 9 andere besprekingen | Mar 12, 2017 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) door Molly Haskell

Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.

This review is for the audio version of the book.
Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) by Molly Haskell is a great introduction to the life and work of Steven Spielberg. Anyone familiar with Spielberg’s life and work may find this books to be a little too basic. Reading like an extended wiki article, Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) doesn’t delve too deep into its subject, but still does a fine job giving a chronological look at Spielberg. As for the audiobook, the narration is a bit dry, but I’ve certainly listened to dryer.

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AlexGiorgio-Rubin | 9 andere besprekingen | Mar 11, 2017 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life In Films door Molly Haskell

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Skip the author's, rather effete and self serving introduction. I have seen surprisingly few of Spielberg's movies so the book was a film lexicon, moviecon?, of his works for me. More of a CGI, big picture Cecile B DeMille .than a true cinema auteur; his pictures made money, a lot of money, and were entertaining. Ergo, he was a successful director, producer and movie mogul. Paranoid likely, neurotic certainly; clearly an excellent tool set for his chosen profession. In this era of boring billionaires, he hardly stands our.½

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jamespurcell | 9 andere besprekingen | Mar 9, 2017 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) door Molly Haskell

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I found this book unbearable, particularly as an audiobook. The first narrator Emphasized. Nearly. Every. Word. in Each. Sentence. I struggled through that, and hoped for relief when another voice took over. However, he inserted pauses in odd.... places separating the subjects from.... their objects further making the.... story difficult... to follow.

But then, there didn't seem to BE any story in the offing. What I heard in Chapter 1 was a deadly dull recitation of places and dates, assertions of what Spielberg must have felt growing up, some rehash of interviews he'd given to Andy Warhol long ago (since he'd refused to be interviewed for this book, no new material would be available -- I think the author should have taken on a different project right then), one brief vignette that painted the subject as a little bully who tortured his sisters, and a bunch of armchair-psychology pontification of what his motivations must have been. It read as entirely presumptuous and pretentious. I found myself particularly annoyed that the non-Jewish author, without presenting any credentials, felt herself qualified to speak about the Jewish experience.

I finally couldn't stand it any longer and gave up. Did I mention that she actually used the phrase "free-range women" to describe Spielberg's mother and sisters?

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runeshower | 9 andere besprekingen | Mar 8, 2017 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films (Jewish Lives) door Molly Haskell

Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.

Very interesting and informative book. It was particularly impressive given that Spielberg refused to be interviewed and would not approve this biography. I gained valuable information about Spielberg's life and could see how his life is reflected in his films and the progression of films. Interesting to see the reflection of his life experiences and his personal issues were "worked out" through the various films.
The narrator was good and the writing excellent.
I found some fault, probably due mostly to Spielberg not being involved in this book. For example the author says that we cannot remember anything before age tow and as a psychologist and through personal experience, I know this is not accurate. There wer a couple of examples of this type of error. Also I would have preferred if the author would have said "it seems like" rather than state things as facts that could not be known with out Spielberg's involvement; like what he was thinking or feeling about something.
I would recommend this book for anyone interested in film.

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padmajoy | 9 andere besprekingen | Mar 7, 2017 |

Steven Spielberg: A Life In Films door Molly Haskell

Deze bespreking is geschreven voor LibraryThing Vroege Recensenten.

The was more a hagiography than a biography, full of psycho-babble about Spielberg's neuroses. What mostly came through it all is that he is an emotionally stunted misogynist. Thankfully this was a quick read.

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etxgardener | 9 andere besprekingen | Mar 6, 2017 |

Frankly, My Dear: "Gone with the Wind" Revisited… door Molly Haskell

I found myself trying hard to keep up with all the threads that the author picks up as she presents so much thought provoking material in this book about the book and the movie "Gone With The Wind" From a biographical sketch of Margaret Mitchell to a study of the Hollywood stars and artists that created the film to the society that has taken the novel and the movie to heart for so many years. The author points out the book is often described as not good literature but a page turner and a best seller, as those that is a vice. In the end she calls it a YA Masterpiece! Margaret Mitchell is not a prose stylist, she creates a one of a kind with Scarlett O'Hara and compares her to Becky Sharpe from "Vanity Fair"- unrelenting in her struggle to survive and unpunished in the end. Feminism and racism and Freudian psychology perspectives on the film and novel are presented; Molly Haskell has much to say and she says it in a very entertaining way.

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joeydag | 7 andere besprekingen | Jul 23, 2015 |

The 2000-Year-Old Misunderstanding: Rape Fantasy… door Molly Haskell

In this early article on rape fantasies, Haskell argues that what women are fantasizing about (giving up agency) is very different from what men think they are fantasizing about. Only the person having the fantasy should be allowed to interpret it.

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aulsmith | Nov 20, 2013 |

Frankly, my dear : Gone with the wind revisited door Molly Haskell

Molly Haskell writes with the authority of a feminist scholar and knowledgeable movie critic, yet with the charm and simplicity of someone who is having tea with you on your back porch. As a southerner, she brings a unique point of view to her analysis of the author of Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell. Learning about her two marriages is one of the rewards of reading this book. There are others too: Selznick's passion for control, Vivian Leigh's passion for her husband (Olivier), Gable's relationship with Fleming versus Cukor who was fired after directing several key scenes.

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paakre | 7 andere besprekingen | Apr 27, 2013 |

Frankly, my Dear door Molly Haskell

Interesting to film buffs and/or interested in Margaret Mitchell book791.433

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AnneliM | 7 andere besprekingen | Jun 26, 2010 |

Frankly, My Dear: "Gone with the Wind" Revisited… door Molly Haskell

Cool book, which made me want more. Molly Haskell, of course, wrote the seminal book on women in movies: From Reverence to Rape. (And whatever happened to her? What has she been doing since?). This book deals with the movie and the book, interpretations over time, a bit of Margaret Mitchell, a bit on the approaches of the main actors, the various directors.

I'm sure many will find it unsatisfying and will wish that Haskell had developed some themes more fully. OTOH, fanatical fans may know a lot of the background on the making of the movie already.

I've reread the novel fairly recently (Scarlet is a more complex character than I recognized as a child.) and watched the movie a couple of times in the past 5-6 years. I've got a good memory but still, I'm probably not the ideal reader.

I think what will be new to even the fanatical fans is Southern-born Haskell's insights on how Southerners (rich, poor, black, white) have regarded portrayals of the Civil War through time. But I felt she knew a lot more than she told here.

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Periodista | 7 andere besprekingen | Jan 5, 2010 |

Frankly, My Dear: "Gone with the Wind" Revisited… door Molly Haskell

liked but thought there would be more gossips in it : )

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maglegac | 7 andere besprekingen | Oct 14, 2009 |

Frankly, My Dear: "Gone with the Wind" Revisited… door Molly Haskell

A great Southern women's perspective on the book and the film that does not shrink from examining some of the more unsavory aspects of both (the rape scene, justification of slavery etc). Imminently readable while providing lots of food for thought.

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athaena | 7 andere besprekingen | Aug 20, 2009 |

Frankly, My Dear: "Gone with the Wind" Revisited… door Molly Haskell

I truly enjoyed reading this book. It brought back great memories of reading Gone With the Wind and watching this movie over and over again since my childhood. I also appreciated a look at the uncomfortable aspects of this book/movie such as the justification of slavery and the rape scene within the marriage of Scarlett and Rhett. Haskell spends a lot of time going through the creation of the movie, focusing on the roles of Margaret Mitchell, David Selznick, and Vivien Leigh. She also tries to put into words the attraction of this movie and of Scarlett O'Hara. Basically, it was very fun to relive the movie and fans of Gone With the Wind will enjoy this book.½

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japaul22 | 7 andere besprekingen | Jun 8, 2009 |

Frankly, My Dear: "Gone with the Wind" Revisited… door Molly Haskell

I'm glad Molly Haskell brought her southern woman's perspective to GWTW and Margaret Mitchell. It was a page turner for me even though the facts covered were not new to me except this gem: that Olivia DeHavilland said Vivien Leigh "brought more to the film than she ever received." How true. Haskell identifies the three main forces behind the film as Mitchell, Selznick and Leigh and muses on how their convergence was a fluke that easily could have not happened .

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BrokenSpines | 7 andere besprekingen | Jun 6, 2009 |

From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in… door Molly Haskell

"mazon.com Review
Biting, brilliant, and marvelously witty, From Reverence to Rape is the first and the last word on women in the movies--perhaps the best book ever written on the subject. Most feminist film critics produce work that conforms to the academic discipline of cultural studies. Haskell's groundbreaking statement (first published in 1974 but with an added chapter that updates her theme through the 1980s) is accessible, serious, and great fun because its primary source is Hollywood cinema itself. Haskell draws on her amazing knowledge and understanding of American film to comment witheringly upon the ways producers, directors, and critics from the 1920s and onward have treated women. Still, within the attack her passionate love of films and the women who appear in them shines through. For example, in a lovely passage on Greta Garbo, Haskell claims that the actress's appeal, "however provocatively she might array herself, was romantic rather than sexual, and that is the reason women liked her. Her spirit leaped first and her body, in total exquisite accord, leaped after. She yearned not for pleasure in bed but for love in eternity."
Appreciations with this much sensitivity and vigor are as hard to find as a critic who can imaginatively process a lifetime of movie-watching experiences. Moreover, Haskell discusses the larger social significance of the male cinema and male criticism she often finds so infantile. At one point, despairing over critics who either ignore actresses or transform them into love objects, Haskell bemoans the critics' immaturity as "one of the more common and less endearing manifestations of the eternal adolescence that hangs on the American male--who, by the time he is mature enough to appreciate a woman, is almost ready to retire from the arena. There are a few good years in which he can both appreciate and operate, but not enough (particularly with the current defections from heterosexuality) to satisfy the female population, which may be why more and more women are turning to each other, or to themselves." This fine book, as loving and funny as it is angry, is a must for movie fans as well as anyone interested in gender issues. --Raphael Shargel "
www.amazon.com

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bildwechsel_gast | 1 andere bespreking | Oct 23, 2009 |

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Molly HaskellBesprekingen

Auteur van From Reverence to Rape: The Treatment of Women in the Movies

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