Customer Reviews (2)

Unusual & creative if somewhat hokey
Selling the Celluloid Serpent is an unusual book featuring the works of the quirky, witty journalist and film writer, Ben Hecht. Kovan publishes 14 of the 425 Hecht pieces gathered from the Library of Congress.These stories were written during his stint in Chicago before 1925.Some of the subjects of these short parodies include "Nettie Walker," the alleged body double to Mary Pickford; Moon Kwan who advised D.W. Griffith on the Chinese portrayal in Broken Blossoms; former middleweight boxing champion Kid McCoy ("In five years of being knocked out [in films] I've made about ten times the money I made knocking other people out."); Wallace Reid's over zealous male secretary who answered the many love letters to the silent heartthrob; press agent and Civil War biographer Lewis Lloyd; Mack Sennett and his view of "greatness"; Norma Talmadge's ability to cry in the film Love's Redemption; an unlikely loser in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest, "the first" Harrison Ford; and the feminist/anarchist views of Olga Petrova ("There will come a time when women will emancipate themselves from this ghastly ruse by which nature converts them into populating machines").

Kovan includes much-needed background information for each of the satires as well as related photographs and ephemera which she explains in captions.Some of the illustrations are turned at angles and one of the stories is printed on a grid backdrop.Perhaps the odd format is to represent the irreverent style of Hecht, but such is not made clear.The use of the grid paper on the cover and behind one of the articles is not explained.Some of the photos (especially one of Kid McCoy) are of poor quality. The author put a lot of care and creativity into this book; however, readers interested in the silent stars may be disappointed.Most of the stories have a redundant format: a dialog with some behind-the-scenes person's sob story, a mildly amusing ending, and Lloyd Lewis crying at the end.Hecht's parodies are also, no doubt, tongue-in-cheek, so it is difficult to know if one really learns anything about these players through Hecht's writings.

A review of an unusual book, superbly edited and packaged.
A most unusual book is one by Florice Whyte Kovan, Rediscovering Ben Hecht; Selling the Celluloid Serpent (Washington DC: Snickersnee Albuma, 1998), 100 pp., $59.95; ISBN 9667709-0-0; Snickersnee Press, 325Pennsylvania Ave. SE, Washington DC 20003; (202) 547-4964.Fourteen ofHecht's short stories are compiled here with an introduction to each. Kovan enhances the book immeasurably by explaining the stories' charactersand situations from her research, facts that would otherwise escape thereader, so that the stories are richer.These are parodies of Hollywoodlife and people which, in essence, convey a slight contempt for goings-onin the industry.

The book is of unusual production: text, photographs,and line art on colored paper; two pages are even ruled accounting paper,on which, in "The New Market," Hecht lists the movie typescasting directors can use, and how much they are worth (e.g., "Type12--One-armed man.Holds still at $8 a day.This is reliable type.Withone eye, $2.50 extra.")Another unusual element of the book is theuse of postcards pasted onto a page (Norma Talmadge, p. 63); Mack Sennett"looking pensive" (p. 44); a folded "consultingcontract" for Broken Blossoms (p. 25); etc.

The parody at timesreaches hilarious heights.In "The Movie Double," two men discuss a woman(Nettie Walker) they are waiting for who works in silents as a double.AMr. Lewis describes her doubling for Mrs. Leslie Carter in The Heart ofMaryland when she "gripped the tongue of the bronze bell in thesteeple and swung back and forth out from the belfry, her heels hitting thepigeons, her skirts cracking at the rooster weather vanes, her eyescatching glimpses of the Maryland corn field far below."Kovan putsdetails in perspective when she informs us that Walker was the surname ofan actress who appeared nude in a play, while "Nettie" was aone-act play of two men waiting for a woman who never shows up.In"Tears, Tears, Tears," Hecht satirizes emotional actresses whocould cry on cue through his character Myrtle Platz (with an ironicending).

There is even a photograph of Castello's octagonal barn, whichsat across from Hecht's boyhood home in Racine WI.

Kovan's research hasmade accessible Hecht's work other than his screenplays, and the storiesare good enough to induce further reading of his writings.

Hecht won thefirst Academy Award for Underworld (1928), another Oscar for The Scoundrel(1935), and worked on Nothing Sacred, Gone with the Wind, and other films. That he was a serious, proficient writer is without doubt; he was also ableto characterize Hollywood's foibles into amusing tales that conjure up thepress-agentry of a time gone by.

Readers of the time would haverecognized the names and situations of the stories; Florice Whyte Kovan hadmade sure that we understand what the details of the parody actually were. This is a delightful book.

--Gene Vazzana (editor of The Silent FilmMonthly). ... Read more

Product Description
BONUS FEATURE: Peter Mayle's commentary on his life in Provence.

From Peter Mayle, a wonderful new novel steeped in wine—and the business of wine, and set in, bien sûr, Provence.

Max Skinner is not exactly setting the London financial world on fire, and when his supervisor steals his biggest client, it’s definitely time to inspect the vineyard in Provence that his recently departed uncle left him. Heartily and happily distracted upon his arrival by the landscape, the weather, and the food, not to mention the gorgeous notaire handling the estate and the stunning owner of the local bistro, Max almost forgets about his inherited property.

Which might have been a good idea, because the wine produced there is swill. But then why, Max has to wonder, is his caretaker so anxious to acquire the land? When a beautiful young woman from California arrives with what might be a legitimate claim on the estate, and knowledge of vineyards that far outstrips Max’s own, the plot begins its twists and turns into and out of truly wonderful complications and resolutions.

This is luscious reading, soothing us with the sensual wonders of Provence while it tells a fascinating tale of the hugely lucrative and competitive boutique-wine trade. It is Peter Mayle’s most satisfying, most delectable novel yet. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (58)

A Good Year
I got this in talking book form.Quality was excellent.I used it on a three hours each way car trip and it made for an entertaining six hours.Trouble is I wanted some of that French wine and cooking.

Great story!
Wonderful story of a charming French life - beautiful people, magnificent weather and deep red wine. A triumph.

I just got back from the south of France
I was in a lovely little French village, the sun danced over the lush fields of grapes, I sat and savored my glass of local wine in the shade outside a little cafe as I watched old men playing boules on the village green despite the heat.At least this charming little story made me feel that I had been.

As the story begins Max Skinner is a young up and coming go getter in the London business scene.When he unexpectedly loses his job Max wonders what he will do now and then he gets his second big surprise of the day, his uncle has died and left Max his farmhouse and vineyard in the south of France.At first all Max could think was that he could take a short break, sell the property and land another London job but after a short time in the quiet little village Max finds his thoughts of his London life fading and the absurd idea of his former brother-in-law about going into the wine business growing more appealing.Too bad the wine his vineyard produced was terrible.Max found himself growing more enchanted with the quite little village and the lovely relaxed life he found there.Now if he could just figure out how to stay there.....

This is a charming little story, not serious literature meant to reveal great truths but nice diversion to pass a few hours.There are holes in the plot big enough to drive a truck through, the reader will probably figure out the ending at least halfway through and most of the characters are rather one dimensional stock characters.And still the story is capable of transporting me to the summery French countryside despite the cold wind blowing snow outside as I read in between loads of laundry.

A Perfect Antidote
There is very much a place on my bookshelves, and I suspect on those of many other readers, for books that entertain, charm and take us somewhere far from our everyday working world without requiring us to enter into the dark recesses of the human mind, go through gut wrenching turmoil, or be involuntarily intellectually stretched before emerging from the final page in need of a mini break. Of course this book is a little lightweight, but just the thing to pop into your hand luggage en route to a holiday destination. Having personally travelled annually for more than twenty five years (part pleasure, part to research books) to the Drome, Vaucluse and Luberon regions of Provence, been soothed back into a semblance of sanity by good wines, good food, glorious scenery, overdosing on lavender fields and peace, not to mention the companionship of wonderful Provençal friends, I can unequivocally say that Peter Mayle does not exaggerate the charms of this beautiful part of the planet or of its people. Mayle is a master of the aptly chosen phrase, a first rate raconteur with an eye for the ridiculous, and just the amusing companion you need while resting on a deck chair or dreaming of sunshine and summer holidays in the depths of winter. Here's a glass of chilled Tavel rosé raised to Peter Mayle. Judyth McLeod, author of 'In a Unicorn's Garden'.

"You'll come to see that a man learns nothing from winning [except] how much more enjoyable it is to win."
(3.5 stars) Though this delightful novel does not precede the rich and heady memories, adventures, and interesting characters which one finds in A YEAR IN PROVENCE, Mayle's earlier story of Provence, it does pique the reader's imagination with its romantic story of a chateau and a vineyard and a wine scam in which a case of great wine may sell for one hundred thousand dollars. Max Skinner, a down-on-his-luck London investment banker, learns on the day that he is dismissed from his job that his uncle Henry has died in Provence. Max, the son of a British diplomat, had spent many happy summers with his childless uncle, and though he had not seen him recently, he discovers that he is the heir to Uncle Henry's farmhouse/chateau and its vineyards.

With money advanced to him by his former brother-in-law Charlie, a London real estate "baron," Max goes to Provence to see the estate and vineyards, which have been managed for years by Claude Roussel, a local farmer responsible for the vines. Max quickly discovers, however, that the wine produced on the estate is the equivalent of "pipi du chat," undrinkable. The locals in the town have their own priorities, and Max learns in short order that he cannot take people--or what they say--at face value. Though he hires an "oenologue" to visit the chateau to look at the vines, the soil, and the wine the vineyard produces, he suspects that this man may have ulterior motives. Max is soon joined by his wine-loving friend/ex-brother-in-law Charlie and a young woman from California who may have a closer claim to Uncle Henry's estate than Max.

As Max learns about the local wine industry of Provence (even more cut-throat than the investment banking world of London), the reader gets an education and quickly becomes involved in the heady world of wine selling and collecting. The extent to which some growers will go to hide assets and deceive the authorities and the public comes under the microscope here, as Max has to decide whether to become a full-time vineyard owner and lover of (honestly produced) fine wine, or to return to London.

Though Mayle may not be as descriptive or as concerned here with reproducing exact pictures of life as he does in A YEAR IN PROVENCE, he does create an amusing set of circumstances which raise questions about the wine industry. His tone is light and non-judgmental as Max navigates the minefields faced by any stranger to a community governed for generations by the same families. The succession of love stories keeps even the most jaded reader amused and interested, as Max makes his decision about whether to stay in Provence or return to "civilization." Mary Whipple

A Year in Provence
The Vintage Caper
Toujours Provence

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Product Description
This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on May 3, 2002. The length of the article is 691 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: [Pantalla grande.(TT: Big screen.)(Reseña)
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 3, 2002
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: 8Issue: 479Page: 35

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This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on December 1, 2000. The length of the article is 3155 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: Pantalla Grande.(TT: Big screen.)(Reseña)
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2000
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: 6Issue: 405Page: 40

Article Type: Reseña

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This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on October 16, 1997. The length of the article is 511 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: Washington Square.
Author: Olivia P. Tallet
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 16, 1997
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: v4Issue: n243Page: p17(1)

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This digital document is an article from Catholic Insight, published by Catholic Insight on October 1, 2009. The length of the article is 597 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: Dorian Gray.(Movie review)
Author: Carla Lopez
Publication: Catholic Insight (Magazine/Journal)
Date: October 1, 2009
Publisher: Catholic Insight
Volume: 17Issue: 9Page: 32(2)

Article Type: Movie review

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This digital document is an article from Semana, published by Spanish Publications, Inc. on April 26, 2002. The length of the article is 666 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: [Pantalla grande].(TT: Big screen.)(Reseña)
Publication: Semana (Magazine/Journal)
Date: April 26, 2002
Publisher: Spanish Publications, Inc.
Volume: 8Issue: 478Page: 29

Article Type: Reseña

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This digital document is an article from Siempre!, published by Edicional Siempre on July 10, 2002. The length of the article is 983 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

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Title: La inexpresividad de Sandra Bullock: Cálculo mortal. (Cine).(TT: Sandra Bullock's inexpressiveness: Death by Numbers. (Cinema).)(Reseña)
Author: Tomás Pérez Turrent
Publication: Siempre! (Refereed)
Date: July 10, 2002
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Volume: 49Issue: 2560Page: 70(2)

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Samuel Sillien, a Marxist literary critic, founded Mainstream magazine, which had been called "New Masses", an organ of the Communist Party of America, as a means to publish Communist ideas through the literary world. ... Read more