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American Rebel: The Life of Clint Eastwood
by
Marc Eliot
As an actor, he seduces us with his tough-guy charm. As a director and producer, he amazes us with his artistry and technical savvy. As a Hollywood icon, Clint Eastwood, one of film's greatest living legends, represents some of the finest cinematic achievements in the history of American cinema.
In American Rebel, bestselling author and acclaimed film historian Marc Eliot ...more
In American Rebel, bestselling author and acclaimed film historian Marc Eliot ...more
Hardcover, 416 pages
Published
October 6th 2009
by Harmony
(first published September 29th 2009)
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This is a breezy, shallow biography with little in the way of insight or original research.
Discussion of Eastwood's films is virtually non-existent -- Eliot gives a small plot synopsis and a rundown of pre-production, followed by a summary of critical reviews that seems to be gleaned from Rotten Tomatoes. There's hardly any discussion of filming, unless you count rumors about which co-star Eastwood was boffing, and he doesn't seem to've interviewed Eastwood's co-stars, even though m...more
Discussion of Eastwood's films is virtually non-existent -- Eliot gives a small plot synopsis and a rundown of pre-production, followed by a summary of critical reviews that seems to be gleaned from Rotten Tomatoes. There's hardly any discussion of filming, unless you count rumors about which co-star Eastwood was boffing, and he doesn't seem to've interviewed Eastwood's co-stars, even though m...more
Reading this book, I realized I've seen most of the movies Clint Eastwood has starred in over the years. My father loved Dirty Harry and was exceptionally proud when he found out that the first handgun I purchased (many years ago) was a S&W Model 29. In case you are unfamiliar with Dirty Harry, he carries a S&W Model 29.
This new biography does a very good job of covering Eastwood's movie career and his private life. Untangling Eastwood from the characters he has played on the...more
This new biography does a very good job of covering Eastwood's movie career and his private life. Untangling Eastwood from the characters he has played on the...more
As a big Eastwood fan I was looking forward to reading this book.
The book is divided into three parts:
Part 1 - From Aimless to Actor - which follows Eastwood from birth until 1979
Part 2 - From Actor to Auteur - which takes place from 1979 to 1990
Part 3 - From Auteur to Oscar - which takes place from 1990 to 2009
The Good:
This book was a fascinating read and reminded me of Mr. Eastwood's body of work in-front and behind the camera. I knew that ...more
The book is divided into three parts:
Part 1 - From Aimless to Actor - which follows Eastwood from birth until 1979
Part 2 - From Actor to Auteur - which takes place from 1979 to 1990
Part 3 - From Auteur to Oscar - which takes place from 1990 to 2009
The Good:
This book was a fascinating read and reminded me of Mr. Eastwood's body of work in-front and behind the camera. I knew that ...more
Unbelievably fast read, and at the end I had to wonder what the point of it was. The author, as far as I could tell, didn't do any original research like interviews with co-stars and acquaintances. All the sources were previously published, so it had a slapdash magazine article feel to the whole thing. It's a stark contrast to Susan Compo's bio of Warren Oates which, despite its flaws, had a hefty chunk of new material and revelations (such as the first, forgotten, Mrs. Oates and many interviews...more
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Clint Eastwood has long been a favorite actor of mine, so when I heard about the new biography, I was anxious to read more about this amazing man. Boy did I learn a lot too! Despite the fact that Clint Eastwood was a womanizer, probably a lousy husband and a not very involved father, no one could say that the man did not have talent and that he worked hard to accomplish what he did in his 50 years on screen. Probably one of the most iconic stars in Hollywood, he starred in westerns, thrillers,...more
Maggieh
added it
This book is a fraud. Riddled with so many errors on simple easy-to-check details ---- like which actor played which part, what the main character's job is, who dies, the nominations/awards list is incomplete, although the book claims to be the "only complete" bio of its subject. But it also has 2 major errors: the well-known catchphrase "Do ya feel lucky? Well, do ya?" is given as "Do I feel lucky? Well, do ya? which makes no sense; also, text has Eastwood losing a best...more
I enjoyed Eliot's Cary Grant book as well as his book on Reagan's years in Hollywood, but I felt this book was a little superficial. It does tell the basic biography of Clint, where he was from, who he married, who was sleeping with, what movies he made; but it is very lacking in analysis and detail. And we learn very little about his filmmaking process other than he works quickly, does few takes, and brings the films in on time. Eastwood deserves a book on the order of Christopher Frayling's...more
Clint Eastwood comes across as so many of his film characters: cold, aloof, ruthless, egotistical, and a man of few words. I remember when his affair with Sandra Locke was made public I was so disgusted with her for breaking up his marriage. What a joke!! He was born a Tomcat and had bedded almost every woman he came across. When she sued him I really thought she was a money grubbing woman trying to use him to further her career. This book certainly proved me wrong! Eastwood has talent,...more
Everybody familiar with western culture, whether they live in it or not, knows Clint Eastwood. As a result, it would be difficult for a biographer to provide any surprises, and Marc Eliot does not. What he does provide is a clear, entertaining, well-written portrait of one of the icons of modern Hollywood. From the early beginnings of Eastwood's career as the cattle driver Rowdy Yates on television's Rawhide, through his days in the spaghetti westerns that opened the cinematic doors in Hollywood...more
A very sexist book if you ask me, but good reading if you must understand Hollywood. Definitely a man's book, but good research for this female mind as it chronicles the journey of an actor who got by in Hollywood by essentially playing himself and learned what Hollywood wanted from him the hard way. I like Clint Eastwood now I must say because I like him better as a director than an actor (plus I don't like westerns). He really does get better with age...
This continues the author's "revisionist study" of the American motion picture industry and examines the life of one of its most iconic members. Because he happened to be able to swim, he was assigned as a life guard at Ft. Ord, Calif., rather than being sent to fight in Korea. There he met up with other soon-to-be actors -- David Janssen, Martin Milner, John Saxon -- and despite having no great desire to be an actor, became the most successful and influential of them all.
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i read the nearly 700 page clint eastwood - american rebel - biography. i have been a fan of his for a very long time. i have never read a biography of anyone before because i just am not a big fan of history - no matter whose life story it is. but i made an exception for clint because i just love him so. i knew a lot about his life, and now i know way too much. some things were a hard pill to swallow, the biggest being that he was quite the womanizer, has 7 kids by 5 women (and has only be...more
A decent biography about Clint Eastwood,one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful actors,producers,and directors in the history of American motion pictures.I grew up watching his movies,from the Man With No Name" trilogy,to his latest.A man that kept alive the western genre all by himself for more than 20 years,winner of four Oscars,and multiples awards. In 1954,at age 24,Eastwood was married and working at an Oakland,CA,gas station when he was brought to Universal by...more
Seven children with five different women...that alone makes for good reading. Eliot, the biographer, loves details of deals, plots, etc. Some of the chat about the movie biz was boring to me but it was interesting to see what movies got made and when the got made. Clint appears to be a lot like some of his characters...man of few words, decisive, and a devil with the ladies.
This is one of the more enjoyable biographies that I have read. I love Clint, and I loved reading about his early life and career (which I wasn't alive to enjoy) as well as his later works and life. Marc Eliot has put together a very well done biography that I recommend to anyone who has ever mentioned enjoying a Western!
I so admire Clint Eastwood's growth and talent as a director that I wanted to learn all about him. I'm almost sorry i read the book because I learned things that I prefer not to know about his private life. The writing was not terrific, but neither was it distracting.
This was an interesting book. AI t would have been better if the writer did not have such a tendancy to get pissy (about Eastwoods movies, who he slept with ect). Eastwood is an interesting person, but when you are none to bright and try to write about him your BS shows. Read Schankels (sp) book
This book portrays Clint Eastwood as very egotistical and self-centered yet talented enough to have the public wanting to see him more. Don't know that I would recommend this to anyone. It was very hard to get through all of the pages. I skimmed a lot!
An unauthorized biography, but neither "tell-all" nor adulatory. Eliot takes an even-handed look at one of Hollywood's icons, in a very reader-friendly style.
I liked most of Eastwood's films and I liked this insider's glimpse of the man.
I liked most of Eastwood's films and I liked this insider's glimpse of the man.
I've loved the last 3 or 4 movies that Clint Eastwood has given us. The man's personal life leaves me a bit cold, however, which may temper some of my admiration for him.
I am a big fan of Clint Eastwood for many years. Grew up loving his western movies and Dirty Harry movies. Later in my late teens while serving in the US Army, I discovered that the Dirty Harry character was novelized into a series. I had managed to read all that where published. Later I actually met Mr. Eastwood while working for Pebble Beach Company, he is co-owner of Pebble Beach resort/golf courses. Mr. Eastwood is a regular visitor and I would hand his week Pine Cone Newspaper for Carme...more
Ugly. I guess the most delicate way I could put it is that this is an unremarkable, overrated book about an uninspiring life.
Initially I thought that a biography of a living figure done without his cooperation would be different or interesting but lack meat. This is not the case. It's a very even-handed and compelling book about the man. It's not hagiography, it's not judgmental. It just tells it like it is. Now I don't think a book this good could have been written with the collaboration of the subject. Eastwood is more than a rebel, he's his own man.
Surface coverage of Eastwood's life and films. No indepth interviews, just magazine quotes and film critic reviews.
As a huge Clint Eastwood fan since the spaghetti westerns - I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
OK book. I like Clint as an actor, but was less impressed with his personality.
Very good biography of an actor/director with a lot more 'depth' than you might think.
Eastwood has led quite a life. This is an interesting read for any fan of his work.
The most B.A. actor/director in the movies. Such an incredible career.
Really good insight to the man, however, more biased than I would like in a biography.
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