Bette Davis

The Performances That Made Her Great

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by Peter McNally

Type

Studies

Subject

Actress > Bette Davis

Keywords

Bette Davis, actress, star, classics

Publishing date

2008

Publisher

McFarland & Co

Language

English

Relative size

Physical desc.

Paperback • 263 pages
6 x 9 inches (15.5 x 23 cm)

ISBN

978-0-7864-3499-2

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Book Presentation:
Bette Davis, whose career spanned almost 50 years and covered theatre, radio, TV and motion pictures, was at one time the first lady of the big screen. Working with such storied performers as Henry Fonda, Humphrey Bogart, and Joan Crawford, and directors Edmund Goulding, William Wyler and Robert Aldrich, Bette Davis provided some of the most memorable performances in movie history.

This volume contains detailed analyses of Bette Davis’ top twelve films spanning 1938 to 1987 and including The Letter, All About Eve, The Little Foxes, Jezebel, What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and The Whales of August. Each film is discussed in depth, with an examination of its script, direction, camerawork and performances, particularly as they relate to Davis’s work. A second group of films, memorable largely for Davis’s performance rather than the overall success of the work, are also examined. Special emphasis is placed on the way Davis viewed her own work as well as the detrimental effect her devotion to her career had on her personal life. Appendices contain a list of her marriages and children; her Oscar nominations; a discussion of Davis’s missed opportunities; and a partial chronology of her films.

About the Author:
Retired educator Peter McNally lives in Buffalo, New York.

Press Reviews:
"In light of the myriad books about Bette Davis that are out there, one might question the need for another look at the grande dame of the big screen and her body of work. But author Peter McNally would rightly disagree, having written an exhaustive and even original book about the legendary actress’s most memorable turns…a lively film biography and a necessary acquisition for diehard Davis fans"—The Gay & Lesbian Review.

See the publisher website: McFarland & Co

See the complete filmography of Bette Davis on the website: IMDB ...