Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating man of principle given an incomplete biography
Review: I suppose Buford's book is a great one -- because it has made me fascinated by an actor I'd not thought much about before reading this biography. But I am left with so many questions and curiosities. Usually a bio. answers more questions than it raises. For all the fascinating film minutia provided did researcher Buford feel more comfotable with files than with people? Why isn't there more dialogue from friends, family and colleagues? Why is the arc of his life chronicled as he stepped from one film role to another with only the barest of personal information hung on that arc? For a child and young man described as having a beautiful voice why wasn't it heard in the movies? What films did BL appreciate? Which ones did he dismiss? I wanted much more info! On the other hand this bio has sent me on a quest to see every one of his films, to buy other bios and to discover more about this elusive, introverted, flawed man of great personal loyalties and ethical principles. I guess I'll just have to look to Burt Lancaster himself to give me clues to my questions. Somehow I think I hear his booming laughter at the appropriateness of that.
Rating: 
Summary: Lancaster fans will enjoy this one!
Review: I would give this biography 3 1/2 stars if possible. I was fascinated by the life story of this charismatic, one-of-a-kind star. I can't give the book an A+ because I think the author went into too much detail sometimes on Lancaster's role as an independent film producer. Page after page of details of film financing, contracts with various studios, dollar amounts, and loan-out deals, etc. We need some of this to get the gist of Lancaster's abilities as a businessman and fore-runner of today's star/producers, but this was chapter after chapter of byzantine business deals. I got bored and skimmed parts of this stuff. I was more interested in the stories of his personal life and his creation of his marvelous film performances. I also got a little tired of the author's repeated teasing about his possible bisexuality. If all she can offer is that it's been rumored about in the past, and that he felt comfortable and nondiscriminatory towards gays, big deal! On the one hand, she repeatedly says he was not overly concerned with his appearance. On the other hand, she believes his tendency toward "narcissism" regarding his beauty could be a hint that he was gay or bisexual. Oh my, I think that's a little silly. Maybe he was just staying in good physical shape because he made his living as an actor. The point is to just leave it out if you're only repeating pure speculation. Other than those two objections, I really liked the book, and would recommend it to any fans of Burt Lancaster.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Guy, Great Book
Review: My friends and family are fighting over who gets to read this biography next. And each of us -- when we get it -- can't put it down. Buford writes such a compelling narrative, you are swept up in the 20th century tide of events Lancaster tried so hard to match in his movies. Yes, Lancaster is a mysterious character and there is never a definite answer to many of those mysteries. But that is the kind of person he was and Buford is right to leave it at that. IN any case, there is plenty of riveting and deeply moving stuff in here. A great American story, told at last, in a way Burt would probably have liked. Or at least respected. A great guy who lived life fully right to the very end.
Rating: 
Summary: Where's the beef?
Review: What a leaden uninspired waste of time! Ms. Buford, do us all a favor, don't write any more movie star bios. You have neither the talent nor the style for it. If I wanted a history of business deals and left-wing politics I would have read the Wall St. Journal and the ACLU's self-congratulatory press releases instead of this book. Over and over Buford offers little more than synopses of Lancaster's many films and then throws in some sensationalist but enragingly unexplored tidbit about his life, sexuality, relationships. I don't want film synopses from a biographer. Get it? I want the personal stuff. And I want it in depth. Both the good and the bad. For one thing, I want to know what he thought of his fellow actors and what they thought of him. Like why didn't he want to work with Lizabeth Scott again? Buford mentions this twice but offers no reason. There HAD to be a reason. But that's just one small instance of the many things wrong here. Actually, the entire book is an example of how NOT to write an interesting book about a public figure or anyone else. At the end of this monotonous exercise Burt Lancaster remains as unexplored as the dark side of the moon. So why bother?
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