Customer Reviews (13) 
The Little Superstar with the Immense Talent and Looks Gets Some Respect, at Last!
Joe Dallessandro (or Dalessandro, or D'Allessandro, etc.) is an actor for whom I always have had an almost obsessive passion, not simply because of his incomparable and mysterious physical beauty, which has such a sheen to it (e.g. the pellucidly luminous glow of his nipples, the impressive scale and beautiful shape of his genitals, his skin's fine complexion, the lure of his long, straight, beautifully textured hair, etc.), but because Dallessandro drew one into his acting and persona so compellingly yet in such a seemingly effortlessly low-key, unself-consciously subtle way. His acting was not deadpan, or stiff, or overly reliant on his magnificent physical attributes alone, but deeply personal and compellingly genuine. Small gests that others do not notice, a change of _expression, a look of cunning manipulation, of a kind of passive surprise, and so forth, would be hard for most actors to realise if they were scripted for them, yet Dallessandro did all of this in the semi-improvisatory manner in which his films with Warhol and those associated with him were made. Ferguson has a keen appreciation of these elusive qualities that made Dallessandro such a rivetting and fascinating actor as well as such an overwhelmingly gorgeous physical presence in his films, where he so eclipses in interest all but a few of the other actors in the casts. He deals feelingly with Joe Dallessandro's brother, who died at such a young age and whose own physical allure shares such an obviously fraternal resemblance to that of Little Joe himself.
The photos in the book are not particularly well reproduced, merely adequate in quality, but would have benefitted from being printed on glossy paper with greater photographic resolution and contrast, as some of the same photos reveal their potential on the glossy front and back covers of the book. Still, it is good to have so many photos (from those of his "beefcake" physique photo posing days of the earlier years of his adolescence onwards) of this incomparably sensuous man in one place. The author's style is enthusiastic and not particularly literary, but his real love of Dallessandro and of his work gives the book a sincerity and depth of appreciation that still, alas, are all too seldom expressed regarding Joe Dallessandro. It is quite a wonderment to learn of the many films, besides the famous ones, that "Little Joe" made over the years, and the author's appreciation of them makes one yearn to see them all, and Ferguson's success in arousing such curiosity to explore Dallessandro's legacy is one indicator of his own success as a writer!
I have lived with this book, returning to it often, and it always gives me pleasure to open it, to gaze on Joe Dallessandro's sheer physical splendour and to read his words quoted and those of the author expressed so feelingly about this icon of erotic (and other) film.
Everything You Need to Know About Joe Dallesandro
"Gay and straight fans worldwide have been infatuated with Joe Dallesandro since Andy Warhol made him famous, and the underground films made him a sexual icon. Now, at long last, Dallesandro talks--in detail--about his life, his career and his films. More than 100 photos--including several full-frontal nudes of the not so little Joe! Softcover; 216 pages. 'Here it is at last: everything you need to know about Joe Dallesandro. A wonderful actor who forever changed male sexuality on the screen.'--John Waters, director"--© zebraz
Great Document To A Working Actor
I love this book. It is really too bad that many of these films haven't been released as some sort of "Little Joe" DVD Box Set in the United States, particularly the post-Warhol European films like "Black Moon" and "Seeds of Evil."Joe has been a hard-working actor for decades now, and he deserves this well-researched testament to his work.
Well written and highly thorough biography of an pop icon
I don't know that you can fairly judge a biography or autobiography based on the subject matter. If the person interests you then you are going to find the book interesting - unless the book is just horribly written (this is often the case, sadly). However, Michael Ferguson has done a fine job of working with a man who literally stumbled into acting years ago in New York.
Joe Dallesandro (or Little Joe) was a street tough kid from New York when he wandered onto the set of an Andy Warhol film. He was cast in that film right away. I won't summarize the biography, because there's no point in doing so. However, I will say that Ferguson takes us along on a brief, but thorough walk through Joe's life to the present day. Then we get to learn about each of the films that Joe has made in great detail.
No, Joe isn't Bette Davis or Olivier or even John Wayne, but I would have liked to have had the biographical information appear in a bit more detail. That's my own peeve, but it isn't really fair, since we're talking about a guy who was doing nudity in "art" films in the 60's - a guy who played a German peasant in turn of the century Germany with a Brooklyn accent. This is not an actor who would ever win any awards for his talent, unless his talent was is body and face. And what a body and face he had for the times.
Little Joe lets us take a brief look at a Warhol creation that lived far beyond its intended artistic life. Joe Dallesandro the man is far different from the beautiful face and body on the screen. Timeless there in appearance, his real life was never what others fantasized about him. This guy is still a street tough scrapper who is just barely scraping by today.
I think the material is interesting and the writing is effective and worthwhile. If you have a nostalgic bent toward Warhol's Factory days or just liked his weird horror films or sexy films, then you'll enjoy reading this book.
Info packed
I can not believe the bad reviews - I feel they have a personal issue, not one with the book.No book has this complete of a listing of Joe films.The author has done a fantastic job of not just reviews the film, but giving a reason why they should be seen.Joe has had quite a life and this B movie stars book is a good read.But for a collector of movies and someone who is interested in film, this book is the bible for Joe.
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