Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer

Book Description

Edith Head is widely considered the most important figure in the history of Hollywood costume design. Her career spanned nearly half a century and included such classic films as Rear Window and Sunset Boulevard. Her private life and professional achievements have been the subject of speculation since she rose to the top in the late 1940s. Ruthlessly competitive and intensely secretive, Head had few close friends and many detractors. Her longtime friend, protégé, and confidant David Chierichetti offers a privileged glimpse into the personality behind the famously impenetrable "schoolmarm" façade and a comprehensive account of her creative process.

With more than 150 images –– including family snapshots, sketches, and studio portraits of the stars and roles she helped to create, Edith Head is a fresh and vital portrait of the designer, as well as of the era she epitomizes.

Customer Reviews:

Where are the costumes???.......2007-06-05

Edith Head is the single best-known costume designer Hollywood ever produced (she's such an iconic figure that a character modeled on her appeared in the Disney movie "The Incredibles" a couple of years back) and has probably won more Oscars than anyone else in film history. Given that, you would have expected a pictorial biography of this woman to be chock-full of her best designs. Well, it isn't. As other reviewers have noted, the pictorial selection is disappointing, and the writing is plodding. Considering that the author wrote an excellent book on costume design in film some years ago ("Hollywood Costume Design", which should be available from various Marketplace sellers), it's perplexing that what should have been a tour de force has fallen so flat. I suppose those who want to see an in-depth exploration of Ms. Head's work should look for the book "Edith Head's Hollywood" instead.

A fun, fast read........2006-12-25

This is a breezy, readable, can't-put-it-down bio on the infamous, iconic Edith Head. The real advantage this author has, is one of proximity, having worked with her.
This is not a filling meal... it made me want to find her own book - even though she dismisses it later in her life. It digs few probing holes, perhaps because she herself covered all the holes so well. But there is so much DISH here, we don't miss the meal. I'm giving this as a gift to someone who worked in the textile industry.
The real quibble of this book is that there are so FEW pictures of her finished work. With so many juicy anecdotes about different stars, and backstage stories about films, it would have been really nice to have wardrobe shots. Publishers... it isn't too late to add these!
I'm currently reading a bio of Coco Chanel, and it is interesting to see many paralells between the two women, including the trademark streamlined, simplicity they both shared. Edith Head didn't just look inscrutible. She was. This is a fun, fast read.

Interesting read, but not what I was looking for.......2006-07-13

Edith Head was the Coco Chanel of Hollywood. Mysterious, implacable, and scary good at her job. I enjoyed reading a biography of her life and career. Unfortunately, as a costume designer, what I hoped to learn more about was her creative process and the tricks she used to make the actors look like their characters. This book was more of a love letter, so my search for knowledge continues.

Total Confusion.......2006-04-18

This book was one of the most confusing books I ever read. It was poorly written. I was so lost after Head got her job at Paramount. I knew more of what happened to Charles Head. At Paramount, Chierichetti kept listing jobs that other designers were getting and never revealing Edith's outcome or why. Where was Edith? What about Edith? is all I kept asking. Save your money, this book is not worth it.

Would have been a great article.......2004-04-15

Chierichetti has produced what would have been a fascinating article for Vanity Fair or Vogue, but falls short as a full length biography. His subject spent many celebrated decades as a Hollywood costume designer but we learn little about Edith Head's actual creative process, her interactions with the stars she dressed or even how she felt about her job (other than she seemed monumentally insecure about her success). The book is also missing photographic documentation that would help the reader understand how great her impact really was. In the end, we don't learn much more about Edith Head or her life, but rather we learn the same stuff over and over: she was a champion dissembler, she had a complex emotional life, she was conflicted over her parentage and upbringing. Check, check, check. Anything else?

Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer

Average customer rating:

Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer
David Chierichetti
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OF4OH6

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Renaissance: From the 1470s to the End of the 16th Century (Music and Society)

Average customer rating:

The Renaissance: From the 1470s to the End of the 16th Century (Music and Society)

Manufacturer: Prentice Hall College Div
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0137734093

Music, Society, Education (Music/Culture)

Average customer rating:

I would give it more stars if I could
Small - an ingorant author
Groundbreaking

Music, Society, Education (Music/Culture)
Christopher Small , and Robert Walser
Manufacturer: Wesleyan University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

History & Criticism | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0819563072

Book Description

Cited by Soundpost as "remarkable and revolutionary" upon its publication in 1977, Music, Society, Education has become a classic in the study of music as a social force. Christopher Small sets out to examine the social implications of Western classical music, effects that until recently have been largely ignored or dismissed by most musicologists. He strives to view the Western musical tradition "through the mirror of these other musics [Balinese and African] as it were from the outside, and in so doing to learn something of the inner unspoken nature of Western culture as a whole."

As series co-editor Robert Walser writes, "By pointing to the complicity of Western culture with Western imperialism, Small challenges us to create a future that is more humane than the past. And by writing a book that enables us to rethink so fundamentally our involvements with music, he teaches us how we might get there."

Customer Reviews:

I would give it more stars if I could.......2007-02-27

Speaking as a practising creative musician, I would say that no other book has had such a profound effect on me. I've re-read it several times.

Two of Christopher Small's many excellent points particularly struck me: 1) the glories of Western classical music (and I love Beethoven as much as the next fella) shouldn't blind us to the fact that it is but a tiny strand of the awe-inspiring diversity of humanity's music, and 2) much of our listening experience in the West takes the form of passive consumption of musical product, whereas for the great bulk of the world's peoples (in traditional societies, at least) music is about participation and the process of making music, rather than the end product.

First published in 1976 ( I believe- don't have my copy handy to verify this) I feel Small's appraisal of the entirety of music of the world, and the unjustifiably exalted place that Western classical music holds in the mind of the general public (not just in the West, either) was way ahead of its time. Keep in mind that he was writing well before the explosion of interest in so-called "world music" that we saw in the 1980s.

Small's treatment of the concepts of process versus product in music performance opened my eyes in ways that still resonate for me, two decades after first reading this book.

I said earlier that I've re-read it several times; to be more precise that was a while ago now, and I hadn't actually read it for ten or more years. When I recently did, I was particularly struck by Small's idealism, something that many in today's cynical times might scoff at, to which I simply say that now more than ever they could do with a good dose of such idealism.

Do check out "Musicking" and "Music of the Common Tongue", both also excellent (in fact I think "Musicking" may be his greatest book) but start with this one.

Small - an ingorant author.......2000-03-23

Small makes a few valid points, but he seems too closed-minded. He critizes Western music too much and sometimes his arguments are just plain stupid.

Groundbreaking.......1999-01-15

Anyone with an interest in the emergence of Avant-Garde in Western classical music should read this book. Those with general interests in music -- in rock or jazz or "world" -- should also pick it up. Small's well-argued points about Western ideals and preconceptions of music -- especially its limitations -- are compelling. A classic in music scholarship!

Brothers, Sing On!: My Half-Century Around The World With The Penn Glee Club

Average customer rating:

"Afterglow", forever.
A story of talent and success
His melody lingers on!
A GREAT READ - FASCINATING AND INSPIRING!

Brothers, Sing On!: My Half-Century Around The World With The Penn Glee Club
Bruce Montgomery
Manufacturer: University of Pennsylvania Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Travel | Writing | Reference | Subjects | Books

General | Travel | Subjects | Books

Look Inside Travel Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0812238567

Book Description

In 1862, a group of undergraduates at the University of Pennsylvania put the University's colors of red and blue in their buttonholes and gave the first performance of the University of Pennsylvania Glee Club. Ninety-four years later, in 1956, Bruce Montgomery became the Glee Club's director and brought the Club to new heights of musicianship and international acclaim. In his forty-four-year tenure, "Monty" made the Glee Club the premier musical voice of the University and brought Penn and the spirit of Philadelphia to audiences around the world.

The Glee Club has performed on five continents in thirty countries and countless times in Philadelphia. In Brothers, Sing On! Monty shares his stories and experiences. From an impromptu photo op on a Wisconsin highway during a blizzard in 1977 to singing for U.S. presidents, this exhilarating memoir is filled with the Glee Club's farflung adventures. Backstage anecdotes let the reader step behind the scenes of such performances at home, abroad, and on worldwide television.

A reflection of Monty's boundless energy and flair for showmanship, this volume also includes stories of the students with whom the Glee Club director worked in other clubs--the Penn Singers, the Marching Band, the Penn Players, and the Mask & Wig Club, to name a few. Throughout his memoir, Montgomery reflects fondly on the development of the Glee Club. It is a testament to his immeasurable contribution to its success and renown.

Customer Reviews:

"Afterglow", forever........2005-12-13

Having sung in the 1960's Penn Glee Club, when we didn't dance and didn't travel far from West Philadelphia, this book is an explanation of how the "Club" survived and thrived in subsequent years. The World travel and successes are thrilling;
but how "Monty" and his men put together their annual shows and built on them is even more enthralling.
Surely anyone who had anything to do with the University of Pennsylvania for the past 50 plus years has been touched by the
talent of Bruce Montgomery and should find this a good read!

A story of talent and success.......2005-10-19

After a less than sterling performance as Santa Claus in a first grade pageant, I decided that others were better suited for the limelight than I. On later occasions, I had the opportunity to use my visual skills 'backstage' through set design and construction. In this manner I found much satisfaction in collaborating with talented folks who could sing, dance and remember lyrics and scores far better than I. Mr. Mongomery's book, "Brothers, Sing On!" brings back many memories of marvelous experiences, great friendships, and yes, the hard work that goes into the making of exhilarating performances.

I can only wish that I had first hand experiences with Mr. Mongomery's music. Seeing his group via TV in Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was of interest. The recounting in his book of his half-century of performances and creations seems to demonstrate rather convincingly his outstanding musical and directing skills. To be able to compose - invent - new music as well as arrange the work of others; to write transitional or counterpoint melodies and lyrics, surely are gifts that few people have. For performers, collaborators, or those interested in stories of success, Mr. Mongomery's book is a true delight to read.

His melody lingers on!.......2005-10-18

Wow! What a delightful book! I never had the pleasure of hearing the Penn Glee Club, or seeing them perform, but reading this wonderful memoir/autobiography by its 50-year director certainly makes me wish I had. Bruce Montgomery is a true Renaissance man...conductor, arranger, composer, artist, choreographer, diplomat and mentor to hundreds of students over the years. This captivating narrative covers a lifetime of passion for excellence and love of occupation expressed with warmth and humor. Fortunate are the students touched by his genius, and fortunate are those of us who have read his story!

A GREAT READ - FASCINATING AND INSPIRING!.......2005-09-29

Having heard the University of Pennsylvania perform at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and also with the Philadelphia Orchestra, I picked this book up out of curiosity. Then I couldn't put it down and had to purchase two more for friends as gifts. Bruce Montgomery's memoir of nearly 50 years working with talented college students and transforming them into a finely honed professional singing troupe is nothing short of breathtaking. This will make a great holiday gift for everyone on my list!

Acoustical Design of Music Education: Essays Concerning the Acoustical Design of Music Education Facilities and Reproductions of Posters Describing Fifty Recent Projects Presented at

Average customer rating:

Acoustical Design of Music Education: Essays Concerning the Acoustical Design of Music Education Facilities and Reproductions of Posters Describing Fifty Recent Projects Presented at
N. Y.) Acoustical Society of America Meeting 1989 (Syracuse , Edward McCue , and Richard H. Talaske
Manufacturer: Acoustical Society of Amer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Architecture | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0883188104

Basic Concepts in Music Education the Fifty-Seventh Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education

Average customer rating:

Basic Concepts in Music Education the Fifty-Seventh Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education
Nelson B. Henry
Manufacturer: University of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000H26BUY

Basic Concepts in Music Education: The Fifty-Seventh Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part I

Average customer rating:

Basic Concepts in Music Education: The Fifty-Seventh Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part I

Manufacturer: National Society for The Study of Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000I2U1T0

Average customer rating:

BASIC CONCEPTS IN MUSIC EDUCATION: The Fifty-Seventh Yearbook of the National Society for the Study of Education, Part I.
ed. Nelson B. Henry
Manufacturer: Chicago: National Society for The Study of Education, 1958.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000KIJAK8

The Boston Musical Education Society's COLLECTION OF CHURCH MUSIC; Consisting of Original Psalm and Hymn Tunes, Select Pieces, Chants, &c.; Including Compositions Adapted to the Service of the Protestant Episcopal Church

Average customer rating:

The Boston Musical Education Society's COLLECTION OF CHURCH MUSIC; Consisting of Original Psalm and Hymn Tunes, Select Pieces, Chants, &c.; Including Compositions Adapted to the Service of the Protestant Episcopal Church
Benjamin F. and I. B. Woodbury eds. Baker
Manufacturer: Saxton and Peirce
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GLDK14

Brass Scholarship in Review (Bucina: The Historic Brass Society)

Average customer rating:

Brass Scholarship in Review (Bucina: The Historic Brass Society)

Manufacturer: Pendragon Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Education | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1576471055

Books:

Books Index

Books Home

Recommended Books