Tab Article

Ratings: ★★★★★ (4.6/5)
Genre: Film History, Hollywood, Biography, Pop Culture

Book Review:
Barry Norman was the voice of film for a generation of Britons. His television show was essential viewing, and his wit, knowledge, and love of cinema were unparalleled. ''The Story of Hollywood'' is Norman in book form: sparkling, witty, encyclopedic, and utterly irresistible. It is a love letter to the dream factory, written by someone who knew its every secret.

The book is a sweeping, ambitious history, covering the entire span of Hollywood from the arrival of sound to the present day. But it's not a dry, academic textbook. Norman organizes his material thematically, with chapters on ''Hollywood and Sex,'' ''Hollywood Goes to War,'' ''Hollywood and Crime,'' ''The Western,'' and ''Decline of the Studio,'' among others. This approach allows him to trace the evolution of these themes over time, showing how they reflected and shaped American culture.

The book is packed with stories. You'll read about the moguls who built the studios, the stars who graced the silver screen, the feuds that made headlines, and the scandals that were hushed up. Norman has a gift for the telling anecdote, and every page is filled with memorable pieces of information, as the Sunday Telegraph noted. He writes with the authority of a true insider and the enthusiasm of a lifelong fan.

From the eight-second clinch to acres of erogenous zone, from the rosy glow of Mrs. Miniver to the cold light of The Best Years of Their Lives, from the McCarthy purges to the bitterness of post-Vietnam, Norman covers it all with insight and wit. He also doesn't shy away from the darker side of Hollywood, the heartaches and the failures.

''The Story of Hollywood'' is a must-read for any film buff. It's a book to dip into and to devour, a companion for a lifetime of movie-watching. Barry Norman has given us the perfect guide to the place where our dreams are made. Highly recommended.