Sam Spiegel
Subtitle: the incredible life and times of Hollywood's most iconoclastic producer, the miracle worker who went from penniless refugee to show biz legend, and made possible The African queen, On the waterfront, The bridge on the River Kwai, and Lawrence of Arabia
By: Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Published: 2003
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 465
ISBN-13: 9780684836195
Subjects: Biography; Motion picture producers and directors
Description: "In this biography, Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni, who had the advantage of knowing and working for Spiegel, brings into sharp focus a Hollywood legend who was at once crafty, unscrupulous, mendacious, and equally capable of great charm and petty meanness, who was sentimental and ruthless, a shrewd judge of talent, a gambler on a colossal scale, a man of almost unique artistic vision and courage who was, in the final analysis, that most elusive and rare of movie producers, a genius.".

"The story of how a Jewish refugee without a penny to his name managed to produce several of the greatest films of all time is alone worth telling, but Natasha Fraser-Cavassoni has done more: she has drawn the definitive portrait of the man himself - the elusive, witty, cynical adventurer who, like so many refugees, was able to live, succeed, and raise money everywhere, but who was at home nowhere.

Spiegel surrounded himself with luxury and beautiful women but remained a loner despite his countless friends." "With a brilliant sense of time and place and a deep understanding of Spiegel's complex personality, Fraser-Cavassoni traces his disasters, successes, romances, friendships, and tangled finances in a narrative that is rich with colorful Spiegel stories, scandals, and bon mots."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Filmography: p. 359-367.

Includes bibliographical references and index.