Dangerous Men: Pre-Code Hollywood and the Birth of the Modern Man

Rating:
Summary: NOT JUST BRILLIANT, BUT FUN
Review: I enjoy reading, but even I'd say it's rare to find a book so enjoyable that I count the pages left and wish there were more not less to read. This is a wonderful book, so intelligent and yet so witty and fun, and it opened up my eyes to a lot of great movies and, more importantly, perhaps, to a great era that no one seems to know about, in which heroes could be truly heroic and not pawns of the system. In our age of automatons, these are the models of real heroism we should be looking towards.
In the pre-Code era heroes didn't uphold the rules, they broke them -- all kinds of rules. It was an amazing time. I'd recommend this book to any male who wants to become a man and any woman who appreciates reading about men at their best. And what a picture on the cover.

Rating:
Summary: NOT JUST BRILLIANT, BUT FUN
Review: I enjoy reading, but even I'd say it's rare to find a book so enjoyable that I count the pages left and wish there were more not less to read. This is a wonderful book, so intelligent and yet so witty and fun, and it opened up my eyes to a lot of great movies and, more importantly, perhaps, to a great era that no one seems to know about, in which heroes could be truly heroic and not pawns of the system. In our age of automatons, these are the models of real heroism we should be looking towards.
In the pre-Code era heroes didn't uphold the rules, they broke them -- all kinds of rules. It was an amazing time. I'd recommend this book to any male who wants to become a man and any woman who appreciates reading about men at their best. And what a picture on the cover.

Rating:
Summary: AN ESSENTIAL BOOK
Review: I find myself in some awe at the achievement that is this book and the richness of its subject. Its subject is, specifically, men who made films during a period of relaxed censorship in America. On one level, the book is enormously useful just as a critical guide -- the end of the book has an extensive appendix that tells where most of the movies can be seen, and the book itself goes far to point out just which films must be seen.
But to see "Dangerous Men'' as having utility only as a work of criticism at its most basic -- giving good advice for future viewing pleasure -- is to miss what I believe to be the larger picture. This is an enormously important and very serious (though never, ever somber) book about men in America, about their journey in the 20th century. It's actually a rather profound book about sex roles and self-image, the mores of business, emerging ethics, the American idea of crime and punishment, war and its consequences and what really constitutes heroism. It's even, in a way, about how people's behaviors adapt to economic exigencies.
It's a brilliant work, every bit the equal of the author's "Complicated Women,'' and yet it's also a work of charm and wit that never flags or fails. It's never work to get through. It's always a pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: AN ESSENTIAL BOOK
Review: I find myself in some awe at the achievement that is this book and the richness of its subject. Its subject is, specifically, men who made films during a period of relaxed censorship in America. On one level, the book is enormously useful just as a critical guide -- the end of the book has an extensive appendix that tells where most of the movies can be seen, and the book itself goes far to point out just which films must be seen.
But to see "Dangerous Men'' as having utility only as a work of criticism at its most basic -- giving good advice for future viewing pleasure -- is to miss what I believe to be the larger picture. This is an enormously important and very serious (though never, ever somber) book about men in America, about their journey in the 20th century. It's actually a rather profound book about sex roles and self-image, the mores of business, emerging ethics, the American idea of crime and punishment, war and its consequences and what really constitutes heroism. It's even, in a way, about how people's behaviors adapt to economic exigencies.
It's a brilliant work, every bit the equal of the author's "Complicated Women,'' and yet it's also a work of charm and wit that never flags or fails. It's never work to get through. It's always a pleasure.

Rating:
Summary: Mick LaSalle, an Interesting Man
Review: I found this book to be even more enjoyable then Mick LaSalle's companion book, Complicated Women. I was positively giggling many times while reading Dangerous Men. Mick LaSalle is a witty writer to say the least. This book is most unlike any other book that I've ever read on film!
3 cheers for Mick LaSalle and I look forward to reading his next book!

Rating:
Summary: Favorite Book of the Year?
Review: I guess it's too early to have a favorite book of the year, but I can say with certainty that, had I completed it in 2002, Dangerous Men would qualify as one of my top two or three -- and probably the best non-fiction book I've read: So smart, so authoritative and, as some other readers have pointed out, so funny -- funny, even as you're learning something fascinating on every page.
It is hardly the usual sort of film book. Rather it's a brilliant investigation into the nature of manhood in the twentieth century, using these films as markers along the way. At the same time, it is a movie book in the sense that you come away dying to see the movies. I'm going to be using the list that the book provides to help make my video choices in the coming months.
What a wonderful Christmas gift. I already ordered Complicated Women, because now I can't get enough of the subject. You'll probably feel the same way, too. By all means, this is a book to get.

Rating:
Summary: JUST AS GOOD -- MAYBE EVEN BETTER -- THAN COMPLICATED WOMEN
Review: I may be the first to read this book, for the simple reason that I adored Complicated Women, also by Mick LaSalle, which was also about the era before the stranglehold of censorship changed movies and American culture forever. The previous book concentrated on the women, and it's a fascinating study of a brief pocket of time, in which it really looked as though women were achieving equality with men. The book discussed the films women made (and the women who made them), focussing on the issues of sex and empowerment that the movies' themselves dealt with.
The new book concentrates on the men, which means it concentrates on movies about politics, business, lots of crime, and also sex. The new book is funnier, longer and in some ways even richer. The book only confirms the thesis, explored in the other book, that this pre-Code era that LaSalle writes about truly was a pivotal time in the artistic and cultural history of the country. The book will serve as a guide to many people looking to explore this rich period in film history (most of the movies can be found on video or on TV.) Actually, to buy this book is to invite an addiction, but a good one, which will enrich your life.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent and accessible book about the "pre-code" men
Review: If you enjoyed LaSalle's wonderful book "Complicated Women" about the female stars of "pre-code" Hollywood, then you will also enjoy this excellent companion piece, which is fascinating, fun, and best of all, very accesible and enjoyable to read. I particularly enjoyed the chapter about men and war. This is a great book that is a must for anyone who is interested in American cinema.

Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER GREAT BOOK
Review: It's a toss-up as to which of Mick LaSalle's great pre-Code books (his previous is COMPLICATED WOMEN) is superior. COMPLICATED WOMEN is a work of advocacy, in a sense -- he wants to rescue the women of pre-Code from obscurity and critical neglect, and he does so ably. This book is more cool-headed amd critical. It's also funnier. It feels more grounded in the real politics and culture of the early 1930s. The research goes deeper. The book is longer. I think they're both essential reading, demonstrating a passion for film and an understanding of history that's impressive, rare and indispensable.

Rating:
Summary: ANOTHER GREAT BOOK
Review: It's a toss-up as to which of Mick LaSalle's great pre-Code books (his previous is COMPLICATED WOMEN) is superior. COMPLICATED WOMEN is a work of advocacy, in a sense -- he wants to rescue the women of pre-Code from obscurity and critical neglect, and he does so ably. This book is more cool-headed amd critical. It's also funnier. It feels more grounded in the real politics and culture of the early 1930s. The research goes deeper. The book is longer. I think they're both essential reading, demonstrating a passion for film and an understanding of history that's impressive, rare and indispensable.