Hellraisers: The Inebriated Life And Times Of Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris & Oliver Reed (2008) - Plot & Excerpts
I had no idea this book existed until I came across it perusing the biography section at my library but I was thrilled when I saw it--I am currently on a Richard Burton binge/obsession and I adore Oliver Reed so I was pretty sure I would enjoy this. It's a very entertaining book--tabloid-y but entertaining. I did not know a lot about Richard Harris so he's probably the one I learned the most about but the sections on Peter O'Toole and Oliver Reed were also pretty informative. The sections on Richard Burton were the most poorly written, mostly 2nd and 3rd hand stories and not a lot of back up--"a source said" and "crew working on the set said" and a lot of things that conflict with other sources I have read. The author bashed on Elizabeth Taylor as much as possible and jumped on the popular male bandwagon of "oh if he had not met Elizabeth Taylor he would have fulfilled his promise as an actor" which ignores the fact that when they met, their first bonding moment was over Elizabeth helping him to steady his shaking hands as he drank a cup of tea because he was still hung over from the night before. Burton had his own troubles with drink long before he met Elizabeth Taylor and in private complained about being an actor constantly, mostly wanting money so he could read and write and not have to work constantly. I liked the layout of the book--going back and forth between each "hellraiser" during each decade they were active and there is a nice section of photos but like an US magazine or an Enquirer, it was long on stories and short on facts. You do walk away with a sense of each man (mostly that they were overgrown and unrepentant children). As a side note, Oliver Reed could easily do with an entire book dedicated to his life--he's something else :) an irresistible look at the wicked and wild antics from 4 of the biggest stars the british cinema has ever produced. by turns, sad, funny, shocking but always readable, Michael sellers has made his book a straight forward read by not including any un-necessary divisions. the selection of photos is pretty good as each star is shown from his early and youthful days right down to his bloated and booze-ridden final ones, with the exception of peter o' toole, the only one of the four still living! I started reading my copy whilst I was flying to malta and didn't put book down until I landed, was a perfect distraction from the worries of flying. it has been quite a while since I last read this volume but I reckon I would enjoy it all over again. as the author himself said: "make the most of it, they bloody well did." never was a truer word spoken.
What do You think about Hellraisers: The Inebriated Life And Times Of Richard Burton, Peter O'Toole, Richard Harris & Oliver Reed (2008)?
Interesting drinking stories, I s'pose... but after a while it gets pretty repetitive and sad.
—TIDON
this is the best reference book on hellraisers you can possibly find. exquisite!
—Heather
Not my favorite bio but does paint a picture of bad boy old Hollywood.
—MzShawtyRed
Life viewed from the bottom of glass. Hilarious & tragic.
—CKreutz
