Vanessa
The Life of Vanessa Redgrave
Published on 20. June 2014
Book
Hardback
416 pages
978-1-60598-557-2 (ISBN)
Description
Who isn't in awe of Vanessa Redgrave? Her career on stage and screen remains vital and her extreme-left political stands are still quite controversial. This is the moment, and this is the biography, to take stock of Vanessa Redgrave both as actress and as political activist with a critical, objective study of her life and career. It is also time to account for her unparalleled achievements as an empathetic actress of considerable genius. In his Biographical Dictionary of Film, David Thomson writes about Redgrave, "She has made mistakes, but there is a case for her as the best actress alive, ready for further challenge." Anyone who has seen Redgrave in her numerous stage and film roles will know why Thomson rates her as the very best we have. The radiant, fearless, daring, perverse and always unpredictable Redgrave is the brightest light in the forest of her famous family.
Reviews / Votes
"Fresh and insightful: it's not easy to characterise what makes a performance effective or otherwise, and critics often duck the responsibility altogether, but Dan Callahan is skilled at finding feisty, odd, intelligent ways to evaluate the ineffable." -- Sight & Sound Magazine "Fascinating. Masterfully written. Read Vanessa if you want a fully schooled lesson on the woman most of her peers think of as the greatest living actress." -- Liz Smith, New York Times bestselling author and long-time gossip columnist "Exceptional. ... Writing a book about an actor while she is still alive is not easy, but Callahan thrives on the difficulties. ... As for Dan Callahan, he seems to me a leader among young writers on film." -- David Thomson - San Francisco Chronicle "Dan Callahan's Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman is a serious book about a serious woman. If Mr. Callahan's book is not the last word on this great actress, it will certainly stand as an invaluable critical guide." -- Praise for Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman - The Wall Street Journal "Unsparing about Redgrave's politics, Callahan shines in his analysis of her performances. He not only understands the technical aspects of acting but he has a romantic appreciation of its transcendent, near-magical qualities." -- Lloyd Rose - The Washington Post "A compelling survey into the work and spirit of one of the greatest actresses of the past half century, penned by one of the most trenchant and percipient writers covering movies today." -- William J. Mann, author of "Kate: The Woman Who Was Hepburn" and "Tinseltown: Murder, Morphine and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood"More details
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 160 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
525 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-60598-557-2 (9781605985572)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Person
Dan Callahan, author of Barbara Stanwyck: The Miracle Woman, is the associate editor at Siman Media Works. He has published theater and film reviews in Time Out New York, Sight and Sound, The L Magazine, Slant Magazine and many other publications. He lives in New York.