Bruno Mars conquered the music industry with far-reaching flair; selling over 115 million records worldwide as a singer; producer and as a songwriter. Bruno Mars; the book; documents his childhood in Honolulu and how he found fame from the age of four; before spreading his wings and scaling the seemingly unassailable stronghold of the music industry.
#3250017 in eBooks 2014-03-10 2014-03-10File Name: B00J86V95W
Review
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. Narrow-focused study of the films of SabuBy krebsmanThe story of Sabu is a fascinating one. The charming 12-year-old Indian boy; son of an elephant driver; is ldquo;discoveredrdquo; by famed documentarian Robert Flaherty (NANOOK OF THE NORTH) to star in the movie ELEPHANT BOY; which became a huge hit of 1937. Then it was off first to London where he was signed over to film mogul Alexander Korda (producer and co-director of ELEPHANT BOY); who stared him in a series of hit films emphasizing his impish personality; his precocious athleticism; and his radiant smile. These films; especially the classics; THE THIEF OF BAGDAD and THE JUNGLE BOOK; were huge hits the world over (and are still beloved today). Then it was on to Hollywood where he enjoyed continued success as a teenager in a series of color spectacles for Universal Studios co-starring with Maria Montez and John Hall. (Williams intimates that Sabursquo;s rise is related to the parallel rise of Technicolor; which emphasized his ldquo;other-ness.rdquo;) By his late 20s he was a has-been; appearing in schlocky; slapped-together films and desperately exploiting the audiencersquo;s memory of his younger image by means of the theatre and even an ice show. He died an untimely death at age 39 of a heart attack. Those are the outlines of Sabursquo;s professional life; which is what this book focuses on. Michael Lawrence confines his treatment of Sabursquo;s personal life to the basic facts of his marriage; the birth of his two children; and his involvement in a tabloid scandal when he was sued for paternity by a British dancer. He emphasizes Sabursquo;s love of sports; especially ice-skating (and his unfulfilled desire to star in a film opposite Sonja Henie). But there is virtually nothing about what Sabu thought and read and believed in. He wanted to make sure that people knew that he was NOT a Hindu; but a Muslim. However; we do not learn how devout a Muslim he was (one suspects ldquo;not veryrdquo;) or to which sect he belonged.Lawrence analyzes the films of Sabu through his very personal sensibility and has some insightful comments about what exactly makes a performer a ldquo;star.rdquo; His film analyses are interesting; albeit very ldquo;specialized.rdquo; He analyses Sabursquo;s movies as Colonialist propaganda and also as homosexual sex fantasies. (In both cases; I would say that if such characterizations were indeed true; they are unintentional.)I feel that there is a great story here that has not been told. What happens emotionally to a child who is taken out of one culture and thrust into another that is drastically different? But that does not seem to interest Lawrence. What hersquo;s interested in are the films and their place in modern popular culture. I did find this book interesting and thought-provoking; but it left me unsatisfied. However; within its own narrow focus; Irsquo;d rate it at four stars.
