Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Sometimes gossipy, at other times straightforward, this biography of movie costume designer Edith Head is best for its sympathetic portrait of an insecure talent trying hard to survive in a den of thieves--Hollywood. Chierichetti (Hollywood Costume Design, 1976; Mitchell Leisen, 1995) certainly knows the business; as a former costumer and long-time acquaintance of Head's, he gives life and vitality to the business of movie fashion. Thanks to his descriptions, we understand the daily feuds and rivalries, the temperaments of actors, and the fussiness of producers and directors. Over her 44-year career with Paramount, Head is shown in all her personalities and in her relationships with Veronica Lake, Ginger Rogers, Elizabeth Taylor, and Bette Davis, among many others. Illustrations and photographs give a snapshot of her Oscar-winning talent; more to the point is the revelation of her longtime friendship with husband Bill Ihnen in a studio system that quickly upended most relationships. Film credits and Oscar nominations/awards appended. Barbara Jacobs
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Adult/High School-When Hollywood was young, a teacher named Edith Head passed off her students' sketches as her own to get a job at Paramount Pictures as a costume designer's assistant. This ruse was the beginning of the career of one of the most talented and honored individuals in the history of motion pictures. She continued to pass off the work of others as her own, was frighteningly insecure, and played politics to the hilt to get ahead. By the end of her career, however, these qualities detracted only slightly from her natural talent and creativity. In interviews with the author, Head dished dirt on the figure flaws of such leading ladies as Bette Davis and Barbara Stanwyck. While these are not household names to today's teens, Hollywood glamour has changed little over time. The loyalty Head received from these stars for making them look so flawless contributed much to her success. Photographs show how well her designs worked. The list of film credits spans more than 50 years and hundreds of movies. Teens with an interest in fashion and film will find this biography fascinating.
Jamie Watson, Enoch Pratt Free Library, Baltimore
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edith Head is widely considered the most important figure in the history of Hollywood costume design. Her career spanned nearly half a century and included such classic films as "Rear Window and "Sunset Boulevard. Her private life and professional achievements have been the subject of speculation since she rose to the top in the late 1940s. Ruthlessly competitive and intensely secretive, Head had few close friends and many detractors. Her longtime friend, protege, and confidant David Chierichetti offers a privileged glimpse into the personality behind the famously impenetrable "schoolmarm" faade and a comprehensive account of her creative process.<P>With more than 150 images -- including family snapshots, sketches, and studio portraits of the stars and roles she helped to create, Edith Head is a fresh and vital portrait of the designer, as well as of the era she epitomizes. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine vergriffene oder nicht verfügbare Ausgabe dieses Titels.