June 4, 2014 /

Book Review: GEORGE HURRELL’S HOLLYWOOD | Backlots

george-hurrell-04

The book is also a treasure trove for lovers of old Hollywood gossip, providing the reader with information about the mystery of Greta Garbo that existed offscreen as well as on. Vieira relates an anecdote on the unusual way in which Hurrell finally succeeded in getting Garbo to smile for a picture, the eccentricities of Marlene Dietrich, and the resistance of Olivia de Havilland to Hurrell’s unorthodox methods of getting a shot. One of my favorite parts of the book is an examination of how Hurrell airbrushed his subjects. A famous Hurrell photograph of Joan Crawford, glamorous, sexy, and a true movie star, is shown alongside its original negative–and we see Crawford as the freckle-faced, normal woman she was when she came into Hurrell’s studio. The difference between the two photographs is astounding, and shows what Hurrell was capable of long before the days of digital airbrushing and Photoshop.

via Book Review: GEORGE HURRELL’S HOLLYWOOD | Backlots.

tumblr_mavsiyrkf21qzm4v7o1_r1_1280George Hurrell’s Hollywood: Glamour Portraits 1925-1992: Mark A. Vieira, Sharon Stone: 9780762450398: Amazon.com: Books.

Subscribe to Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidBlubrryby EmailRSS

CategoriesArt Books Culture Design Entertainment fashion Friendship History Hollywood Life Los Angeles Movies Photography Theater Truth & Rumors Uncategorized Writing

Tagsairbrushing Backlots erase freckles erase lines glamour photograhy Hollywood intensify the shadows JoanCrawford Lara Gabrielle Fowler luminous photo retouching Vermeer

14 Comments

  1. Gallivanta
    June 4, 2014

    Wow! That is astounding.

    • Vickie Lester
      June 4, 2014

      He was very big on glamour and wanted his portraits to highly flatter. In a way they’re like paintings…

  2. Jen
    June 4, 2014

    I’ve had this book for years, and it is one of my favourites. Indeed, just a week or so ago I made the mistake of opening it for a “quick browse” while dusting. Twenty minutes later…

    • Vickie Lester
      June 5, 2014

      I know! What is it about that book? Just beautiful…

  3. Marcheline
    June 5, 2014

    Makes me feel a little better about photoshopping my own photos… I’m just being “old school” – ha! 😎

    • Vickie Lester
      June 6, 2014

      Just a little retouching, everybody does it 😉 !

  4. Elyse
    June 5, 2014

    Wow! I’d even let him photograph me!

    • Vickie Lester
      June 6, 2014

      I think he must have been great to work with, he talked and played music and joked, anything to get the expression he wanted.

  5. Silver Screenings
    June 6, 2014

    Amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a photo of “regular” Joan Crawford. The airbrushing is stunning.

    I’m actually very encouraged by seeing the “regular” Joan Crawford photo.

    • Vickie Lester
      June 6, 2014

      Young, she was all freckles and huge eyes. I should post some candid photos. So cute.

Comments are closed.