Douglas Fairbanks - Tapa dura

"One of Hollywood's earliest megastars gets lavish treatment in Jeffrey Vance's Douglas Fairbanks... A real treat for cinephiles." -- Martin Levin Toronto Globe & Mail "Lavishly illustrated, Vance's painstakingly researched, comprehensive and thoughtful work is a book for buffs to treasure ... a riveting read." -- Bill Thompson Charleston Post & Courier "A beautiful book, extensively researched, a model of film scholarship, one of the best cinema studies of this or any year." -- John Gallagher Nat'l Board Of Review Of Motion Pictures "A gorgeously illustrated, solidly researched new biography." -- David Bordwell David Bordwell "The research is impeccable, the writing engaging and illuminating, and the deluxe illustrations exquisite." -- T. Lindvall Choice "An ambitious book ... it tells you a lot about its hero, and it's generously illustrated." -- Robert Gottlieb New York Review Of Books "A serious biography of one of the pioneers of cinema ... magnificent photos." -- Heather Shaw Foreword "A generous new biography." Metro Newspapers "Jeffrey Vance's biography 'Douglas Fairbanks' retells the story of the man who became one of Hollywood's first superstars." -- Carolyn Kellogg Los Angeles Times Book Review "A handsomely produced, long-gestated biography ... stunningly produced photographs." -- Jay Weissberg Sight & Sound Magazine "Looks at the mad life and times of one of cinema's first superstars ... brings a lot of freshness to the Fairbanks biography." -- Paul Dale The List "Jeffrey Vance's glorified, and glorifying, picture book retrieves the memory and the glamour of one of the first superstars." -- Frederic Raphael Times Literary Supplement (TLS) "Perfect accompaniment for home entertainment viewing of the silent film star arrives in the form of film historian Jeffrey Vance's gorgeously laid out biography Douglas Fairbanks." -- Ben Terrall San Francisco Bay Guardian "The book is an absolute must for any cinema buff." Broadway Stars "In the handsomely designed biography Douglas Fairbanks, Jeffrey Vance, with Tony Maietta, relates a charmed career with a doleful undertow ... a well-researched study." -- Bill Stamets Chicago Sun-Times "A handsome work, with gorgeously reproduced photographs... Highly recommended for film collections." -- Margaret Heilbrun Library Journal

This deft amalgam of biography, film history, and analysis is a superb portrait of a true pioneer who was critically important to the creation of cinema as the defining art form of the twentieth century. Douglas Fairbanks (1883-1939) was one of the first film superstars, a screenwriter, a major independent producer during the early studio era, a cofounder of United Artists, a founder and the first president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and much more. The optimism, energy, and huge success during the 1920s of his best-remembered films "The Mark of Zorro", Douglas Fairbanks in "Robin Hood", "The Thief of Bagdad", and "The Black Pirate" made Fairbanks a popular hero throughout the world and showcased his talents as a creative producer whose work set the standard for excellence."Douglas Fairbanks" takes the full measure of Fairbanks' remarkable life. Jeffrey Vance, who had complete access to the star's personal and professional papers and scrapbooks, also incorporates 237 photographs, some unseen for more than seventy-five years. Extensively researched, engagingly written, and sumptuously designed, the book goes behind Fairbanks' public persona to thoroughly explore his art and his far-reaching influence.