Cover to Cover - The Atlantic (October 2008)

by Simon Louvish (St. Martin’s) From the days when motion pictures actually flickered, in the 20th century’s teens, to the glories of 1950s Technicolor epics, DeMille’s role in the industry’s evolution was decisive. Louvish intelligently assesses this aspect of his subject, but he also roams further afield into such topics as the fabled director’s right-wing politics, his Jewish ancestry, and his surprising family connection to the radical economic thinker Henry George. A half century after his death, DeMille is ready for another close-up, and this is as good a one as we’re likely to get for some time. Prince Rupert: The Last Cavalier by Charles Spencer (Trafalgar Square) The hundreds of millions of people around the world who heard Charles Spencer’s eulogy at his sister Princess Diana’s funeral know that he has a way with... [read full story]