Katharine Hepburn

Rating:
Summary: Insight into the life of a star
Review: I found this book to be quite an in-depth view into the life of Katherine Hepburn, an elusive star. It offers a back-stage view of the life of an icon and the struggles and triumphs that are associated with that responsibility. I would definitly recommend this book to those interested in the genre.

Rating:
Summary: Grudging Biography
Review: Upon reading this book, one gets the unmistakable impression that Edwards has gone a lot further than just trying to demystify Hepburn with "objective" opinions. While it never explicitly ridicules Hepburn, I think the tone is subtly anti-Hepburn. Indeed, praise for the great actress comes almost reluctantly, and often after the author has already expressed her own negative opinion, which permanently detracts from the Hepburn persona. (For eg, (1) The author's reasoning for Hepburn's defiance of contemporary fashion, (2) The strange correlation of the presence of (girlish?) stuffed toys in Hepburn's house with the idea that Hepburn might not have thought of herself as a strong woman.

It is quite clear that Hepburn has not been interviewed for this book. The title "A Remarkable Woman" itself seems contrived and shallow, when we read the last paragraph of the book, where the title is (unsatisfactorily) explained. I fear that a reader with no prior information about Hepburn, will come away with an incorrect picture of Hepburn as just another Hollywood actress, (with some redeeming quirks) who had her share of ups and downs. In my opinion, Andrew Britton's work (Katharine Hepburn, Star as Feminist), though not biographical, is the best critical appreciation of Hepburn's film roles and, by extension, of Hepburn, who was often described as transferring her own qualities to her roles, rather than completely adapting herself to them.

Rating:
Summary: Grudging Biography
Review: Upon reading this book, one gets the unmistakable impression that Edwards has gone a lot further than just trying to demystify Hepburn with "objective" opinions. While it never explicitly ridicules Hepburn, I think the tone is subtly anti-Hepburn. Indeed, praise for the great actress comes almost reluctantly, and often after the author has already expressed her own negative opinion, which permanently detracts from the Hepburn persona. (For eg, (1) The author's reasoning for Hepburn's defiance of contemporary fashion, (2) The strange correlation of the presence of (girlish?) stuffed toys in Hepburn's house with the idea that Hepburn might not have thought of herself as a strong woman.

It is quite clear that Hepburn has not been interviewed for this book. The title "A Remarkable Woman" itself seems contrived and shallow, when we read the last paragraph of the book, where the title is (unsatisfactorily) explained. I fear that a reader with no prior information about Hepburn, will come away with an incorrect picture of Hepburn as just another Hollywood actress, (with some redeeming quirks) who had her share of ups and downs. In my opinion, Andrew Britton's work (Katharine Hepburn, Star as Feminist), though not biographical, is the best critical appreciation of Hepburn's film roles and, by extension, of Hepburn, who was often described as transferring her own qualities to her roles, rather than completely adapting herself to them.