Clint Eastwood scholars already have a shelf-bending number of volumes in their collections and will want to add the latest temptation as well:
Clint Eastwood: A Life in Pictures (Chronicle Books). This is an English language translation of a book originally printed in France. It is not so much written as compiled by Pierre-Henri Verlhac, who has amassed an impressive collection of intriguing photographs, all presented in deluxe, coffe-table book format. The bulk of the photos are candid and include some early career beefcake photos taken for fan magazines when Eastwood was starring in
Rawhide. It's rather amusing to see how Eastwood, the ultimate symbol of male heterosexuality, was coerced to follow the trends of the time to pose for photos that seem not so subliminally designed for gay audiences. We see shirtless Clint lifting weights and forced into making silly poses in photos that will be new to even the most ardent Eastwood collectors.There are also rare shots of Eastwood "relaxing" with his first wife Maggie at an amusement park and at home in their pool. There is photo representation of most of Eastwood's films, though some are relegated to only a single photo. The bulk of the content pertains to candid and behind-the-scenes shots, all reproduced in top notch quality. Anyone wishing to learn new insights into Eastwood's career will not find them here, though there is an enjoyable biographical essay by Peter Bogdanovich that includes comments from a 2005 interview he conducted with the legendary star. (Curiously, Bogdanovich- who is known as one of the industry's top film scholars- lumps the spy thriller
The Eiger Sanction in with Eastwood's war movies!) The lack of text should not disappoint - that why the book is called
A Life in Pictures.This is not a feast for the mind, but for the eye - and as such, deserves a place in any Eastwood collection.
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