REVIEW BOOKS
Seasonal stars
Alan Morrison is dazzled by the best of the year’s film in print.
Film book ofthe year has to be Shooting Stars (Stewart. Tabori & Chang £20), a beautifully packaged collection of contemporary Hollywood portraits from the personal scrapbook of author Ricky Spears. This gallery ofglamour, selected from one-off magazine shoots, is a tribute to the , photographers as much as the actors. ; and gives the lie to those sceptics ' who complain that Tinseltown doesn’t glitter any more. A remarkable book that exudes attitude, beauty and personality, with the added bonus of an exhaustive filmography for each featured star.
The Golden Age stars aren’t far behind, however, in a quartet of large softcovers — Garbo on Garbo by Sven Broman, Humphrey Bogart: Take ; It and Like It by Jonathan Coe, ‘ Montgomery Cliit: Beautiful Dreamer i by Barney Hoskyns (all Bloomsbury £14.99) and James Dean: American I icon by David Dalton and Ron . Cayen (Sidgwick & Jackson £14.99). | The subtitle of the Dean volume ; indicates the general approach — a i screen legend celebrated in
(ill smug 1"“ "
Hollywood glamour in Shooting Stars
meticulously researched text, with life and legacy illustrated by a wide selection ofphotographs, many previously unpublished.
A Christmas stocking disappointment for many film fans will be Barry Norman's too Best Films of the Century (Chapmans £16.99). A personal choice. certainly, but if Norm didn‘t rate Citizen Kane. Battleship Potemkin, Casablanca, et al. maybe he shouldn‘t be in this job. Too few foreign language films and too many received-wisdom ‘classics‘. Closer to home is Slightly Mad and Full of Dangers (Ramsey Head Press, £14.99). Forsyth Hardy‘s personal history of the Edinburgh Film Festival. At times it would appear Hardy was double-jointed, so often does he pat himselfon the back, but this is a vital chronicle of an important cinematic institution, and as such should be on the pressie list ofevery film distributor and upstart festival director in the country.
EVENTS ;
Glasgow
I Outside Lines Centre for Developmental Arts, 18 Albion Street, 552 2822. Wed 9, 7pm. Free. Readings by writers working in collaboration with Project Ability—
A.L. Kennedy, Bruce Biddulph. Joe Farrel, Colin Donati and Jim Thomson. I Glasgow Book Market Hillhead Library. Sat 12, 9.30am—4pm. Free. Second-hand and antiquarian books, maps and prints. Valuations and advice given. Info: 05606 349.
I Glasgow Museums Big Book Sale Art Gallery & Museum Kelvingrove. Sun 13. Ham—3.30pm. Free. A chance to buy special Christmas presents at knock-down prices. Info: 357 3929.
Edinburgh
I Roger Law Filmhouse, Lothian Road. . 2282688. Fri 4,7pm.£3.60. Halfofthe ? Spitting Image partnership in conversation with Filmhouse director Jim Hickey about A Nasty Piece of Work: The Art and Craft of Spitting Image (Booth-Clibbon £24), with guest appearances by the puppets. i Co-organisers Waterstone‘s 13 Princes ' Street are currently running a Christmas literary prize quiz - contact branch for details. I European Arts Festival: Writing in Europe ' Today Waterstone’s, 83 George Street. 225 3436. Tue 8, 7.30pm. Free. I Reading/discussion session with distinguished European writers J aan Kaplinski (Estonia), Cees Nooteboom
(Holland) and Julian Rios (Spain). I European Poetry In Scotland National
1 Library of Scotland, George IV Bridge, info 557 2876. Wed 9, 7pm. Entry by
donation. Readings of poetry in translation, featuring work in Scots. Gaelic, English and other European languages.
I David Paterson and Mike McQueen
Waterstone's, 128 Princes Street, 226 4689. Author talk and signing to launch a
new illustrated guide to The West Highland Way (Canongatc £16.95).
I Hell innes Filmhouse, Lothian Road, 228 2688 (in conjunction with Waterstone’s, 13 Princes Street). Thurs 10, 9.15pm. £3.60. The veteran ofthc Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Rutland
Authors at Waterstone's
WRITING IN EUROPE TODAY
7.30pm Tuesday 8th December 1992
Jaan KAPLINSKI Estonia's leading poet, author of THE SAME SEA IN US ALL
and THE WANDERING BORDER (Harvill)
Cees NOOTEBOOM One of Holland's finest living writers, author of RITUALS (Penguin)
Julian RIOS Best known as author of LARVA: MIDSUMMER NIGHTS'
BABEL, the 'Spanish James Joyce' (Quartet)
In the Chair: Alan Taylor
Literary Editor, Scotland on Sunday
Admission Free Wine will be served Waterstone's, 83 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3E8 Tel: 031 225 3436
Weekend Television etc looks for the fun in
finance with Gloom, Doom and Very Funny Money: Economics For Half- Wits (Piccadilly Press £6.99). Songs and sketches, then a chat with Filmhouse
' director Jim Hickey.
I D.L.G. Hunter James Thin, 53—59 South Bridge, 5566743. Fri 11, 12.30pm. Free. Signing session by the author of the new historical study Edinburgh ’5 Transport (Mercat Press £10.95).
I David Sole James Thin, 53—59 South Bridge, 556 6743. Sat 12, noon. Free. The former Scottish rugby captain will be signing copies of his controversial autobiography Heart and Sole (Mainstream £12.99).
I BIAS Book Launch Waterstone‘s, 128 Princes Street, 226 4689. Wed 16, 7.30pm. . Free. Slide-show and talk by Charles McKean, author of The Edinburgh Architecture Guide (RIAS £9.95).
MllSlC ~& A” Bella 1'
311108 Thinllas a New,
-. Videos Shakespearean .; Schwarzenegfier ’ Extensive range f _, lee-t,- Music...
Artbooks & Mat'eri
al. .
All - at James 53-59} South“- Biidge, '
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|' Rs. Remember we a... open LATE and SUNDAYS
The List 4— 17 December 1992 09