Vanity Fair's Tales of Hollywood: Rebels, Reds, and Graduates and the Wild Stories Behind the Making of 13 Iconic Films
These lively essays from Vanity Fair reveal the stories behind 13 iconic films. The attitude taken toward several of these baker’s-dozen movies is, however, more ironic than reverent. But the circumstances surrounding the making of such ringers as Myra Breckinridge, Tommy, and Cleopatra make for reading that’s not only shamefully fascinating in a car-wreck sort of way but illuminating of the maddening methods of Hollywood. Not surprisingly, though, it’s the genuine classics—among them, Rebel without a Cause, All about Eve, The Magnificent Ambersons, and Midnight Cowboy—that concern the most substantive and rewarding entries. The contributors, who include such notable entertainment writers as James Wolcott and Peter Biskind, dish up enough gossip to satisfy the casual moviegoer (e.g., Mike Nichols originally envisioned Robert Redford and Ava Gardner for The Graduate) but pair it with enough substance to satisfy hard-core film buffs. This slender volume manages to cover a surprising amount of territory. --Gordon Flagg