Hearst Over Hollywood

Rating:
Summary: Overstuffed with insight and information
Review: Hearst Over Hollywood is a book that could appeal to a large cross-section of readers - historians, movie buffs, those with interests in journalism and media, etc. Louis Pizzatola has done an incredibly admirable job in compiling sources and data on William Randolph Hearst and presenting him in a new light - something very difficult to do after over 100 years of Hearst representations in the media and popular culture. That in itself makes it a worthwhile read.

While I hate to be the one to knock down this book's perfect customer rating to date, I feel that an honest review on my part would require that I also point out some of the book's flaws. Because it is so densely filled with information, many chapters bog down over sequences that perhaps could have been better conveyed if streamlined. I can appreciate the fact that it would be hard to determine exactly where to streamline, so I suppose that some readers who possess some knowledge on the subject going in will be able to pick out what interests them.

The book is about as objective as any work on Hearst could be and it is a pleasure to re-think Citizen Kane from the context of knowing more about its erstwhile main character. If you've never seen it or haven't in a while, I would recommend watching the film, reading the book, and then watching it again.

Pizzitola's thoroughness does serve him very well in exploring how Hearst built his media empire from the publishing industry through the nascent Hollywood studio system and balances nicely the clinical examinations with the gossipy show-business scandal aspects of the man's life.

Very well done.

Rating:
Summary: Prodigious research and packed with information!
Review: I have never read such a well researched and detailed examination of any topic. There are many Hearst books out there and many books about the innner workings of Hollywood but this book really does have it all.

Rating:
Summary: Surprising book
Review: I just finished this terrific book which I just happened upon (has it been reviewed anywhere?). As a journalist myself (not yellow)I always thought of Hearst as a publisher. This book completely surprised me in the way it builds the case for Hearst as the world's first media mogul. There are great details about Hearst's controlling role in Hollywood and puts Citizen Kane in an entirely new light. Great reading.

Rating:
Summary: Insanely great!
Review: The author describes himself as a visual artist and amateur film maker. I've got news for him: he's a first rate scholar too. I cannot remember the last time I've read a book on history that was so well presented and so amply documented. If you want to understand how the US came to become a "wag the dog" TV-ocracy and how CNN could morph into a televised version of the National Enquirer, check out this masterpiece. The source of our present day media sewer can all be traced back to Hearst's turn-of-the-century and-beyond media 'experiments.' This book belongs on the bookshelf - in a featured location - of anyone who is interested in 20th century American history. It's an absolutely stunning work of scholarship, packed with well documented detail, and completely approachable.