Natalie Wood: A Life

Scott Eyman reviews Gavin Lambert's biography of Natalie Wood for the New York Observer, and, when you subtract the penchant for phrases like "the bisexual, addictive personality who went by the name of Nicholas Ray," effectively argues for Wood's significance as one of the last of the studio-made stars though "without ever earning the bona fides of a major actress."

But opinions on her skills vary; last week, in the Times, Stephanie Zacharek played up Lambert's elaboration on how Wood's talent demonstrated itself on screen and his close relationship with his subject. "The consideration Lambert accords Wood isn't just good taste or cautious discretion on his part," she commented, "it's a case of his having a brain, a critical sensibility, and using it." (Eyman also believes Lambert's "most valuable quality as a biographer—aside from an unforced but erudite style—is empathy" with his subject.)

Meanwhile, at the WaPo, Carolyn See starts out by leaning strong on the personal connection between Lambert and Wood, wondering aloud if his novel Inside Daisy Clover is about her. (She also calls it "one of the two best novels about Hollywood," without telling us what the other one is, dammit!) Then she compares Lambert's book to another bio that came out nearly three years ago, ultimately deeming it "more sophisticated," skims the surface of the actress' life, and veers off into recalling an interview she conducted with Wood years ago before finally issuing a more emphatic recommendation.

I haven't read the Wood bio yet, but I anticipate doing so eventually, as I've been a fan of Lambert's ever since interviewing him about his earlier biographies of Alla Nazimova and Lindsay Anderson. And if you can track down his fiction, do; I think Serpent's Tail may be keeping the novels and short story collections in print, so start with Inside Daisy Clover and work your way from there. I like to think of him as sort of Los Angeles' Dawn Powell, but that's just my idiosyncratic take.

See also Lambert's personal recollections of Paul Bowles and Karel Reisz, plus an essay on Simenon.

And what the heck, here's a list of his top ten movies. He doesn't include the adaptation of Inside Daisy Clover, of course, but it's a pretty decent little movie, shows up on AMC from time to time, and Natalie Wood's great in it. (Not to mention that it gave us "The Circus Is a Wacky World," with music by Andre Previn and lyrics by Dory Previn.