Author Shawn Levy has written acclaimed books about Jerry Lewis, The Rat Pack, Paul Newman, and other show biz personalities. His latest is about a titan of our culture. Clint Eastwood stands as tall as Paul Bunyan in American mythology. He’s a towering icon that grimly represents justice, strength, and individuality. Conversely, to some of us Clint Eastwood is a fierce advocate of fine arts. Clint Eastwood walks a fine line of staunch conservative values and creative artistry.
Clint is a hard guy to nail down. Is he a hardline conservative? He says he mostly voted Republican in his life. That may have changed in recent years, for hopefully obvious reasons. Eastwood has always spoken up for equal rights for all. He’s a longtime supporter of gay marriage and abortion.
In later years Clint made donations to Democrat candidates. I think he’s too smart to blithely follow either party. Instead, Clint Eastwood is a believer in individual causes and simply in individuals.
For some reason Clint loathed Barack Obama and made an ass out of himself by talking to an empty chair as if he were speaking to the man.
Clint has a reputation as a womanizer. His highly public battle with Sondra Locke was ugly and, for some of us at least, made him look bad. Then again, who knows the truth behind all the he-said-she-said brouhaha.
Mostly, Clint Eastwood is an entertainer. At his best he brilliantly portrays his belief in humanity and the consequences of our actions. At his worst, well, even hardcore fans like me have trouble defending Pink Cadillac and The Rookie.
Shawn Levy talked about two popular Clint Eastwood biographies. One came off as a hero-worshipping puff piece. The other writer had a hatchet out ready to chop off Clint’s head at every turn.
Levy’s intention was to give a fair account of the man and his humanity. With all the good and bad things that come along with being a flesh and blood mortal.
He gives us a portrait of a strong man who expected as much from his team as he did from himself. Clint, the competent man with a frontiersman's work ethic, did his job to the best of his ability. If he needed to learn to fly a jet, he did so. If he needed to climb the face of a cliff, Clint did the job. Taking a punch, doing a dance, singing, even composing the music for his own movies. All in a day's work.
At the same time, if crewmembers stopped pulling their weight, they were gone. Quickly, cleanly, and without remorse.
I love how Clint was personally offended at the waste in most movie productions. He made his films fast and as inexpensively as possible. Obviously, if you are hiring Meryl Streep for The Bridges of Madison County, you are spending some money. Clint cut out as much useless spending as possible, which is part of the reason he was able to make the movies he wanted to make throughout his career.
We all, especially movie fans, know the movies by heart. The great ones, the entertaining fluff pieces, and the misfires. Through it all, no one could reasonably claim Clint did anything but take risks, give his best, and usually deliver something worth watching.
Levy writes with insight, depth, and some occasional snark. He is obviously a fan, but he isn’t blind to the negative aspects of the work and the man. It’s an excellent walk through Clint Eastwood’s life, published at a perfect time. The book covers Juror #2 and that looks like it will be Clint’s final movie. I learned a lot, some of which didn't sit well with me. Then again, it's not like I've lived my life as a saint. Mostly Clint Eastwood: The Man and His Movies made me admire Clint even more than I already did. The book also makes me want to go back and watch the movies all over again. Well, maybe not Paint Your Wagon.
Written by Mark Sieber
Clint is a hard guy to nail down. Is he a hardline conservative? He says he mostly voted Republican in his life. That may have changed in recent years, for hopefully obvious reasons. Eastwood has always spoken up for equal rights for all. He’s a longtime supporter of gay marriage and abortion.
In later years Clint made donations to Democrat candidates. I think he’s too smart to blithely follow either party. Instead, Clint Eastwood is a believer in individual causes and simply in individuals.For some reason Clint loathed Barack Obama and made an ass out of himself by talking to an empty chair as if he were speaking to the man.
Clint has a reputation as a womanizer. His highly public battle with Sondra Locke was ugly and, for some of us at least, made him look bad. Then again, who knows the truth behind all the he-said-she-said brouhaha.
Mostly, Clint Eastwood is an entertainer. At his best he brilliantly portrays his belief in humanity and the consequences of our actions. At his worst, well, even hardcore fans like me have trouble defending Pink Cadillac and The Rookie.
Shawn Levy talked about two popular Clint Eastwood biographies. One came off as a hero-worshipping puff piece. The other writer had a hatchet out ready to chop off Clint’s head at every turn.
Levy’s intention was to give a fair account of the man and his humanity. With all the good and bad things that come along with being a flesh and blood mortal.
He gives us a portrait of a strong man who expected as much from his team as he did from himself. Clint, the competent man with a frontiersman's work ethic, did his job to the best of his ability. If he needed to learn to fly a jet, he did so. If he needed to climb the face of a cliff, Clint did the job. Taking a punch, doing a dance, singing, even composing the music for his own movies. All in a day's work.
At the same time, if crewmembers stopped pulling their weight, they were gone. Quickly, cleanly, and without remorse.
I love how Clint was personally offended at the waste in most movie productions. He made his films fast and as inexpensively as possible. Obviously, if you are hiring Meryl Streep for The Bridges of Madison County, you are spending some money. Clint cut out as much useless spending as possible, which is part of the reason he was able to make the movies he wanted to make throughout his career.
We all, especially movie fans, know the movies by heart. The great ones, the entertaining fluff pieces, and the misfires. Through it all, no one could reasonably claim Clint did anything but take risks, give his best, and usually deliver something worth watching.
Levy writes with insight, depth, and some occasional snark. He is obviously a fan, but he isn’t blind to the negative aspects of the work and the man. It’s an excellent walk through Clint Eastwood’s life, published at a perfect time. The book covers Juror #2 and that looks like it will be Clint’s final movie. I learned a lot, some of which didn't sit well with me. Then again, it's not like I've lived my life as a saint. Mostly Clint Eastwood: The Man and His Movies made me admire Clint even more than I already did. The book also makes me want to go back and watch the movies all over again. Well, maybe not Paint Your Wagon.
Written by Mark Sieber
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