Burton

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

``He seems to own the stage by divine right,'' deemed the New York Times review when Burton re-created his role in the 1980 revival of Camelot, over 20 years after its sellout run on Broadway. Such quotes from critics, associates, friends and familyas well as detractorscolor Alpert's biography which otherwise covers facts well-known since Burton's affair with Elizabeth Taylor during the filming of Cleopatra and their on-again, off-again marriage. The author retells the story of Richard Walter Jenkins's emergence from childhood in a Welsh mining town to become a mesmerizing performer in theater and movies. The book details Burton's screen roles in the films he made ``for money,'' as well as his triumphs in Becket, Equus, etc. Alpert shows us a star with a formidable intellect and commanding presence, an omnivorous reader, a gifted writer and raconteur alongside the philanderer and drunk whose escapades were material for news media around the world. When Burton died at the age of 58 in 1984, he made headlines again, but this time by reason of the eulogies of those who loved and admired him. Photos not seen by PW. Paperback rights to Fawcett. February 14

Library Journal

Film critic Alpert complains at the outset that the problem with a biography of the late Richard Burton is the wealth of information rather than the lack of it. With that in mind, the author attempts to distill the actor's entire career and tempestuous personal life into what amounts to be an extended profile, focusing on Burton's theater turn in Camelot , his bawdy relationship with Elizabeth Taylor, his performance in the film Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and his drinking problem. Only with Burton's alcoholism does Alpert employ sharp, reportorial skill and insight. The author's easy, anecdotal style fails elsewhere, especially in regard to Burton's fascinating theater career and his uneven life on film. However, the new book nicely complements and updates John Cottrell's decidedly more textured biography, Richard Burton (1972). Christopher Schemering, Arlington Cty. P.L., Va.