Vincente Minnelli: Hollywood's Dark Dreamer

by Emanuel Levy

Vincente Minnelli, Hollywood's Dark Dreamer is the first full-length biography of Vincente Minnelli, one of the most legendary and influential directors in the twentieth century, encompassing his life, his art, and his artistry. Minnelli started out as a set and costume designer in New York, where he first notably applied his aesthetic principles to the Broadway stage design of Scheherazade. He became the first director of New York's Radio City Music Hall, as well as some of the most lavish Broadway musicals, including Ziegfeld Follies, and brought Josephine Baker back from Paris to star in his shows. As a film director, he discovered Lena Horne in a Harlem nightclub and cast her in his first movie, the legendary musical Cabin in the Sky. The winner of the Director Oscar for Gigi, the first film to win in all nine of its Oscar nominations, Minnelli directed such classics as the Oscar-winning An American in Paris, Meet Me in St. Louis, Father of the Bride, The Bad and the Beautiful, and Some Came Running. He was married to Judy Garland, who he met on the set of Meet Me in St. Louis and directed in such landmark films as The Clock; their daughter is actress-singer Liza Minnelli.

Genres: Film, Biography, Nonfiction

464 pages, Hardcover

First published February 17, 2007

Reviews

[Ed · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book because I've actually seen a number of movies directed by Minnelli. So I figured at least I'd know what was being talked about. And I read the whole thing, cover to cover. Which makes it more exasperating to have to condemn the book's sloppy writing and editing--is it the author's fault or the editor's fault? I'll let them duke it out for egg on the face. I've washed my hands of the whole affair. But I can say with no word of lie that the book can lose 50 pages -- 50 pages or more! -- without losing any of the essential material. There's too much repetition in there!
Point: like the Bible, which sometimes offers two consecutive takes on the same story, with different details and shading (ie: Creation), this book (much more than once!) proceeds from what appears to be a "finished" section to a re-start of the same subject, with many identical details. Were they alternate drafts of the same section, but both were (mistakenly) retained. Figure it out.
Point: the author does too much grouping of things out of sequence for my taste. He jumps too much to maintain a narrative line. When you think we've moved ahead 5 years, and certain films are things of the past, we are suddenly discussing the preparations for one of those films as if it just leaped out of the mouth of LB Mayer. Whatever!
Point: Bizarre nonsense(two examples that stick out -- if I cared the list could be much longer):
1. The section about The Bad and the Beautiful ends with a multi-paragraph discussion of the issues regarding filming the movie in color. That's it. What is left out is the simple fact that the movie was filmed in BLACK AND WHITE. WTF?
2. A section focusing on the aging director's relationship with daughter Liza talks about being together on the night of her first Academy Award nomination. (She lost.) End of chapter. The next chapter begins with her already receiving her Oscar for Cabaret! Wouldn't it have been nice to know what her relationship with Daddy was like for the win as well as the loss?
Point: The material in the appendix could have been worked into the body of the work for a more comprehensive take on the works (movies) themselves. And certain details repeated separately, but ad nauseum, could be axed out and honed for maximum effect in one spot: ie, as Minnelli knew from Judy's mental condition. Okay, we get it, he dealt with complex psychological issues in his films and one of his wives was kooky. Stop repeating it all over the place.
It is sporadically illuminating, scattershot, piecemeal, skirting contradiction, exasperatingly incomplete. Read at your own risk. Although as the author reminds us more than once, his is the first attempt at a "real biography" of the director. Nice try.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vicente Minnelli led an interesting life, but anyone's life that Judy Garland came in and out and in and out of plus having Liza Minnelli as a daughter was bound to be interesting.

[Michael Anderson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very poorly written.

[Isidore · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book's flaws have pretty much been covered by other reviewers: it's not well-written, it does not appear to have been edited for style or structure, and its exploration of Minnelli, both as artist and human being, is superficial. Levy's analyses of individual films are often sketchy, and he does not always convincingly justify his preference for certain films over others. Strangely, despite his evident admiration for his subject, he also does not furnish a great deal of evidence that Minnelli had anything much to say, although the director's love of visual flamboyance and sumptuous production design are well described.

On the other hand, Levy does supply us with basic biographical facts (albeit with strange lacunae) and has carried out some useful interviews and archival research, so the book will serve for the time being.
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[Dkeslin · Rating 5 out of 5]

At last, a thorough biography on the man who was the greatest director of MGM musicals in its Golden Age. Fascinating description of his early youth and the influences which made him the artist of film. A sensitive, creative genius who gave us Meet Me In St Louis, An American in Paris, Gigi and many others. Explores the troubled relationship with Judy Garland, his first wife, and his second life as an active homosexual in the Hollywood community. Insite into the the studio system of MGM and the maipulation of the contract stars. A great read if Hollywood is you thing!!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting biography. After reading the book, I have mixed emotions about Minnelli's work. I acknowledge "Meet Me in St. Louis", "An American in Paris", "The Band Wagon", and "Gigi" as classics however I don't think the rest of his work measures up to these films and to my mind doesn't come close to the pantheon of great film directors of his era (Hitchcock, Wilder, Wyler, Stevens, etc.)

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

I couldn't finish this book. I tried very hard to read it and it just could not keep my attention. I have never not finished reading a book before, but this was just bad. The subject was great, but this could have been half as long and the author could have done a much better job of giving the reader a timeline to follow.

Just didn't work for me...

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book that somewhat disappointed. I hadn't really read any biographies of Minnelli and certainly the content and the man were interesting to read about, but the writing was poor.

[Amy Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love his work, and this bio reveals his early career in the theatre and his artistic influences.