Dark Victory The Life of Bette Davis [Paperback]

The legendary Hollywood star blazes a fiery trail in this enthralling portrait of a brilliant actress and the movies her talent elevated to greatness

InDark Victory, noted film critic and biographer Ed Sikov paints the most detailed picture ever delivered of Bette Davis, the intelligent, opinionated, and unusual woman who was???in the words of a close friend??? one of the major events of the twentieth century. Drawing on new interviews with friends, directors, and admirers, as well as archival research and a fresh look at the films, this stylish, intimate biography depicts Davis's personal as well as professional life in a way that is both revealing and sympathetic.

With his wise and well-informed take on the production and accomplishments of such movie milestones asJezebel,All About Eve, andNow, Voyager, as well as the turbulent life and complicated personality of the actress who made them, Sikov'sDark Victorybrings to life the two-time Academy Award???winning actress's unmistakable screen style, and shows the reader how Davis's art was her own dark victory.

Film criticEd Sikovis the author of the critically acclaimedOn Sunset Boulevard: The Life and Times of Billy Wilder andMr. Strangelove: A Biography of Peter Sellers. He has taught at Columbia University, Haverford College, and Colorado College, and lives in New York.

???Mr. Sikov . . . is both a respected scholar and a delicious gossip . . . Perceptive . . . Essential.??? ???The New York Times

???A valuable guide to an essential career.??? ???The Washington Post Book World

???Perceptive and superbly written.??? ???Publishers Weekly