Clint

The Man and the Movies

By: Shawn Levy

Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain

A Los Angeles Times ""Must Read Book for Summer""

""This is the biography of Clint Eastwood we've been waiting for."" — Sir Christopher Frayling, author of Sergio Leone

From the acclaimed film critic and New York Times bestselling biographer of Paul Newman, a revelatory portrait of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood, the most prolific and versatile actor-director in movie history and an imposing icon of American culture for six decades.

C-L-I-N-T. That single short, sharp syllable has stood as an emblem of American manhood and morality and sheer bloody-minded will, on-screen and off-screen, for more than sixty years. Whether he’s facing down bad guys on a Western street (Old West or new, no matter), staring through the lens of a camera, or accepting one of his movies' thirteen Oscars (including two for Best Picture), he is as blunt, curt, and solid as his name, a star of the old-school stripe and one of the most accomplished directors of his time, a man of rock and iron and brute force: Clint.

To read the story of Clint Eastwood is to understand nearly a century of American culture. No Hollywood figure has so completely and complexly stood inside the changing climates of post–World War II America. At age ninety-five, he has lived a tumultuous century and embodied much of his time and many of its contradictions.

We picture Clint squinting through cigarillo smoke in A Fistful of Dol­lars or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; imposing rough justice at the point of a .44 Magnum in Dirty Harry; sowing vengeance in The Outlaw Josey Wales or Pale Rider or Unforgiven; grudgingly training a woman boxer in Million Dollar Baby; and standing up for his neighbors despite his racism in Gran Torino. Or we feel him present, powerfully, behind the camera, creating complex tales of violence, morality, and humanity, such as Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima, and American Sniper. But his roles and his films, however well cast and convincing, are two-dimensional in comparison to his whole life.

As Shawn Levy reveals in this masterful biography—the most com­plete portrait yet of Eastwood—the reality is richer, knottier, and more absorbing. Clint: The Man and the Movies is a saga of cunning, determi­nation, and conquest, a story about a man ascending to the Hollywood pantheon while keeping one foot firmly planted outside its door.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

The author did a great job.

I really liked his descriptions of Clint and the in-depth descriptions of his movies. I am going to watch several of his movies now.

Great level of detail. The author also provides his thoughts aside the critics, which I liked.

I would suggest it is a little long, but to be fair, I don't know what to cut.

Thorough, Entertaining, and Enlightening

A fair snd balanced account of an American icon. Excellent writing. Well-paced. Compelling stories. Great performance. Something for everyone in this book, but film buffs will especially love it.

Amazing Read!

Even though his parents were young, they both liked who they were as well as where they were in life. They were supportive of Clint and taught him respect.
And what an incredible background he had: a jack of all trades, attempting college, 2 years in the service, being a lifeguard.
His curiosity about directing began as he was just starting out as an actor. He seemed also to be an astute observer of life around him. At a very young age, Clint showed an impressive work ethic.
He was a guy who appreciated a robust sex life and seemed to often carry on two or more lives.
The book is an amazing trip through his life and his movies, the ups and downs, explaining the circumstances that made Clint who he was and who he became.
I appreciated all the "footnotes" sprinkled throughout the chapters that added more in-depth explanations and other tidbits of information.

Serious and very enjoyable .

Liked the angle- objective, knowledgeable and profound you feel you know who is Clint Eastwood now