New Minnelli bio & author appearance

[Shilly]

Posted: 2/19/10 at 8:47pm

An FYI for film and theater fans -

On March 3 MoMA will be screening Vincente Minnelli's film adaptation of Flaubert's MADAME BOVARY starring Jennifer Jones, James Mason and Van Heflin with Louis Jordan and, for the older and trivia minded, an appearance by Ellen Corby (aka Grandma Walton).

Mark Griffin, author of the forthcoming biography A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli will be signing books starting at 5:00 pm then introducing the 6:00 pm screening.

Madame Bovary & Mark Griffin @ MoMA Updated On: 2/19/10 at 08:47 PM

[Shilly]

Posted: 2/19/10 at 8:57pm

The book release date is March 2.
A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli

[Shilly]

Posted: 2/22/10 at 10:57pm

Amazon now has the book preview and search available.
A Hundred or More Hidden Things

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/23/10 at 1:44am

No one cares.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/23/10 at 8:12am

...about your book. We care about Vincente Minnelli.

[Shilly]

Posted: 2/23/10 at 8:56am

as does the author, who undertook the most extensive research to date of Minnelli's life, far more than any other who has previously written about him has

[tazber]

Posted: 2/23/10 at 9:07am

Dude,
Read this before shilling

[jacobtsf]

Posted: 2/23/10 at 9:18am

I do appreciate the fact that his name is Shilly. At least he is not pretending to be something he is not.

That said, the book looks interesting, and I might pick it up from a library at some point, but there are many more books at the top of my must-read list right now.

[Shilly]

Posted: 2/23/10 at 9:35am

Library Journal has a nice review of A Hundred or More Hidden Things in the current (2/15) issue. Barnes & Noble posted the review on it's site.

Library Journal: "Verdict: This well-written and tasteful work contributes yet another perspective toward illuminating the life of this enigmatic film director. It will be a valuable addition to the recent literature (e.g., Emanuel Levy's Vincente Minnelli: Hollywood's Dark Dreamer and Joe McElhaney's Vincente Minnelli: The Art of Entertainment)."

[Shilly]

Posted: 2/23/10 at 10:48pm

From the Sun Journal:

[Mark} Griffin, a writer for the Boston Globe and several movie magazines, started work on the book tentatively. He screened every movie he could find. He read every book, including Minnelli's own autobiography, "I Remember It Well."

When he started digging more deeply, he was shocked at the ease with which information came his way. In Minnelli's boyhood home of Delaware, Ohio, people came forward with photographs and stories that had never been told.

"It was like every door opened up," Griffin said. "It was as though Minnelli was directing from heaven."

With little work, Griffin found an agent and publisher. Movie stars such as Lauren Bacall, Kirk Douglas and Angela Lansbury came forward with stories of the perfectionist director who seemed to be directing from storyboards he held in his head.

Griffin said he knew he had a strong book when the stories he heard began linking together in a coherent, unique narrative.

"When the pieces of the puzzle started to fit together, I knew I had it," he said.

Griffin hopes the resulting 306 pages help people find the essential artist beneath the films that are so well known for their striking color and careful compositions.

Even classic confections like "Meet Me in St. Louis" with Garland and "The Band Wagon" with Fred Astaire have heartfelt stories beneath their polish.

"I love the varnish and I love the gloss," Griffin said. "But there is a real beating heart under the surface of all of his films."

So far, the book has been well-received. Though it won't hit shelves until March 1, the national cable TV channel Turner Classic Movies plans to publicize its publication as a pick of the month for April.

On March 3, Griffin will host a tribute to Minnelli at New York's Museum of Modern Art.

Before that, he hopes to get a little practice as a host by introducing Minnelli's "Gigi" for an Auburn Public Library screening on Tuesday at 2 p.m.

Griffin hopes the work will convince people to give Minnelli's work another look.

He dedicated the book "To Lester." That was Minnelli's real first name. He changed it as a window dresser and photographer in Chicago.

"I wanted to dedicate it to Vincent's authentic self," he said, much like the 16-year-old Griffin was when he discovered Minnelli's movies.

"I hope that it's a really fitting tribute to an artist that I have always revered," the author said.
Lewiston author tackles story of Hollywood director Vincente Minnelli

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/23/10 at 11:18pm

The issue is not the book.

The issue is that all shilling ever does is tarnish the value of the object being shilled and make it an object of ridicule.

There are a fair number of posters here who might have been interested had you approached this differently.

Meanwhile, I encourage any BWW'er interested in Vincente Minnelli to track down a copy of his out-of-print autobiography, I REMEMBER IT WELL:

[Shilly]

Posted: 2/23/10 at 11:36pm

My objective here is merely to present information to those who are interested and links for easy click through.

Along with this new release one can hunt down Minnelli's own memoir or any other of the sources used (the list is extensive) as well as Vincente Minnelli: The Art of Entertainment, an excellent collection of film criticism edited by Hunter College professor Joe McElhaney.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 2/24/10 at 12:49am

You don't get it. We don't like shills.

[Shilly]

Posted: 2/24/10 at 1:11am

and yet you keep reading and posting

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/24/10 at 2:41am

As much as I love the subject matter, I will stay away from this book, just because of this thread.

[Marquise]

Posted: 2/24/10 at 4:03am

shilly, why is it necessary for you to come on here for the sole purpose of trying to spark interest in this book?

does the publisher or author have a website to feature this title and generate interest that way as opposed to doing it this way at the risk of alienating a part of your core audience.