Joan Crawford: The Enduring Star

by Peter Cowie

Joan Crawford’s classic beauty, dazzling confidence, and sheer toughness made her the very definition of a star; her formidable talent won her an Oscar for Mildred Pierce and shines through in other classics such as Grand Hotel and The Women. Focusing on the often overlooked first half of her career, this is the first visual book to reclaim her place in the canon of glamour. Crawford pioneered a new depth that had not been seen before in roles for women. Her domineering charisma gave audiences a new kind of heroine, laying the path for today’s actresses from Meryl Streep to Cate Blanchett. Women—and many men—identified with her in ways they never had before. Drawing from archives around the world and including more than a hundred photos unseen in the past fifty years, Joan Crawford is sure to reintroduce fans to this ultimate Hollywood legend. "She was the perfect image of a movie star . . . You could photograph her from any angle, and the face moved beautifully."—George Cukor, director

Genres: Biography

240 pages, Hardcover

First published February 10, 2009

About the author

Peter Cowie is a film historian and author of more than thirty books on film. In 1963 he was the founder/publisher and general editor of the annual International Film Guide, a survey of worldwide film production.

Reviews

[Lee Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, the idea that any publisher in this day and age would make a $60 coffee table book about a 30-years dead actress who is best known today as a bad mother and gay camp icon is astounding. Then, you open the book and it's filled with gorgeous photographs, many of which I'd never seen before (me!). And the afterword is the complete text of George Cukor's obituary. Just the best, well done.

[David Cerda · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing pictorial biography focusing on the the first half of Crawford's career. Amazing because of the extraordinary photos that offer proof that Joan was one of the most striking (pun intended),and original Hollywood stars ever. The fact that she came from such a miserable household is even more testament to the human spirit. She willed herself to be a star.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, a former MGM "über"star gets the full coffee table book treatment - cover, layout, and photographs are simply superb. (Insert Judy Holliday BY .gif here) Mick LaSalle (San Francisco critic - writer of Complicated Women & Dangerous Men - 2 favorites of mine) wrote an Intro that really does her justice, while George Cukor's eulogy given at Joan Crawford's funeral at the end brackets her life nicely. Her entire life and career take up about 215 pages. What is great about this book is that Cowie does not stint on her 30s career - gives it about 115 pages in total and I really loved seeing many 30s lush photos never seen before. The textual information could have been better, but was not bad.

Gorgeous book to spend time with, for me a keeper. 4 1/2 *.

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book does not compare well to the other lavish, coffee table movie star book I just read, Lana: The Memories, The Myths, The Movies, which was spiffy in every way. In this book, the photos are dazzling, and Mick LaSalle's introduction and George Cukor's afterword (actually, a eulogy he delivered at Crawford's memorial service) are both terrific. Unfortunately, the rest of the text is clunky and not much fun to read. Joan deserves better.