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Cecil B. DeMille: The Art of the Hollywood Epic

by Mark A. Vieira
Presley, Cecilia de Mille & . Running Pr. 2014. 416p. photos. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780762454907. $60; ebk. ISBN 9780762455379. FILM
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Cecil B. DeMille (1881–1959), Hollywood's "director-general," is best known for his sin-and-spectacle epics and as the director of "Norma Desmond's" (Gloria Swanson) famous close-up in the 1950 Billy Wilder film Sunset Blvd. However, what is missing from that shallow view is DeMille the film pioneer and artist. This volume opens the vault to reveal the man who has been subsumed by popular culture and brings the director-as-artist to the forefront. Coauthors Presley (DeMille's granddaughter and vice chairman, the National Film Preservation Fdn.) and photographer/author Vieira (George Hurrell's Hollywood; Majestic Hollywood) have compiled a gorgeous treasure trove of film stills, portraits, sketches, costumes, and props and interlaced them with Vieira's well-written text and Presley's family histories.
VERDICT For anyone interested in early film, costume design, set design, or the history of Hollywood epics, this is an exciting find. For DeMille fans, it is a must-have.
Reviewed by Teri Shiel, Univ. of Connecticut Health Ctr. Lib., Farmington , Jan 01, 2015
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