Fade to Black: A Book of Movie Obituaries

Book Description

Fade to Black chronicles the lives and deaths of more than 1,200 movie personalities, Included are not just the big stars but a wealth of important characters from the history of film. Some achieved world fame or great power. Some were consigned to obscurity after one scandal too many. Other hid dark secrets that would only emerge after their deaths.

Customer Reviews:

Very helpful, but I'm still clueless.......2006-07-07

Yes, this book is a great help if you want to find out about your favorite stars, and the lesser stars, too. It even had Joan Marsh, I think. But if I recollect,no June Knight. I wanted to find out more about her, even if she didn't make a lot of movies. I've watched some of them: Take a Chance, Wake Up and Dream, Broadway Melody of 1936 (My favorite), Lilac Domino. But she wsn't in the book, I think. I wanted to find out more, so I was dissapointed. Still, the book helped me a whole lot, and some of the obituaries were fascinating. It's a great gude to classic stars, so go ahead and buy it. (P.S. Does anyone know what happened to Redheads on Parade with Dixie Lee and John Boles? I can't find it... is it lost? I can't find Ladies Must Love either... HEEEEEEELLLPPP MEEEEEEEEE!I heard that 'redheads' sucked anyway...)

Entertaining but not outstanding.......2006-01-08

Sort of an encyclopedic text on movie obits and mini-bios, with a typical Brit left-leaning approach (read the write up on Ronald Reagan and that becomes obvious.) Many (US) actors you would expect to see are, rather curiously, not listed - and there are many (mostly Brit and European) you've never heard of. Some of the material doesn't agree with more extensive (and presumably, extensively researched) biographies on some of the subjects. The author also seems to devote as much text to sexual preferences and affairs (rather a bit heavy on the gay emphasis) as to the movies the actors appeared in. Then again, what else would you write about in a book of obituaries? Lots of tidbits that make good party conversation. A decent casual read (or scan). In other words, a library loaner. (This is the 3rd edition - 2005)

Eccentric choices, but still useful and interesting.......2006-01-04

Although the film industry is primarily Hollywood-based, this book is useful in that it contains a healthy number of obits for British actors and actresses from the 1930s-60s (Felix Aylmer, Bernard Bresslaw) that most Americans have never heard of. The book's subtitle is "A Book of Movie Obituaries", and, yes, all the big names are in here: Monroe, Brando (a particularly lengthy article that could have been trimmed a bit: the adventures of his pet raccoon are as long on the entry on Roy Rogers), etc. But it's not just actors. Directors and producers are included. Pauline Kael, the film critic, gets an entry, as does Keiko the whale from FREE WILLIE (Lassie does not, but Rin Tin Tin does). Ronald Reagan is here, though if he had not been president, one wonders if he would have qualified. Murder, suicide, and scandal appear quite a lot, and sometimes it seems as if any connection to film will do if it will provide a "sexy" entry. Does John Lennon really qualify as a movie star? And Larry Linville (from M*A*S*H) seems to have been included just so that his various personal scandals could be detailed. Still, the author takes pains to clear Fatty Arbuckle's reputation. Mel Blanc, who provided the voice for Bugs Bunny and a host of cartoon characters, and in doing so changed the way cartoons were recorded (among other things) gets 13 lines, while Tex Avery, who directed many cartoons, gets a page and a half (most of which merely list the cartoon's names and dates).

Fade to Black.......2005-06-12

I picked this book up in my local library and was hooked from the get go. It took a year or two for me actually buy it, but Im so glad that now I can pick it up, pick a page at random and still find something that could be sad, shocking,or even heart warming. It contains a wealth of imformation about all aspects of hollywood: the actors, producers, directors. If you are interested in this sort of thing, I highly recommend that you get this. This is a book that no film buff should ever be without.

Fab compilation.......2004-09-07

A great film book....buy it, read it, treasure it and you will keep referring to it every time an old film appears on telly!

Fade: My Journeys in Multiracial America

Average customer rating:

Excellent Overview
Fade, My Journies in multiracial america
Must-read for anyone interested in race in America
fresh, topical, entertaining

Fade: My Journeys in Multiracial America
Elliott Lewis
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

ASIN: 078671882X

Book Description

Television journalist Elliott Lewis weaves his memoirs as a black-and-white biracial American with the voices of dozens of multiracial people who are challenging how we think and speak about race today.
"What are you?" This seemingly ordinary but politically charged question has become a touchstone for debate around race and ethnicity. Now, more than ever, mixed race Americans are calling themselves biracial and multiracial rather than feeling forced to choose only one race. Nearly seven million people checked more than one racial category in the 2000 US census, the first time in history Americans had the option to mark more than one box.
With Fade, Lewis offers a comprehensive look at the multiracial state of the union. Here he speaks with dozens of individuals, tackling hot button issues such as the often complicated lives of multiracial people in communities of color, interracial dating, transracial adoption, and the birth of the multiracial movement. The author also shares his own moving — and often humorous — firsthand experiences with race, along with intimate stories from those at the forefront of nationwide efforts to formally recognize the multiracial population.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Overview.......2006-09-19

This book covers the shared experiences, both historical and psychological, of multiracial individuals.

This book is about what every multiracial person knows. This book is also teaches the reader the things every teacher, parent and partner of a multiracial person needs to know.

Fade, My Journies in multiracial america.......2006-02-25

This was a wonderful and lively work touching on a very timely topic in the ever shifting demographic make up of our country. Elliott provides fresh views in a personable way that helped me with discussions with my own children in accepting those that may come from bi-racial families. Wonderfully eye opening and very touching. It's a great read!

Must-read for anyone interested in race in America.......2006-01-24

I found this to be a very illuminating read. Elliott Lewis looks at multiple facets of the lives of mixed-race persons in America, and the book will be an eye-opener especially for readers who have little exposure to the subject. This is no dry sociology text: the style is lively and loaded with anecdotes and interviews that bring the topic to life. Lewis' observations on the formation of racial identities in children - and the unique challenges for multiracial kids who find themselves forced to "choose" - are of particular interest. This is a timely subject and Lewis is an engaging writer - definitely give this one a try!

fresh, topical, entertaining.......2006-01-19

Elliott Lewis travels the country, but mostly the West Coast, and talks to biracial people about their experiences and activism. He gets the point across that mixed-race people are seen by different people differently in different settings. He also does a great job in showing how they want to be recognized in their wholeness.
Mr. Lewis has a unique positionality. Like Lisa Bonet's and Lenny Kravitz's daughter, he is mixed on both sides. His status as a second-generation biracial person is fascinating and fresh.
The late legal scholar Trina Grillo, who was also biracial and wrote on biracial persons, once stated, "It used to be that biracial issues never came up, now you can't turn on the TV without hearing about it." I was worried that this book would just rehash what other books have already stated. I was pleased to be proven incorrect. This had interesting topical chapters. I think both experts and novices can enjoy this book.
Near the end of the book, the author admits the text's most serious flaw: it almost entirely covers black-white mixed people like himself. He gives all this focus on black-white individuals, yet lists numbers that prove there are more white-Latino, white-Asian, and white-Native people than there are white-blacks. I think people from these groups will be gravely disappointed. This book shamelessly falls into "the black-white paradigm" that Latino and Asian-American scholars have lamented.
When he does mention others besides Eurafricans, he focuses on Eurasians. However, the most common interracial couple in the United States is made up of one Latino spouse and one white spouse. The children of couples like Ricky and Lucy make up the majority of mixed folks, yet they are virtually ignored. Lewis never mentions Bill Richardson, Christina Aguilera, Raquel Welch, Benjamin Bratt and numerous other Anglo-Latins. Latinos are now the most numerous group of color in the US, yet they get no attention here. Further, those mixed-race people who are fully of color, like Tiger Woods, get ignored just like they did in Rachel Moran's interracial text. The black and white colors on the front of the book signify the black-white focus here. "Fade" does not just refer to diminishing colors, but also a hairstyle popular among African-American men in the late 1980s.
While the author quotes many male biracial writers, most of his interviewees are female. My Spidey sense tells me that biracial issues may be more salient to women than men. This book seems to hint at that during its discussion on exoticization.
Mr. Lewis mentions that there are more biracials on the West Coast than in the East. Again, I think this can be explained by the heavy white-brown and white-yellow mixing over there compared to the rare black-white mixing east of the Mississippi River.
In a similar fashion that Spike Lee often creates characters in the arts like himself, Mr. Lewis paid especial attention to biracial people working in the media and from Washington State.
I think the author may have fudged a fact in the book. He says that the late NAACP head Walter White was only 1/64th Black. However, Wikipedia says Walter White had 5 great-grandparents and 17 white ones; that's about a quarter Black.
The author has a photo of himself on the back cover. This is similar to the photos in Maria Root's multiracial books. I guess visuality is important in this area. Whatever the cause, one gets to see that Mr. Lewis is incredibly cute.
This book would be good for people of all ages. It has good quotes for students writing papers in college or high school.

Average customer rating:

A Page-Turner
Fade to Black
Good
Very interesting...
This is great quick pick.

Fade to Black
Alex Flinn
Manufacturer: HarperTeen
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060568429
Release Date: 2006-05-02

Book Description

Three perspectives -- one truth

The victim: After his windshield was shattered with a baseball bat, HIV-positive Alex Crusan ducked under the steering wheel. But he knows what he saw. Now he must decide what he wants to tell.

The witness: Daria Bickell never lies. So if she told the police she saw Clinton Cole do it, she must have. But did she really?

The suspect: Clinton was seen in the vicinity of the crime that morning. And sure, he has problems with Alex. But he'd never do something like this. Would he?

Customer Reviews:

A Page-Turner.......2006-12-12

While the story is a straightforward mystery, the book is intriguing because of the characters. Alex and Clinton are believable, fallible young men who are at times sympathetic and at other times difficult or even detestable. They both love their sisters, their mothers, their fathers. These commonalities make their conflict all the more uneasy. Along with the HIV information, themes of alcoholism, abandonment, and what makes life livable weave in and out of the story. This strikes me as the sort of book that might appeal equally to male and female audiences.

Fade to Black .......2006-11-22

This story is called Fade to Black and it is about a boy, Alex, who has a disease. Another boy, Clinton, and the whole school don't like Alex, because they don't want the disease and they tease him all the time. So one day Alex, the boy with the disease, was driving and his window crashed and he was all beat up and taken to the hospital. Everyone thought it was Clinton, because he treated Alex the worst. I thought this story was very good. It had a point, which was not to pick on people just because they look different and are different. The saddest part to me was when Alex and Clinton were talking in the hospital and started to understand each other better. To me this story was easy to understand and had a very good reason. I also liked the fact that the Author wrote the book as if the three characters wrote a diary, kind of. So I would rate this book

Good.......2006-07-03

Alex is a teenage who is HIV positive. Not many people want to be around him. This book shows the hardships that Alex has to go through. This book also shows how he has to deal with certain things. A boy named Clinton is one of Alex's worst enemies. Clinton hates Alex a lot. Can Alex turn Clinton into a friend and not an enemy? Read the book to find out.

**** I liked this book very much. This book shows what a person has to go through if they are HIV positive. I enjoyed this book very much. ****

Brandon Stabler, 14 years old.

Very interesting..........2006-05-04

Alejandro "Alex" Crusan is a seventeen-years-old Latino and HIV positive. His family moved from Miami to Pinedale, Florida. No one in his new school will touch him, much less befriend him. The only one that does not avoid Alex is Daria, the girl with Down Syndrome. Everyone avoids her too. But someone nearby hates Alex enough to learn his daily routine, followed by taking a baseball bat to Alex's car. The windows shatter, throwing tiny glass shards over Alex. The shards act as knives.

Daria does not lie. She tells the police what she saw. The police go after Clinton Cole.

Clinton has been very vocal on his feelings about Alex being HIV positive from the beginning. Everyone agrees with Clinton; however, no one believes Alex deserves what happened to him. When everyone begins avoiding Clinton, the teen starts to understand how Alex's isolation feels. Clinton swears he did not do it. Yet no one believes him.

**** Author Alex Flinn writes in a way that teens can relate to. She has taken a few taboo topics and created a mystery that young adults will enjoy trying to figure out, while learning about delicate subjects. I enjoyed the story very much and recommend it to all. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

This is great quick pick........2006-01-22

This was a compelling read. I enjoyed the alternating perspectives of the three characters. I thought that this book offered several great messages and themes. This would make for a good teen discussion. There were also enough twists to make it interesting. I thought the author did a good job of going beyond expectations with the characters, creating depth to all three of the perspectives; both the "bully" and the "victim" were portrayed not just as those stereotypical roles. I also liked the inclusion of the Daria that was interesting addition. This is great quick pick, but with a lot of meat to make for excellent book club discussions.

Average customer rating:

A very suspenseful mystery
Lacks suspense
Great book!
Could have been 80 or 90 pages shorter!
You're in for a Surprise!!!!

Fade To Black
Wendy Corsi Staub
Manufacturer: Pinnacle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786014881

Customer Reviews:

A very suspenseful mystery.......2006-11-23

Famous actess, Mallory Eden thought she had gotten away with faking her own death to escape a stalker. Little did she know that her past would catch up with her in a small village on the other side of the continent. Someone knows who she is. Thinking the worst, Mallory, now going by the name Elizabeth Baxter fears that her stalker has finally found her after five years of being on the run, and there is no one she can trust with her secrets.

Fade to Black is suspenseful from start to finish, filled with twists and turns along the way. Unfortunately, the ending is a bit predictable, but then anyone who reads a great deal of mysteries would know how to pick the red herrings out of the real suspects. I have seen on the cover of most Wendy Corsi Staub novels how this author is being compared to Mary Higgins Clark. I don't see the comparison. MHC's style of writing is much different. (Less suspenseful, less twists of the plot, much more predictable ending) Wendy Corsi Staub also writes in a strange combination of both first person and present tense third person. Her sentences read much like first person, but without using any "I, me, mine,etc." It is a little difficult to get used to at first. All in all, this author has potential.

Is it worth buying?
The paperback price is still a bit higher priced than most in its class at $6.99, but this was a fairly decent mystery, so I would say yes.

Lacks suspense.......2006-02-07

Screen icon Mallory Eden fakes her own death after succumbing to the pressures of celebrity and the actions of a stalker. Armed with a new identity, she hides out in a small Rhode Island town for five years, never getting close to anyone, always with the curtains drawn, fearful that her stalker might find her again.

When a card arrives in the mail with the words "I know who you are..." her imagination goes into overdrive. When her house is broken into, she has the locks changed and captures the attention of locksmith Harper, who also has a past he would like to forget. As he pursues her, she finally takes the first step to put her past behind her. When she is attacked and her stalker is arrested, bringing about tons of media attention, she flees back to LA to return to her old life. But was that really her stalker?? Or is it someone closer to her?

With plenty of hints tossed in, discovering the identity of the stalker is pretty easy, which in turns makes the story lacking int he suspense department. Not a good sign for a "suspense" novel.

Great book! .......2005-03-04

This was my first book by Staub and really got me hooked on the author. The author wrote in present tense, which was different than what I was used to, but have really grown to love. It makes the book so much more exciting and heart pounding. The storyline was believable and the characters were fully developed. I really enjoyed every page. The ending really caught me by surprise, as a great suspense novel should.

Could have been 80 or 90 pages shorter!.......2003-09-10

Hate to be in the minority but I found this book boring. There was so much detail on stupid things. Two paragraphs on how a woman changes her baby's diaper. Three on exactly what someone puts on their sandwich. And Elizabeth/Mallory/Cindi was constantly questioning herself: Should I do this or should I do that. I understand that she would be paranoid after what she's been through but she kept going over the same things, again, and again, and again. Not to mention the fact that she seemed to suspect everyone of being the stalker, except the real stalker! I really believe that if this book had been cut back to 230 or 240 pages it would have been a big improvement!

You're in for a Surprise!!!!.......2002-03-10

"Fade to Black" is the firsrt book I have read by Wendy Corsi Staub and it was marvelous! So thrilling, believable, and grabbing. Cliff-hanger chapters with a perfectly delighting and surprise ending. Of course, you'll have to find out the end for yourself. The Main character, Elizabeth Baxter, used to be the famous actress, Mallory Eden, until a stalker forced her to fake her own death and begin a new lif in Windmere Cove, Rhode Island. A man she thought she couldn't trust might have some connection to Mallory Eden's past... Wonderful, don't miss it!!!!

Average customer rating:

Slow Fade to Black: The Negro in American Film, 1900-1942

Slow Fade to Black (Galaxy Books)
Thomas Cripps
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0195021304

Book Description

Set against the backdrop of the black struggle in society, Slow Fade to Black is the definitive history of African-American accomplishment in film--both before and behind the camera--from the earliest movies through World War II. As he records the changing attitudes toward African-Americans both in Hollywood and the nation at large, Cripps explores the growth of discrimination as filmmakers became more and more intrigued with myths of the Old South: the "lost cause" aspect of the Civil War, the stately mansions and gracious ladies of the antebellum South, the "happy" slaves singing in the fields. Cripps shows how these characterizations culminated in the blatantly racist attitudes of Griffith's The Birth of a Nation, and how this film inspired the N.A.A.C.P. to campaign vigorously--and successfully--for change. While the period of the 1920s to 1940s was one replete with Hollywood stereotypes (blacks most often appeared as domestics or "natives," or were portrayed in shiftless, cowardly "Stepin Fetchit" roles), there was also an attempt at independent black production--on the whole unsuccessful. But with the coming of World War II, increasing pressures for a wider use of blacks in films, and calls for more equitable treatment, African-Americans did begin to receive more sympathetic roles, such as that of Sam, the piano player in the 1942 classic Casablanca. A lively, thorough history of African-Americans in the movies, Slow Fade to Black is also a perceptive social commentary on evolving racial attitudes in this country during the first four decades of the twentieth century.

Customer Reviews:

Slow Fade to Black: The Negro in American Film, 1900-1942.......2007-03-10

Everything arrived in perfect order

Shadowrun 13: Fade to Black: FADE TO BLACK (Shadowrun)

Average customer rating:

Fade to Black
The Shadowrun novel by which all others should be judged.

Shadowrun 13: Fade to Black: FADE TO BLACK (Shadowrun)
Nyx Smith
Manufacturer: Roc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451452879

Customer Reviews:

Fade to Black.......2004-02-19

I've read several of the books in the Shadowrun line and this one is my favourite to date. It is one of the few shadowrun books that gives a decent portrayal of shadowrunners and shadowrunning as described in the game. It does an excellent job of capturing the atmosphere of the world, and gets heavy into the nuances of the etiquette and wheeling and dealing a shadowrunner must go through to survive. If you are new to the game and want to get some tips for roleplaying shadowrunners this is the book to read. It is also an excellent source of inspiration for the GM. There are no grand sweeping, save the world sort of plots in this book, just good old fashion shadowrunning as it should be.

The Shadowrun novel by which all others should be judged........1999-01-02

Absolutely the finest of FASA's Shadowrun fiction, this one has it all. No BS game-speak, a killer plot, believeable (if not exactly likeable) characters. Great setting as well, expecially for the overall texture and subculture; Smith's Newark is a character in and of itself. Compared to earlier SR novels (including Smith's Striper Assassin), this was the first that impressed me as a viable story outside of the SR mythos; FTB can stand on its own in the sci-fi/cyberpunk genre. I recommend this book to all new players of the game, as an intro to a non-comic book version of the SR world. I was particularly impressed by the lack of plot devices; the story isn't some cutesy mystery or heroic fantasy with a pat ending. It reminded me somewhat of Ellroy's books. I also recommend Smith's "Who Hunts the Hunter" and "Steel Rain". A must-read for all non-munchkin Shadowrunners and GMs; this book makes the GM screen's characters come to life (heh heh).

Average customer rating:

Another delightful surprise!

Fade to Black
Robert Goldsborough
Manufacturer: Crimeline
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0553292641
Release Date: 1991-08-01

Customer Reviews:

Another delightful surprise!.......2006-02-04

Another delightful surprise to hardcore Wolfe fans! Fade To Black is very good. This is the second Goldsborough Nero Wolfe book I read; the first The Last Coincidence. The plot surrounds two rival advertising agencies and two soft-drink companies. I became enmeshed in the story and forgot it wasn't a Stout. An interesting and creative plot with very real-to-life characters, very believable. Goldsborough does a great job of writing in the same style, vein, and language as Rex Stout, and the main characters have continued to develop and evolve throughout the years and adapt to modern times and technologies - just as Stout did when writing his Wolfe mysteries. If you have read the original Rex Stout Nero Wolfe mysteries, you will have a treat in Goldsborough's new ones! And, having read all of Stout's Wolfe mysteries many times over, I have fresh reads to look forward to and enjoy!

Fade To Black (The Destroyer #119) (Destroyer)

Average customer rating:

Yes, yes, yes!
No, No, No!
I'm ready for my close up Mr. Chiun!
Why can't all books be this much fun?
A Good Read

Fade To Black (The Destroyer #119) (Destroyer)
Warren Murphy , and Richard Sapir
Manufacturer: Gold Eagle
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0373632347

Customer Reviews:

Yes, yes, yes!.......2001-11-26

Remo. Chiun. Hollywood. Disaster movies will never be the same!

I loved this book. Very funny situations and characters. After years or trying Chiun finally gets his movie made! But since this is the Destroyer things never work out like they should. Chiun strutting around Hollywood in his movie costume is one of the funniest scenes in all the recent books. Worth the price of admission!

Great fun to read. Five stars.

No, No, No!.......2001-05-10

As a long-time Destroyer fan, I was so disappointed with this book. It read like a formula book with one cheap pun strung after another. The classic Destroyer is campy, yes, but not ALL THE TIME! They poked fun. They would not make poorly concealed references to every well known personality in Hollywood, and no, I am not a fan of Quentin Tarantino. Thankfully, most other Destroyer novels do not read like a comedian during a dry spell. Chiun comes off as nothing more than a petulant, ignorant old man. I should think that after 119 books they could show that he's a little deeper than that. This book gives no sense of the relationship between Remo and Chiun. Chiun might be the crotchety old uncle everyone avoids sitting next to at Christmas, for all the affection that is shown by him and to him. If this is your first Destroyer novel, try again. If not, then you can appreciate the one thing that remains true in this novel: the names haven't changed. Too harsh? When I have such high expectations? I think not.

I'm ready for my close up Mr. Chiun!.......2000-05-19

Another excellent book! Chiun's in Hollywood making the movie of his dreams or so he thinks and Remo is trying to stop killers and the master minds behind a plot to make a summer block buster real. The book has the humor and action we've come to expect and love in the Desroyer series. Another hearty thumbs up!

Why can't all books be this much fun?.......2000-05-11

For years Chiun has hoped to make a movie and now he gets his chance. The problem is that Hollywood does not see Chiun's movie the way Chiun sees it. That and the fact that Remo is desperately trying to stop some crazies from blowing up Hollywood makes this book very enjoyable. Mr Mullaney really has it in for the Hollywood types in this newest Destroyer. There is great action and humor in this book.

A Good Read.......2000-04-06

I just finished the book and I found it very enjoyable. Anything that makes fun of Hollywood is golden, in my sights. Good action, good humor (and not the ice cream), well written and just a fun book to read. BUY THIS BOOK!

Screens Fade to Black: Contemporary African American Cinema

Average customer rating:

Change the title to reflect the contents

Screens Fade to Black: Contemporary African American Cinema
David J. Leonard
Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0275983617

Book Description

The triple crown of Oscars awarded to Denzel Washington, Halle Berry, and Sidney Poitier on a single evening in 2002 seemed to mark a turning point for African Americans in cinema. Certainly it was hyped as such by the media, eager to overlook the nuances of this sudden embrace. In this new study, author David Leonard uses this event as a jumping-off point from which to discuss the current state of African-American cinema and the various genres that currently compose it. Looking at such recent films as Love and Basketball, Antwone Fisher, Training Day, and the two Barbershop films--all of which were directed by black artists, and most of which starred and were written by blacks as well--Leonard examines the issues of representation and opportunity in contemporary cinema. In many cases, these films-which walk a line between confronting racial stereotypes and trafficking in them-made a great deal of money while hardly playing to white audiences at all. By examining the ways in which they address the American Dream, racial progress, racial difference, blackness, whiteness, class, capitalism and a host of other issues, Leonard shows that while certainly there are differences between the grotesque images of years past and those that define today's era, the consistency of images across genre and time reflects the lasting power of racism, as well as the black community's response to it.

Customer Reviews:

Change the title to reflect the contents.......2007-02-09

This review originally written for Journal of Popular Culture, but they apparently don't publish negative reviews. So much for academic freedom.

David J. Leonard delivers a text promising a contemporary analysis of African-American film that ultimately does not live up to its promise. Leonard's book is divided into five first covering the history of black cinema, focusing specifically on the 2002 Oscars. He then devotes chapters to Ghettocentric films, Black Middle-Class drama, and Black comedies and then concludes with a smattering of more recent films around the 2005 Oscars. With one excellent chapter and three fatal flaws, Screens Fade to Black fails to find an audience.
The text most fulfills its titular premises in Black comedies. Leonard provides an insightful, historical articulation of black actors in comedies, first identifying three broad categories, Tom, Coon, and Mammy and then further defining a range of "coon" characters (125-126). Leonard then discusses contemporary comedies like Barbershop (2002) and Bringing Down the House (2003) as well as satirical projects like Bamboozled (2002) and Undercover Brother (2002), although Leonard's insight could be sharpened to appreciate more the subtleties of satire, overall comedy is the most fruitful genre for Screens Fade to Black.
The first flaw for the book lay not with the author but the editors. In several places spelling and typographical errors or errors in citations disrupted this reader's concentration. For example, in Chapter 2, Leonard paraphrases a statement by Stuart Hall and then has a block quote immediately following a colon. However, the citation at quotes end comes from S. Craig Watkins 1998 text from pages 25-26, neither of which mentions Stuart Hall at all. Consequently, should a reader want to find the Hall quote, he or she would need to scour the two books identified in the bibliography and hope to find it there.
The second fatal flaw for Screens Fade to Black exists in the disparity between the title and the actual content. This reader anticipated significant treatment of contemporary African-American cinema, but found film analysis largely summary and marginal to the remainder of this book. Leonard states "the importance of contemporary film is increasingly significant precisely because of the way it reflects and reinforces dominant modes of production, means of representation, and conventions of hegemonic ideologies of this new racist moment" (178). Here Leonard identifies the focal point of this book, to categorize the colorblind movement among Hollywood studio releases as a new means to marginalize and exploit people of color. This politicized argument conflicts with expectations of an academic film audience.
The third flaw occurs in the logical underpinnings to the text. Leonard insists that African American film must portray the plight of blacks facing deindustrialization and state violence in order to be legitimate, as if this was the only true black experience. In a discussion of Antwone Fisher (2002) provides two of Leonard's film classes with an opportunity to discuss race relations, hegemony, and cinema. Several students of color indicate the film should not fall into the African-American film genre because it does not "give voice to a black experience" (50). Leonard, it seems through his narrative space, would agree. That these student comments occupy the central and sole description of Leonard's first class meeting signifies that either Leonard condones this perspective or it was the only relevant (for this book's argument) comment from that class. The former seems a more likely reason. Therefore, a film starring two African-American actors, based on the true-life story of an African-American protagonist fails to qualify as African-American cinema because it doesn't portray state violence against people of color.
It seems here that Leonard attempts to validate an argument through tautological constructions. Chapter Four, "Blackness as Comedy," provides the most detailed theoretical analysis and stands out as the most relevant to the book's title. As lucid as the analysis is, it does not compensate for the lack of theoretical foundations in the other two "film" chapters. Consequently, the book does not prove to be useful to either filmmakers or to film scholars. Popular culture students/scholars may benefit from some of his analysis, but again the larger problems limit its academic uses.

Fade To Black (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No 592)

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Fade To Black (Silhouette Intimate Moments, No 592)
Amanda Stevens
Manufacturer: Silhouette
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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