Art of the Great Hollywood Por

by John Kobal

Book Overview

Must have for connoisseur's of B & W portrait photography and fans of Hollywood history. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 051764102X
• ISBN13: 9780517641026
• Release Date: October 1987
• Publisher: Random House Value Publishing
• Length: 291 Pages
• Weight: 3.55 lbs.

Customer Reviews

All the stars in heaven

John Kobal's The Art of the Great Hollywood Portrait Photographers is as good as his book on Hollywood with Kevin Brownlow, which is one of the essential books to read (and one of the essential TV series to watch) for anyone interested in movies. Kobal gives an illuminating account of the function of the movies during the Depression, contrasted with eg Walker Evan's photography, and explains 'glamour', tying movie stars in with the Venus from Milos and the Mona Lisa quite convincingly. Well thought, well written. Chapters follow on the organisation of the studios, how publicity was done as it has rarely been done before or since. And some beautiful images - Garbo by Ruth Harriet Louise, Clara Bow by Nicholas Murray and Eugene Richie stand out, but there are many. The images are exceptional, taken by some of the greatest artists of the camera and the volume layout does the images justice. All complemented with reminiscences from the stars and photographers themselves. The very best history, anecdotal, with many perspectives and implications explored, and written with love. This book has touched a deep chord sensitive to vanished beauty. The stars are now just names, some of them not even that. And of course they were not the same as their carefully crafted images displayed in this book. These evoke not only the stars themselves but the fact that they brought hope to many who perhaps would have found it otherwise hard to deal with the Depression - all those hopes, fears, ambitions, petty, grand and mean, silly and endearing. Only the images of beauty remain!

see my review under listing of ART OF GRT HWD PORTRT

see my review under listing of ART OF GRT HWD PORTRTother edition.

The Art of the Great Hollywood Portrait Photographers

Publisher: Knopf; (October 12, 1980)First edition copy. This book is oversized and OUTSTANDING!291 pages of glamour. 1925 - 1940 is the tops in Hollywood glamour. Though the 40s weren't bad either. These are some magnificent photoplates. Superbly printed in this volume. Even the pickiest at quality (like me) will be happy. Amazing images not shown in ohter books. The Kobal colection is vast and bar none the best. This is a wonderful selection from him, that he put together in this book.See more of my reviews for more must have full page or near full page portrait glamour books from this Golden era.BUY THIS BOOK, then thank me later.