Cary Grant: A Class Apart [Audiobook] [Englisch] [Hörkassette]

Writing with the low-key stylishness his subject deserves, academic Graham McCann pays tribute to the working-class Englishman who became "a democratic symbol of gentlemanly grace" to moviegoers world-wide. Aptly subtitled A Class Apart, the book sympathetically depicts Archie Leach--born into poverty, his mother committed to an asylum when he was nine--reinventing himself as Cary Grant, whose debonair screen persona showed no signs of these difficult origins. A decorous account of Grant's private life (McCann dismisses talk of bisexuality as mere rumour) accompanies cogent descriptions of his performances. --Christine Buttery -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Taschenbuch .

Writing with the low-key stylishness his subject deserves, British academic Graham McCann pays tribute to the working-class Englishman who became "a democratic symbol of gentlemanly grace" to moviegoers worldwide. Aptly subtitled "A Class Apart," the book sympathetically depicts Archie Leach--born into poverty, his mother committed to an asylum when he was nine--reinventing himself as Cary Grant, whose debonair screen persona showed no signs of these difficult origins. A decorous account of Grant's private life (McCann dismisses talk of bisexuality as mere rumor) accompanies cogent descriptions of his performances. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

"Everybody wants to be Cary Grant," Cary Grant once said. "Even I want to be Cary Grant." "Cary Grant" was a brilliantly realized invention, embodying grace, charm, and elegance for moviegoers over the course of four decades. McCann's biography shows how working-class Archie Leach transformed himself into Cary Grant. Unlike many self-made successes, Grant never renounced his humble origins but incorporated them into his persona. As a result, he became, McCann says, a "democratic gentleman," at ease in any element, who shone in both serious dramas and screwball comedies and, unlike most male stars, appealed equally to men and women. In laying out the facts and events of Grant's life and career, from the British music hall through Hollywood eminence to 20 years of retirement, McCann relies almost entirely on previously published works (there are nearly 70 pages of notes) and skeptically reports more sensational biographers' allegations of Grant's homosexuality. McCann's outstanding achievement is his analysis of Grant's singular and lasting appeal as a classy but classless star. Gordon Flagg -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

A delightful appreciation of the archetypal movie star who defined screen sophistication. In a pleasing mix of life story and film analysis, a seasoned biographer and teacher (Cambridge Univ.) meditates on the idea of Cary Grant and the actual person. With compassion, he recalls Grant's (n‚ Archie Leach) hard life in working-class Bristol and troubled relationships with his parents. Music halls and American theater helped Leach hone his craft, but not until he had been in Hollywood for years and made The Awful Truth (1937) did he gain the confidence to become a star. Director Leo McCarey's interest in improvisation and his ability to help Grant ``think more carefully about what . . . he was trying to do in front of a camera'' were key. A string of Grant hits followed, all capitalizing on his ability to embody urbane egalitarianism. Hitchcock caught his dark side and elusiveness in Suspicion (1941) and later in Notorious, To Catch a Thief, and North by Northwest. After his 1966 retirement, he excelled in business, became a first-time father, and was bitterly divorced from his fourth wife, actress Dyan Cannon. A quiet life and a happy fifth marriage lasted until his death in 1986. Throughout, McCann refers comfortably to the arsenal of Grant literature, notably reprising Stanley Cavell's use of Emerson to capture Grant--``fit to stand the gaze of millions.'' One source of disagreement is the bisexuality claim in Charles Higham and Roy Moseley's bio: McCann debunks it in point-by-point blows. Finally, despite any unbecoming marital conduct and early embrace of LSD, McCann believes Grant remains an exemplary movie star because he behaved in public and toward his audience with decorum. Neat, well researched, and witty, the book earns respect for the author and a familiar wry smile at its reincarnation of Cary Grant. (photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

"Everybody wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant," said Archie Leach, better known as Hollywood star Cary Grant. A professor at Kings College, Cambridge, and author of biographies on Marilyn Monroe, Woody Allen, and James Dean and Marlon Brando, McCann discovers how that wish came to be at least partially fulfilled. He traces the life of Leach from his 1904 birth in working-class Bristol, England, to his death as Cary Grant on the international lecture circuit in 1986. McCann charts Archie Leach's humble vaudeville beginnings, the invention of Cary Grant in Hollywood, and Leach/ Grant's rise to international fame. He explores personal issues such as Grant's relationship with his mother, his sexuality, his use of LSD, and his World War II spy activities. Though there have been more than ten biographies of Cary Grant, McCann's adds sensitivity, scholarship, and insight to that list. This excellent work will appeal to general readers browsing biography and film collections of both academic and public libraries.?Lisa N. Johnston, Sweet Briar Coll. Lib., Va.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .

The reason I wrote CARY GRANT:A CLASS APART.
What I hope this book provides is a thorough,balanced and constructive account of the life,work and inimitable appeal of Cary Grant.Too often,I feel, lazily uncritical and sometimes cynically manipulative surveys of gossip, innuendo and hearsay are passed off as "objective" biographies;I wanted to write a serious and responsible biography which distinguishes between fact,fiction and mere speculation.That the result is a positive appraisal of the subject has more to do,I would suggest,with the biographee than with the biographer.I sincerely hope that CARY GRANT:A CLASS APART will be of interest to anyone who has ever been impressed and/or intrigued by this extraordinary movie star.The book includes a good range of illustrations,a comprehensive bibliography , a fully sourced reference section and a complete list of his movies{+details of their availabilty on video and laserdisc - DVD will be included in future editions}. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Gebundene Ausgabe .