Garbo

Rating:
Summary: This is it!
Review: On the cover: Garbo in MATA HARI, magnetism in her cat's eyes. A fat volume - but not heavy-handed. Infotainment on paper. 4 years of preparation on both sides of the Atlantic. Hundreds of persons interviewed. 200 000 pages of documents sorted over. A success all along the line. This must be the definite from-cradle-to-grave biography of Greta Garbo. Some glimpses: Garbo's shyness during her early Hollywood years may have been simple embarrassment because she was ashamed of her past as "soap girl" in a barber's shop. Her affair with Gilbert: True love or did she use him to advance her career? Lots of delightful gossip about her films and her partners. Intimate details from her affairs, thorough psychological analysis and then - the sudden end of her career. It was not planned. Garbo made a screen test for Balzac's "The duchess of Langeais", but the project was frustrated when the italian producers backed out. Was it really a great loss for the film industry that she never played George Sand opposite Liberace as Chopin?

The most interesting part of Garbo's life - at least the most fun to read about - came after her career. By all accounts the last 50 years of her life were b-o-r-i-n-g but the way Barry Paris describes them is not. Cecil Beaton, who wanted to marry her said that no one would spend more than 10 minutes with her if she weren't Garbo - but then she was GARBO and everyone around her got an enormous kick out of being with her - even when her main interests were theosophy and health food and her main occupation during her last 30 years consisted in walking the streets of New York in search of comfortable shoes. For some years a Mr. Green was one of her best friends, the one who walked with her. They often spoke over the telephone. He told her, of course, that he recorded their conversations, and she gave her consent. Of course. This is why Barry Paris can cite from a hundred of hours of Garbo's private conversations which sound at times like an absurd play by Samuel Beckett. After finishing this book I really had the feeling of knowing Garbo - but I doubt that Garbo herself would have liked the idea...

Rating:
Summary: Meticulous Job
Review: One of the problems with celebrity biography is that biographers often claim too much, offering as fact things that are actually speculation or hearsay. Barry Paris avoids this trap very well, indicating clearly which of his conclusions are speculative and which can be documented. We see the value of this approach in his chapter on Garbo's sexuality: unlike some other Garbo biographers, Paris wisely refuses to rely on circumstantial evidence. Yes, I'm disappointed that the information is not more definitive, but then again, who would expect the record of Garbo's life to be any less ambiguous than the woman herself? (And, as Garbo would no doubt point out, her sex life is none of our business anyway.)

If Paris is careful to separate fact from gossip in biographical details, he is less cautious when indulging in psychological conjecture. For instance, his explanation of Garbo's attraction to women (or her "sexual pathology," as he seems to term it) is superficial and amateurish, if not actually offensive (p. 249).

This flaw exists elsewhere, too; in general, the biography is weakest in its psychological and cultural analyses. Despite some interesting insights, Paris is obviously no psychologist, nor is he much of a cultural theorist. But I found it easy to skim these sections and instead concentrate on the specifics of Garbo's life and words, material that Paris presents thoroughly, meticulously, and (as far as I can tell) honestly. He's respectful of his subject without being obsequious or gushy.

Structurally, Paris can be repetitive. Stylistically, he tends to overuse his exclamation points! In a piece of serious writing, this quirk is distracting!

But all in all, "Garbo" is a solid, informative biography.

Rating:
Summary: Garbo Unveiled!
Review: This biography about Garbo is simply one of the best biographies I have ever read. Besides extensively researching Garbo's life, Paris is extremely knowledgeable about film history, particularly silent film history.

His writing puts her life & work in context with what was happening in Hollywood & on film at the time. His book is the perfect combination of film history & gossip. I do not like reading entertainment biographies that focus only on the private life of the person. I am also interested in hearing about their work & what they and others thought of their work. Paris writes all this and more.

The book also discussed Garbo's life after her exit from film. The book is filled with photographs, many of which I had never seen before.

An all around great reading experience!

Rating:
Summary: Enjoyed it immensely!
Review: This is a wonderful biography!

It has such a 'clean' and rational feel about it, and it is chock-full of information regarding Greta Garbo's daily life and habits as well as going into great ( and interesting) detail about her career and working life.

I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommend this book!

I am a huge fan of the authors Louise Brooks book and had high expectations - and I was not letdown at all!

I look forward to future offerings by Mr. Parris!