Leading Men

by Louise Brody Julie Welch, Louise Brody

This is a collection of studio pictures - stills, portraits and staged "off-set" publicity photographs - which celebrate exotic matinee idols of the silent era such as Rudolph Valentino, through to today's international superstars, including Clint Eastwood and Harrison Ford. The complementary text encapsulates each star's special appeal and looks at how perceptions of the male hero have changed over the last 80 years.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film

Paperback

First published October 12, 1985

Reviews

[Kasey Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very pretty pics of handsome men. Nice little info about each.

making coffee.

[Aaron Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a challenging read, but not a dumb one, either. The main attraction is the collection of gorgeous photos of gorgeous men from Hollywood's silent era through "modern times" - i.e., 1985, the year of publication. A chronology like this lets you watch how America's masculine ideal types evolved - or didn't evolve, in some cases - over the decades. "Exotics" become mainstream, "outsiders" become insiders, "heroes" fade in and out of fashion, but never disappear. Guys who would have been cast as creeps in the 1940's become the sexy headliners in the 1970's. Conversely, the square-jawed All-American gets demoted to, if not the bad guy, at least suspect.

This is written from a fan's perspective, not a critic's - and that keeps things lively, grounded, and a little bit unpredictable. It prompted me to rethink some of my received knowledge about these performers, and it triggered a lot of newfound appreciation. You can bet I'll be revisiting a lot of old movies over the summer. Hello, Frederic March - you cheeky rascal! What were you up to before Superman, Terence Stamp? This is quality good-natured, nostalgic fun.

[Kathy Hale · Rating 2 out of 5]

coffee table book of Hollywood hunks