Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies

by Kendra Bean, Anthony Uzarowski

Renowned for her screen performances, down-to-earth personality, and love affair with Frank Sinatra, Ava Gardner left an indelible mark on Hollywood history. Her adventurous life story is told through authoritative text and hundreds of photos in A Life in Movies.Ava is an illustrated tribute to a legendary life. Authors Kendra Bean and Anthony Uzarowski take a closer look at the Academy Award-nominated actress's life and famous screen roles. They also shed new light on the creation and maintenance of her glamorous image, her marriages, and friendships with famous figures such as Ernest Hemingway, John Huston, and Tennessee Williams. From the backwoods of Grabtown, North Carolina to the bullfighting rings of Spain, from the MGM backlot to the Rome of La Dolce Vita, this lavishly illustrated biography takes readers on the exciting journey of a life lived to the fullest and through four decades of film history with an iconic star.

Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Film

264 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 1, 2017

About the author

Author and historian.

Kendra has MAs in Film Studies and Museum Studies. Her writing on Vivien Leigh and cinema has been published by Manchester University Press, the BFI, i-5, Bright Lights Film Journal, the National Portrait Gallery, Cohen Films and others. She has participated in the production of numerous festivals, exhibits, and documentaries relating to classic film. She is also the owner and editor of vivandlarry , an online historical archive and blog dedicated to Vivien Leigh, Laurence Olivier, and classic cinema.

Kendra is represented by the Laura Morris Literary Agency and resides in England.

Honours for Vivien Leigh: An Intimate Portrait

+ Turner Classic Movies - Book Corner Selection for October 2013
+ Publishers Weekly - Top 10 Arts and Entertainment books of Fall 2013

Reviews

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a five star book about my favourite actress for several reasons. It is impossible to ignore the selection and quality of the photographs, many new to biographies and myself. There is a good mix of film stills, glamour shots, behind-the-scenes photos and others from various personal collections. Not only is the number of photos more than any other biography I have seen , but they are printed and set out well -and it is this attention to detail that helps put this book at the top of my pictorial biographies list. There is a good selection of colour photos too, again something which you do not often see.

You might think that with all of my emphasis on the illustrations that it might fall down in the text, but, although it is not as in depth as, say, Lee Server's biography, certainly as far as Ava's working life is concerned it is well considered and detailed. It is not simply a list of films (although a comprehensive list would have made a useful appendix), but has well thought out analysis, and does not rely too much upon contemporary reviews (which now seem strangely lifeless, whether positive or negative, when quoted). There is less in the way of information on her personal life, although everything is covered to a certain degree, and references are given to additional interviews, so there are some new stories here.

Overall it is a beautiful and well-researched biography, and presents a welcome addition to my collection of Ava Gardner books.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Functioning as both coffee table book and detailed biography, Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies knowingly embraces these contradictions and chooses to move along at a fast, luxurious clip. The pace matches the mercurial, hectic and audacious life of one of the last of Hollywood’s true movie stars, a magnetic screen presence as earthy as the North Carolina soil from which she came. Eminently readable and meticulously researched, the book includes a multitude of photographs, behind the scene candid shots, movie stills and promotional images, beautifully interspersed to illustrate pivotal points in this actor’s life. Yet these are still secondary to the text, which treats its subject to a respectful yet honest look at her life and career. As such it lends itself to being a gorgeous reference book, not only a picturesque gallery for each of her films but a source for understanding the heartaches and frustrations that Gardner faced in filming, in loving and in living.

My full review: https://dreaminginthebalcony.wordpres...

[Isabelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Miss Gardner is gone, but she got her wish. She had champagne and a cigarette.”

Ava Gardner is arguably one of the most underrated actresses of Old Hollywood in my opinion. Feisty, intelligent, talented as hell, she was so much more interesting and complicated than her glamorous, sexy image and this book does do a lot of justice to present her as such, with some fantastic images in the process. However, what I would say is that it is not the most in-depth of biographies in my opinion (and I don’t believe it is supposed to be as it is more of a coffee table book) and there wasn’t that much new information I hadn’t read from other biographies from what I could perceive, but nevertheless I do appreciate a lot how this has brought Ava Gardner back into the spotlight where she deserves to be, as well as it is a damn good biography to get others into her and her work.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ava Gardner: the name conjures timeless elegance. She was a North Carolina sharecropper’s daughter whose beauty gave her the regal bearing of a goddess. Beyond the glamorous aura, she is most often recalled for her stormy personal life, and especially her marriage to Frank Sinatra. But this is only a partial vision of one of the greatest female stars of the 1940s and 50s. Even the most devout cinephiles often overlook her unique contribution to post-war American cinema. 'Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies', the latest in a long line of lavishly illustrated books on classic film from Running Press, weaves together these diverse threads. Filled with glamorous portraits, film stills and candid snapshots in sepia and colour, this book offers a thoughtful, detailed overview of her adventurous life.

[Terence Towles-Canote · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent biography of the legendary movie star Ava Gardner. What makes Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies so special is that while most bios on Ava focus primarily on her tumultuous personal life, it focuses a great deal on her career. It is a must for any Ava Gardner fan.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5
Having read Strangers in the Night, this book came up as a "you might like" and in fact I did! I love old Hollywood and I especially love stories of small town girls who rise to fame. Bean weaves a good story for the reader.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book with lots of high-quality pictures of Ava throughout her career. I originally thought it was just going to be a photo book, but the authors actually did quite a nice job of covering her life and career as well. I had some time ago read 'Ava Gardner the Secret Conversations' by Peter Evans and Ava Gardner which was one of the most fascinating biographies I have ever read. So upon seeing this book at a really good price I decided to pick it up. I am so glad I did; it really does her justice.

[Edward Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice Coffee Table Style book with a solid litany of Ava Gardners movies, marriages and love affairs supported by a myriad of movie, publicity and paparazzi photos providing some depth to her career and rise as a studio star.

[henry b. madretzke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

Follows Ava through her many movies and through her many loves. The book is a great compendium of the Hollywood movie business.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like that this really just covered her career, but I feel like the author zoomed through some periods in her life and glossed over others.

[Jenee · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Biggus · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit lightweight. I think I learned more about her by reading Frank's excellent bio.

[Michael T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stunningly presented book packed with rare anecdotes, captivating imagery and insight to one of the most gorgeous woman to grace the silver screen, Ava L. Gardner!

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written, well-researched and fair account of Gardner's life.

[Ally Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting to learn more about Ava Gardner and her life. The author did a great job of writing her story and it was easy to understand and follow along.

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

boring

[Rose Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful book with gorgeous pictures!

[Hannah Samuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is hard to do justice to one of the most iconic women in history, but Kendra Bean and Anthony Uzarowski's "Ava Gardner: A Life in Movies," is one of the most visually and aesthetically pleasing biographies I have ever read. Regardless of it's coffee table appeal, the biography is true to who Miss Ava Gardner truly was: not just another movie star.
The bio is full with rare photos and accurate text that keeps one interested until the end.
I give this biography a 5/5 for numerous reasons and it is an all-around beautiful book.