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Rating: 
Summary: To Die.To be really Dead. That must be glorious! "Dracula"
Review: In 1974 Prof. Arthur Lennig wrote a biography of Bela Lugosi called "The Count". Long out-of-print, I've seen used copies selling on Amazon-internet for as much as $600. In 2000, Lennig penned "Stroheim", a cerebral study, challenging the myths of Stroheim's life. "Stroheim" is now considered the ultimate biography of Erich von Stroheim. In 2003, Lennig released "The Immortal Count", an expanded, re-written analysis of the life and films of Lugosi. Using all new records and actual Hungarian data, Lennig shatters accepted legends; he re-explores this great actor's legacy. Lugosi himself recalled for the press his early starring role in "Hamlet" at Hungary's Royal National Theater. But it never happened. He played only a small supporting role as Rosencrantz. In 1955, at the end of his life, Lugosi voluntarily submitted himself to Los Angeles authorities for drug rehabilitation. "I've been an addict for 20 years!" he proclaimed. It never happened. His fourth wife Lillian(who lived with him for 23 years) testified that he began taking pain-killing medications in 1943. Blessed with grace and talent as a young man, Lugosi acted in plays and films in Hungary and Germany; enticing young women and attracting married ones as well. Appearing on a Los Angeles stage in "Dracula" in 1928, he began a torrid affair with the famous 23-year-old siren Clara Bow. He was 46. After starring in Universal's 1931 "Dracula", and being offered the lead in "Frankenstein", Lugosi enjoyed a few years of glittering Hollywood success. But poor fiscal decisions, bad business managers, five marriages, and horror-film typecasting ushered Lugosi into years of low-paying roles in minor B-Pictures. And no money. From legal records and other information, Lugosi was virtually penniless in 1921, 1924, 1932, 1937-1938, and from 1953 on to his death. So much for the Hollywood dream. Once a proud, old-world European, he now faced hardship and embarrassment. Battling depression and alcoholism, Bela Lugosi died ignored and forgotten in Hollywood on August 16, 1956. His entire estate was valued at less than $1900. "The Immortal Count" bravely dissects the ironic life and amazing legend of one of the 20th Century's greatest performers. In 1931, the horror film industry was born: Universal Pictures' "Dracula". The star, Bela Lugosi, was paid just $3500. Last year, I saw an old Bela Lugosi poster(50 years old) selling on EBAY for $5,000. Sadly, Lugosi would never know the world's true calculation of his unique talents. "The way you walked was thorny, through no fault of your own. But as the rain enters the soil, the river enters the sea, so tears run to their predestined end. Your suffering is over, Bela my son. Now you will find peace."
Rating:
Summary: To Die.To be really Dead. That must be glorious! "Dracula"
Review: In 1974 Prof. Arthur Lennig wrote a biography of Bela Lugosi called "The Count". Long out-of-print, I've seen used copies selling on Amazon-internet for as much as $600. In 2000, Lennig penned "Stroheim", a cerebral study, challenging the myths of Stroheim's life. "Stroheim" is now considered the ultimate biography of Erich von Stroheim. In 2003, Lennig released "The Immortal Count", an expanded, re-written analysis of the life and films of Lugosi. Using all new records and actual Hungarian data, Lennig shatters accepted legends; he re-explores this great actor's legacy. Lugosi himself recalled for the press his early starring role in "Hamlet" at Hungary's Royal National Theater. But it never happened. He played only a small supporting role as Rosencrantz. In 1955, at the end of his life, Lugosi voluntarily submitted himself to Los Angeles authorities for drug rehabilitation. "I've been an addict for 20 years!" he proclaimed. It never happened. His fourth wife Lillian(who lived with him for 23 years) testified that he began taking pain-killing medications in 1943. Blessed with grace and talent as a young man, Lugosi acted in plays and films in Hungary and Germany; enticing young women and attracting married ones as well. Appearing on a Los Angeles stage in "Dracula" in 1928, he began a torrid affair with the famous 23-year-old siren Clara Bow. He was 46. After starring in Universal's 1931 "Dracula", and being offered the lead in "Frankenstein", Lugosi enjoyed a few years of glittering Hollywood success. But poor fiscal decisions, bad business managers, five marriages, and horror-film typecasting ushered Lugosi into years of low-paying roles in minor B-Pictures. And no money. From legal records and other information, Lugosi was virtually penniless in 1921, 1924, 1932, 1937-1938, and from 1953 on to his death. So much for the Hollywood dream. Once a proud, old-world European, he now faced hardship and embarrassment. Battling depression and alcoholism, Bela Lugosi died ignored and forgotten in Hollywood on August 16, 1956. His entire estate was valued at less than $1900. "The Immortal Count" bravely dissects the ironic life and amazing legend of one of the 20th Century's greatest performers. In 1931, the horror film industry was born: Universal Pictures' "Dracula". The star, Bela Lugosi, was paid just $3500. Last year, I saw an old Bela Lugosi poster(50 years old) selling on EBAY for $5,000. Sadly, Lugosi would never know the world's true calculation of his unique talents. "The way you walked was thorny, through no fault of your own. But as the rain enters the soil, the river enters the sea, so tears run to their predestined end. Your suffering is over, Bela my son. Now you will find peace."
Rating: 
Summary: Sympathy for the Vampire
Review: My impression upon reading Lennig's biography is that it's just too adoring of it's subject, too set on defending him against his detractors (living or undead). That shouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but even though "The Immortal Count" tells the story of Lugosi's life and career in great, great detail, Lennig's fannish admiration of Lugosi prevents him from being in any way objective. Again and again he dismisses any account of Lugosi's bad behavior or Lugosi's difficulty with English or any negative comment anyone ever put on record regarding Lugosi. Lennig is up front and honest about subjects of public knowledge such as Lugosi's poor career decisions and his drug and acohol addiction. But he's very defensive of Lugosi against any negative comments or perceptions. This often leads to contradictions. Lennig bemoans the portrayal of the aging, bitter foul-mouthed Lugosi in the film "Ed Wood". According to Lennig, Lugosi was never known to use foul language. Later in the book, Lennig quotes Lugosi himself calling his last wife a b***ch and complaining in a crude manner about erectile disfunction. Lennig is accepting of every flattering comment made about Lugosi and dismissive of every unflattering one. In the end you can't help but feel that you're often not getting the full story, just the part most sympathetic to Lugosi. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it gives the book a feeling of being slanted and incomplete. (And the book would be nearly half it's length if Lennig didn't synopsize in great detail over many many pages all of Lugosi's major and some not-so-major films when a nice paragraph would have done nicely.) All in all, a good book, but not yet the definitive biography of "The Count."
Rating:
Summary: Bela: Forever Undead...
Review: This book has much to recommend it primarily because the author unlike so many biographers knew his subject personally and even though he was a great fan of Lugosi's in earlier years is dispassionate enough with the passing of time to write a fair and balanced account of his life. There is much anecdotal material here that whets the appetite and even for the younger viewers today not familiar with the Lugosi legend Lennig helps everyone come away with the feeling of having known this troubled man personally. If I have any criticism of the book at all it would be the amount of text devoted to giving dialogue from Lugosi's movies, for one who has seen most of them I know this material intimately already, still this manages also to be a positive for those less familiar with his roles. Several pages of pictures not seen in any other Lugosi biography I know of including many of the author as a young man with his then hero. The material included here is not new , however Lennig's personal spin on Lugosi, his films, family and personal demons succeeds in being both informative and entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent biography
Review: This is a total rewrite of the author's first edition of 1974. It tells a fascinating story about a man and his talents and his demons. A man that made some very bad career choices because of his cavalier attitude about money. It tells the whole tale, warts and all, and gives a very lucid picture of an intelligent, talented actor that was ever the dedicated craftsman, no matter how bad the picture was that he was in.The book especially casts some light on Bela Lugosi Jr. and his lawsuits dealing with his father's image. The light it casts does not portray Junior in a pretty picture. The only negative criticism I have is the author's penchant for going into multi-page synopses of Lugosi's pictures interwoven with the text. I found this to interrupt the flow of the book, but that is my personal opinion. Perhaps for others, the synopses would be more than welcome. But that minor personal criticism does not deter me from giving the book 5 stars. Well-researched, well written, a must for any Lugosiphile!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent biography
Review: This is a total rewrite of the author's first edition of 1974. It tells a fascinating story about a man and his talents and his demons. A man that made some very bad career choices because of his cavalier attitude about money. It tells the whole tale, warts and all, and gives a very lucid picture of an intelligent, talented actor that was ever the dedicated craftsman, no matter how bad the picture was that he was in. The book especially casts some light on Bela Lugosi Jr. and his lawsuits dealing with his father's image. The light it casts does not portray Junior in a pretty picture. The only negative criticism I have is the author's penchant for going into multi-page synopses of Lugosi's pictures interwoven with the text. I found this to interrupt the flow of the book, but that is my personal opinion. Perhaps for others, the synopses would be more than welcome. But that minor personal criticism does not deter me from giving the book 5 stars. Well-researched, well written, a must for any Lugosiphile!
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