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Overview
Like a restless ghost, James Dean (1921-1955) continues to haunt us. Though he died nearly 50 years ago, the enigmatic star of East of Eden, Rebel without a Cause, and Giant still symbolizes the mystery and torment of adolescence-an image that his sudden, violent death fixed forever in the public mind.Magnum photographer Dennis Stock met Dean in Hollywood in 1954 and began to capture him on camera. Shot over a three-month period just as the young actor's star began to rise, these iconic photographs are the greatest pictures ever taken of Dean. Together with Stock's text and an introduction by Dean biographer Joe Hyams, the images provide an extraordinarily intimate view of the cult legend whose brooding good looks captivated fans by illuminating the troubled depths of his character. Published on the 50th anniversary of his death, this is the definitive photographic portrait of James Dean in both his professional and his private worlds-the real man behind the lingering legend.
Author Bio: Dennis Stock has been associated with Magnum Photos since 1951, and his photographs are in the collections of many major museums. Stock is the author of 16 books, including California Trip, on the surrealistic landscape of that state. He lives in Connecticut. Joe Hyams is the noted author of 28 books, among them James Dean: Little Boy Lost, the definitive Dean biography. Immediately after Dean's death, he was the first authorized by the actor's family to write about him.
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
Although Stock has been associated with Magnum Photos since 1951 and his work has been collected in numerous books (California Trip; Jazz Street), he remains best known for his unforgettable b&w photographs of Dean, which soared beyond routine celebrity shots. Stock's photo essay in Life, "Moody New Star," attracted attention the same week East of Eden opened in 1955, and in the years since, his photos of Dean have resurfaced in magazines, books and exhibitions. Published on the 50th anniversary of Dean's death, this collection of 80 duotones recaptures the few weeks in 1954 Stock spent with the actor in New York and his Fairmount, Ind., hometown before the two flew back to L.A. for the filming of Rebel Without a Cause. Hyams (James Dean: Little Boy Lost) calls the haunting shot of Dean alone in a rainy Times Square "one of the foremost iconic images of the 20th century." A surreal scene at the Fairmount farm shows Dean banging bongo drums for an audience of cows and pigs, and a peek inside an Actors Studio session is a rarity since Lee Strasberg "almost never let anyone photograph his classes." Stock's own brief memoir of his friendship with Dean is well written, evocative and insightful. (Aug.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.Library Journal
Fifty years ago, a star was born and died soon after, leaving only three films for a legacy. Yet they were enough to imprint James Dean (1931-55) on the American consciousness; to this day, his image invites the kind of maudlin speculation worthy of an icon. Photographer Stock, long involved with Magnum, knows firsthand the allure of "Jimmy." After seeing a sneak preview of East of Eden, he was so taken with Dean that he proposed a Life magazine spread tracing his coming of age in Indiana, where he was born and raised; New York City, where he honed his craft; and Hollywood, where he made bank. This book collects for the first time all of the photos taken for that assignment. In slightly grainy black and white, we see the exhilaration, but mainly the exhaustion, of Dean's rising fame. As Stock reveals, Dean was a serious insomniac, and one of the most magnetic shots depicts the actor out cold at a Manhattan bar, cigarette still burning, while his lovely pony-tailed companion looks on. Dean fans and casual browsers alike will be sucked into this virtual gallery of the 1950s and linger on the actor's unforgettable face. Highly recommended for larger performing arts and photography collections.-Heather McCormack, Library Journal Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.Book Details
Published
April 29, 2005
Publisher
New York : Harry N. Abrams, 2005.
Pages
128
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780810959033