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Summary: Biography that's a page turner!`
Review: Having read a fair number of biographies in my time, in subjects from Science to American and military history, this book is as fine a work as I've seen. It is quite probably the best work of its kind on John Ford and pulls few punches when presenting the dark side of this complex man's character.
Genius often goes hand-in-hand with madness, and the odd juxtapositions of cruelty and sensitivity, visciousness and generosity within in the same man leaves it difficult for the reader to like him, much less understand the deep love so many of his peers and actors had for him.
The vast limits of his brilliance as a film maker are far clearer to me now and the more so since reading other works on the man's work and times ("Tis Herself" by Maureen O'Hara and "John Ford, the Man and his Films" by Tag Gallagher, to name two).
I am a recent "student" of film after years in other pursuits, and I have always considered Ford's pictures to be the best of the best, among which are "The Grapes of Wrath", "The Quiet Man" and "The Searchers".
It is apparently popular for current budding directors to attempt to attempt to emulate the work of the current crops of popular directors (generally those of the preceding five years or so) without paying sufficient attention to the classics; perhaps even trying to ride their stylistic coattails to success.
I believe that in order to be successful in any discipline, it is imperative to study closely the great works of past generations, just as most successful musicians should have a background in classical music.
I can recommend this work unreservedly both to the casual film fan (it's a damned good read!) and to the serious film student.
Rating: 
Summary: Just Another Ford Bio
Review: I certainly wish I could join the parade of accolades on Scott Eyman's "Print the Legend." It is just yet another version of the many-times-told tales of the life of the eccentric, gifted director, John Ford. It seemed that Eyman was using a lot of words to say much less than other biographies on Ford - specifically that of Ronald L. Davis who wrote "John Ford - Hollywood's Old Master" my John Ford bio of preference.As I read Scott's book, I began affixing red flag tabs on pages that have passages that are totally contradictory to what other people "who were there" had shared with me. I also had problems with quoted statements of Ford's co-workers and/or friends - sometimes having to look to a preceding page to see the identity of the person Eyman was quoting. I know it is extremely difficult to write a bio when so many of those significant in life of the subject have passed on; much of the information is hopefully well substantiated facts, mixed with hearsay. Eyman is certainly a fine writer, and writing about the life of a man who thrived on telling lies to confuse and irritate as many people as possible, is not an easy project. This is not a book I would buy - just check out at the library.
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Summary: Herculean Effort
Review: I have always been a fan of John Ford films, although I have not seen every one of them. My favorite movies of his are "The Quiet Man," "The Searchers," and "Liberty Valance." I watch each of them at least once per year (guess which one I watch around March 17?). I loved the stories behind the movies, although I would have loved to have seen more behind the scenes stuff. For example, there were some wonderful moments in Liberty Valance that had subtle social commentary in them; an example is when Rance is teaching the Reading class at Mr. Peabody's newspaper office, and Pompei can't remember the part of the Declaration of Independence that states "all men are created equal." Rance helps him out and says, "That's OK Pompei, a lot of people forget that part." Where did some of these lines originate? The book offers great insight into how the movies were made, and his mercurial personality. Ford, like many of us, has his flaws. But his work stands on its own, and this book helps us to see a very balanced view of a very complex icon of modern American entertainment.
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Summary: Excellent book about John Ford
Review: I have read a number of the available books about John Ford. While this book doesn't convey a lot of the warmth that Harry Carey's personal treatment does, it is perhaps the best attempt to sum up what made John Ford one of Hollywood's greatest directors. It is clear the author has made an intensive study of Ford's work, and even more clear that he admires it. This book largely doesn't try to judge Ford, just to explain him. For that, we owe Eyman a great degree of gratitude. Too many other authors have, confronted with the genius of Ford's direction, tried to discount it because of the cracks in his personal approach to life and actors, or possibly because of personal jealousy. You must judge Ford the director on his work, and his time, not on our opinions of what he could have done better in his personal life, or according to our "politically correct" views of what he should have done, and this book does an excellent job on judging Ford by the standards of his time, and his life. This is a masterful attempt at explaining Hollywood's master director.
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Summary: One of the best film bios - a "must"
Review: I'm not sure why Amazon let so many reviews of the subject - rather than the book itself - post. Listen, if you're a film buff (whether or not you're a John Ford buff), student or just appreciate a good biography this well crafted work is for you. Scott so thoroughly researched his subject, it's hard to believe Ford knew any more about himself than this book shows! The title is ironic i.e. Scott tells an event as the legend tells it, then retells it from as many points of view as were available to him. Of course, Ford was the worst legend-spreader of all (several friends used the word raconteur) but Scott digs beyond myth and legend to find the truth. But, he never claims "I decided John Wayne's (e.g.) version was the correct one." He realises that, like Rashomon, each story may have some portion of truth. Some reviewers panned the book because Ford wasn't Mother Theresa, well I doubt Van Gogh or Michelangelo were very easy men to deal with either!
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Summary: Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford
Review: I've read other books on this great Hollywood director, and while I can't comment on their relative accuracy, I can say that Eyman's book is the most readable I've found. He writes with a wonderfully fluid style, finds exactly the right balance between enough detail and too much, and mixes in some penetrating observations about the films and their style. He really captures that curious paradox of how artistic genius and personality disturbance can coexist within the same mind.
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Summary: Print the Legend: The Life and Times of John Ford
Review: I've read other books on this great Hollywood director, and while I can't comment on their relative accuracy, I can say that Eyman's book is the most readable I've found. He writes with a wonderfully fluid style, finds exactly the right balance between enough detail and too much, and mixes in some penetrating observations about the films and their style. He really captures that curious paradox of how artistic genius and personality disturbance can coexist within the same mind.
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Summary: Knew the man, read the book
Review: In my early 20s I found myself working with John Ford and John Wayne. I spent a lot of time with both men and others who were mentioned in Mr. Eyman's book. Even if I hadn't known Ford, I would have been riveted to this book as it reads like a novel. It also brought back vivid memories to me by describing some of Mr. Ford's traits. Although I wasn't present at the episodes he mentioned, they (his traits) were vividly and accurately portrayed. I was amazed at how extraordinarily well Mr. Eyman, who never met his subject, was able to capture the character of this complex man and gifted filmmaker. It triggered memories I'd completely forgotten about. I've recommended the book to people who aren't big film fans and they've found it to be a great read. I obviously can recommend this to anyone without further qualification. After reading it, you'll feel like you knew John Ford yourself.
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Summary: It Was Mostly A Question Of How Badly You Needed The Job---
Review: Since so many readers of Scott Eyman's wonderful Ford biography have seen fit to review the subject's character as opposed to his work,I will go on record thus---if I had been Robert Wagner during that humiliating pre-"Searchers" office interview,I would have told that damned old man he could go to hell and take his picture with him---but that is,perhaps,the essential difference between movie actors and the rest of us---and the Wagner incident(so beautifully described in Scott's book)goes a long way toward explaining how Ford got away with his abominable behavior.The actors needed the work.Harry Carey Jr. gave a vivid first-hand account of that in "A Company Of Heroes"(essential Ford reading,by the way).When Ford hollered,Harry jumped.It's a lot like the guy that manages the local Winn-Dixie---quaking with fear whenever the district supervisor comes through the door.The movie business was no different from any other corporate hell---then as much as now.The glamour of it's stars and "rebel" directors was pretty much a lie for the yaps in the audience.In the end,there wasn't even that great a distinction between Ford and all the actors he mistreated---they bore his abuse---he knuckled under to producers.Maybe that's why he treated underlings the way he did.It's great to be known as the master director---ripping pages out of scripts and chasing front-office big shots off the set(talk about printing the legend!)---but I suspect the truth is reflected more in the Zanuck memos Eyman excerpts---when Zanuck hollered,FORD jumped.Oh,and speaking of legends,consider how Ford's reputation might have survived without Zanuck---there's a lot of credit coming to Darryl that he'll probably never get.The legend is too strong---there's Ford in all those arresting production stills,chewing his handkerchief and baking under the hot sun of Monument Valley---then there's seedy Zanuck,recalled,if at all,by fuzzy wire photos,hanging from a makeshift trapeze during an otherwise sedate Hollywood gathering,or chasing Juliette Grecco around the continent while his aging wife sat home.Nobody wants to celebrate that kind of a life,and yet Zanuck was brilliant---what would "My Darling Clementine" be without him?John Ford may have publicly disdained his "artist" status and scoffed at would-be "serious" interviewers,but I suspect he thrived on the image,and would have been bereft without it(Scott tells about how Ford tried to manipulate various promotions and medals during his military service---that was illuminating).Don't get me wrong,though,I love John Ford---even when he's a sour old man biting the head off Peter Bogdanovich(after all,toadys like that always have it coming!)---and Scott Eyman is among the small handful of truly great writers on film---after you finish reading "Print The Legend",look up the rest of Scott's output---Ernst Lubitsch,Mary Pickford,"The Speed Of Sound"---then push that little button that says "Add To My Shopping Cart"---you'll learn more about picture history from this guy than any ten other writers,and you'll enjoy it more as well.
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Summary: " A genius between 'action' and 'cut' "
Review: This book is a brilliant recreation of the personality of a conflicted genius. Drunk, boor, loyal friend, egotist,poor father, generous benefactor, are all labels that could apply to John Ford. This biography verifies a lot of great stories and illuminates the secrets of the man. Any fan of film cannot afford to miss this work. Henry Fonda says Ford was " a son of a bitch...but a genius." You will agree.
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