- Publisher: Faber
- Year: 2014
- Format: Hardback
- Pages: 400pp
- Illustrated: Yes
- Dimensions: 235x160mm
- Condition: New
- Weight: 0.7kg
- ISBN: 9780571211975
- Product code: 502908
Watching Them Be
Star Presence on the Screen from Garbo to Balthazar
James Harvey New Hardback Illustrated
Postscript summary
Taking its title from James Baldwin’s comment on iconic movie stars, ‘one does not go to see them act; one goes to watch them be’, Harvey’s book delves into the mysteries of how charisma is created in the movies. Beginning with the enigmatic and transcendent Greta Garbo, he discusses stars and directors including Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Bette Davis, Robert De Niro and Ingrid Bergman, and ends with a transcendent film and a donkey, Bresson’s Au Hasard Balthazar (1966).
Product information
Full publisher description
"One does not go to see them act," James Baldwin wrote about the great iconic movie stars, "one goes to watch them be." It seems obvious...Where else besides the movies do you get to see other persons so intimately, so pressingly, so largely? Where else are you allowed such sustained and searching looks as you give to these strangers on the screen, whoever they really are? In life you try not to stare; but at the movies that's exactly what you get to do, two hours or more-safely, raptly, even blissfully. It's this sort of amplified, heightened, sometimes transcendent "seeing" that James Harvey explores in Watching Them Be. Marvellously vivid and perceptive, and impressively erudite, this is his take on how aura is communicated in movies. Beginning where Roland Barthes left off with the face of Greta Garbo and ending with Robert Bresson's Au hasard Balthazar (and its inscrutable nonhuman star), Harvey moves nimbly and expertly through film history, celebrating actors and directors who have particularly conveyed a feeling of transcendence.
From Marlene Dietrich to John Wayne to Robert De Niro, from Nashville to Jackie Brown to Masculine/Feminine and the implicitly or explicitly religious films of Roberto Rossellini and Carl Theodor Dreyer, this is one man's personal, deeply felt account of the films that have changed his life. They will also, Harvey suggests, change yours.
From Marlene Dietrich to John Wayne to Robert De Niro, from Nashville to Jackie Brown to Masculine/Feminine and the implicitly or explicitly religious films of Roberto Rossellini and Carl Theodor Dreyer, this is one man's personal, deeply felt account of the films that have changed his life. They will also, Harvey suggests, change yours.
Reasons to shop at Postscript
Independent bookseller
Established in 1987, we’ve been sharing reading recommendations for decades.
Books you won’t find elsewhere
Discover new authors among our frequently changing bookshelves, along with almost-forgotten gems and a wealth of unusual titles you won’t find elsewhere.
Eco-friendly packaging
Orders are carefully packed in recyclable cardboard boxes, eco-friendly bubble wrap and solvent-free labels, paper and tape.
Condition and price
All our books are new, unused and unread, and they’re all up to 75% off RRP.
FREE monthly catalogue
Featuring over 400 handpicked titles, our unique catalogue is carefully curated and includes new and unusual titles, special features and exclusive collections.
Email newsletters
Our tailored newsletters are written by our booksellers, and we always highlight the books that we have talked about most in the Postscript office.
Footnotes blog
Some books spark ideas and conversations that our catalogue can’t contain – our Footnotes blog offers a deeper dive into a wealth of topics to inspire further reading.
Aftercare
We are all serious book people and we understand the value of reading. This is why we package our books so carefully and employ a helpful in-house customer services team to promptly resolve any queries you may have.
Delivery information
UK
Free UK standard delivery on all online orders over £25
Unlimited books in one delivery charge:
- • Standard: £3.20 (3-5 working days)
- • Click & Collect: £3.20 (3-5 working days)
- • Next Day (orders must be placed before 1pm, Monday–Friday): £4.50
- • Royal Mail Tracked48: £5.50 (2-4 working days)
Highlands and Islands delivery: standard delivery only (5-7 working days)
Overseas
All orders: delivery costs for orders outside the UK are based on country of destination and product weight.
You can view your overseas delivery cost using the Summary section within the Basket.
For more information on delivery/overseas orders please refer to our Delivery Information.
product
https://www.psbooks.co.uk/watching-them-be
502908
Watching Them Be
https://www.psbooks.co.uk/media/catalog/product/5/0/502908_7a4600dad8d03883f900deae761a0de9.jpg
7.99
7.99
GBP
InStock
/Non-Fiction/Categories/Performing Arts
/Non-Fiction/Highlights
/Non-Fiction/Categories/Performing Arts/Film, TV & Radio
Taking its title from James Baldwin’s comment on iconic movie stars, ‘one does not go to see them act; one goes to watch them <I>be</I>’, Harvey’s book delves into the mysteries of how charisma is created in the movies. Beginning with the enigmatic and transcendent Greta Garbo, he discusses stars and directors including Marlene Dietrich, Charles Laughton, Bette Davis, Robert De Niro and Ingrid Bergman, and ends with a transcendent film and a donkey, Bresson’s <I>Au Hasard Balthazar</I> (1966).
Hardback
0
0
add-to-cart
rrp_info:£18.99
productId:39928
bic_code:AN
AN
£18.99
James Harvey
General
235x160mm
Faber
No
Hardback
