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Book ReviewsJohn Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth (Thorndike Press Large Print Biography Series) |
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Book: John Wayne: The Man Behind the Myth (Thorndike Press Large Print Biography Series)
Written by: Michael Munn |
Publisher: Thorndike Press
Average Customer Rating: 3.5 / 5
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He deserves better than this
Rating:
2 / 5
When is someone going to come out with a satisfactory biography of America's greatest star? It used to be that people scoffed at John Wayne's acting, but in recent years the circle has come around and i think we all know he wasn't a bad actor but an incandescent performer with infinite gobs of star quality radiating all around him like shooting stars. And yet the biographies of him lack his moral depth and complexity. Invariably they are written by people like Michael Munn, an okay journalist but a man with too many irons in the fire (18 previous books, including lives of Gene Hackman and Sharon Stone) to afford himself the luxury of time--the precious time it would take to write a first-class biography of this great, iconic presence. Munn has interviewed a lot of people, all of whom sound pretty much the same in his chatty transcriptions, and he has gotten close to many who were close to the Duke, and the book is readable enough, but it doesn't come close to conveying what happens to an audience when they sit through a John Wayne picture, the intense identification and mythologizing of his screen character as it moves from frame to frame, decade to decade. Munn also in British and gives Wayne through the British tabloid lens, when as we know Wayne was American as apple pie.
And he brings a lot of rumors to the book, particularly those which emphasize Wayne's right-wing political views and his proud conservatism. All very well and good but to make Wayne a hero on the basis that Joseph Stalin put out a fatwa on him is just ridiculous. If Stalin had wanted Wayne assassinated (for what reason?) wouldn't it have been taken care of during Stalin's lifetime?
Munn also fails to gloss over Wayne's miserable personal life. In fact the way he lingers on it makes you think he enjoys seeing the Duke brought to his knees by the women around him and by his troubled, semi-nutty mentor John "Pappy" Ford.
A wonderful tribute to a man larger than life
Rating:
5 / 5
This is a "must read" for any John Wayne fan. The book is written with a deftness and style similar to the character of the man of whom it portrays. Munn is a self-described fan, yet is able to depict Wayne in a realistic light while using great sensitivity and care. The book is based largely on Munn's personal interviews (spanning several years) with John Wayne's colleagues and more importantly, the Duke himself, which lends credibility to his words. I have come away from this book not only with an historical view into John Wayne's career, but also with a great sense of respect for Waynes's honesty and "no-nonsense" approach to life. His love for his country is more than admirable, especially now in such times of partisanship and complacency. Sadly, John Wayne's era has gone by the wayside so kudos to Michael Munn for keeping his spirit alive.
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