Exploring the Life and Legacy of Burt Lancaster: An American Icon

Con H.: Lancaster was a more complicated personality than expected.

Canada on Jun 27, 2023

A.R.: Kate Buford's encyclopedic knowledge of the way Hollywood works makes it possible for her to deliver
the goods on Burt Lancaster -- and a marvelous revelation it is!

United States on Jan 27, 2023

Tera Lu: Well - written about a complex personality who dominated the screen throughout his long career . Have recently really started to appreciate Burt Lancaster's many talents. this book does not disappoint. Plus - the copy I received was in excellent condition. Very happy with book purchase.

United States on Aug 30, 2022

Mr. R. D. M. Kirby: I've been a fan of Burt Lancaster's ever since seeing him, as a wee nipper, in `The Crimson Pirate' at the local fleapit. I admired him because apart from being a fine actor, like Kirk Douglas and several others of that era, he was never afraid to appear in films that many considered non-box office and controversial.

Does Kate Burford's biography do him justice? It's certainly a `warts `n' all' story which paints a picture of a driven but not very pleasant man and from what I've heard about him, this appears to be an accurate portrait. It's also clear that Ms. Burford has devoted a great deal of time to meticulously researching her subject - no doubt about that.

Is it a well-written book? Well, no, I don't think so. There is an excess of verbiage. Often the sentences are far too long and characters' names and their contributions are inserted randomly, to make the reader think, `Who the hell is she talking about?' Ms. Burford knows, of course but she seems so wrapped up in her prose that it appears to matter little to her if the reader is struggling with it; and that doesn't sell books.

Three out of five for effort - but a more sensible approach for the reader...

United Kingdom on Dec 28, 2014

history fan: if your a big fan of lancaster then this will be a good read assuming you haven't covered the story once already. written in a informative, show business friendly kind of way, apart from his early life and a few asides about family and other outside work commitments, this book is all about the films and work of Mr. Lancaster. It's long but an easy read for a fan like me, I enjoyed it, could fly through the boring bits and extract what nuggets of information that any research might have thrown up. Only knowing Lancaster's film work this was interesting stuff for me, though its fairly frothy really as a read but that doesn't harm the product. Loses one star for lack of intellectual engagement, but good on humour, tidbits, brio and of course the movies, However I feel there is a better book to be done on this subject if its not already too late with many of the main players lost to us but for their marvellous work in the movies which after all is what counts doesn't it? if not this book is maybe not for you.

United States on Mar 19, 2014

Kujifanya Jina: In recent years Hollywood has come under re-examination by writers who look behind the public relations spin and detail the truth of those who rose to great fame at film heroes. Just like Scott Allen Nollen's "Three Bad Men: John Ford, John Wayne, Ward Bond," Richard Douglas Jensen's "When The Legend Became Fact - The True Life of John Wayne," Scott Bowers' "Full Service" and Henry Bushkin's "Johnny Carson," this book delves deeply into the psyche of its protagonist and finds great pathos and insight. Burt Lancaster was a beautiful golem, the author posits, as complex emotionally and mentally as any actor of his period, but also possessed of striking physical attributes and beauty. A kid from the streets of New York, Lancaster ran away to the circus and found fame, movie stardom, and a world of opera, politics, film and music that turned him into a brooding, complex artiste. Buford soft-pedals Lancaster's bisexuality, focusing on his chaotic personal life and his devotion to his work, and to civil rights. Lancaster's brave opposition to the blacklist of Hollywood in the 1950s, and the terror campaign of Sen. Joe McCarthy, is covered in great detail. A truly superb film biography,...

United States on Jan 06, 2014

Patricia: Personally I enjoyed this book very much, having loved Burt Lancaster since seeing the Crimson Pirate when I was around 10 yrs old.
It must have been difficult to write because he was such a private man and as a result there is a wealth of information re; his films and business activities but scant knowledge of his personal life. You have to piece together glimpses of his true personality from the snippets of facts that are divulged here and there. Like raindrops on a desert they are absorbed and overshadowed by the bigger picture of Hollywood and the immense power and influence he acheived (and lost) in his long and remarkable career.
Some stones are upturned and a few nasties revealed as a result but on the whole this book is more informative than scandal seeking, it is written with compassion and intelligence and to the end it remains respectful of this complex and facinating man.

United Kingdom on Dec 22, 2013

CFive: Perhaps I should mention that I don't normally read film actors (auto)biographies but being a slight fan of Mr Lancasters' work and being intrigued by the blurb on the cover I thought I'd give this book a try.

Starts with Burt's birth and gives a little bit about his family's background and then works it's way through till his death in 1994.

I found the early part of the book was like seeing Burt through a dark glass, he was mentioned obviously, as were some of his friends and there is also a little of what he got up to but I felt the author was much more interested in the films he would go on to make and how, in some cases, they reflected his early life and background. I didn't feel that the author had got under the skin of her characters early life at all.

The later stages of the book were much better, I felt that the Burt of the later years, rather than Burt Lancaster film star, was much more accessible, his interests outside of films and film people are covered very well, music for example.

Overall through this is the biography of Burt Lancaster, film star, and the people he came into contact with in that world, the `important' (why actor's and...

United Kingdom on Jun 11, 2012

Roman Nies: One of these bigger than life Hollywood actors. The author did not succeed in convincing me what she meant with that expression. Is she not comparing him with other fellow New Yorker city kids like Cagney and Bogart who took nothing for granted which gave them a personal integrity. "Burt was a gentle person, maybe because he knew he could kill someone," said Ernest Lehman.
He had a body much admired, he started as a circus trapez artist, in the movies he made all the stunts himself. All what he did showed his great professionalism and ambitiousness. He retained some kind of a sense of wonder at the process of making movies.He anted to change hearts and minds, but rarely did according to his critics.But he did not play for them, rather for the unknown masses for whom he always felt a responsibility. All his life he was angered and baffled that the publicity and hype accrued around the person and personality of the performer and not the work. He said: "Movies shouldn`t just entertain, they should be the voice of society". But Lancaster`s rages and mood swings suggest some kind of conflict or confusion about sexual identity. There was the good father as well as philandering. He...

Germany on Jun 10, 2011

fleur de lys: Burt Lancaster's charisma and physical agility was almost toopowerful to be be confined within the boundary of a movie screen. Hewas a bona fide movie star on day one of his first film appearance and later had the smarts to capitalize on this nascent power to start his own independent production company. It appears that Lancaster was sincere in his mission to develop serious projects though his partners Hecht and later Hill were more interested in the high and wide lifestyle enjoyed by Hollywood power brokers.Not that Lancaster was a party pooper. A lot of wild living surrounds the Lancaster entourage with not much of it contributing to the happiness of Lancaster's besieged wife Norma and their brood of five children. But Lanacster had a mind-blowing reserve of energy and an enviable self-discipline that enabled him to keep living on the fast track while generating some noteworthy films and tantalizing performances. The author takes a revisionist look at macho Burt's sexuality, ("women chased him with mattresses on their backs...), and the possibility of his bisexuality. The general consensus on this issue seems to be a resounding MAYBE. And this book still leaves much about...

United States on Jun 29, 2000