This nice little biography about John Gilbert was shown on Turner Classic Movies following the premier of "Bardelys the Magnificent". This was great timing, as this wonderful silent movie was recently discovered and restored and I assume "Rediscovering John Gilbert" was made to coincide with this premier. Additionally, it is included with the DVD release of "Bardelys"--and it helps bring the movie alive.
This is one of the more unusual celebrity biographies in that it seems almost like a loving portrait of the man by his daughter, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain. It's very obvious she cared about him and missed him due to his early death--and the bulk of the interviews are with her. There are other interviews, the usual film clips and stills. But there is an intimacy I really liked about this short--as well as the way it sought to restore a true image of Gilbert in the 21st century. While I knew that Gilbert's exit from Hollywood was NOT because of his lousy voice (a common myth), I knew it was really more because studio chief Louis B. Mayer hated him--something discussed just a bit in the film. However, most of the focus was on his craft and what he was like off-screen. Excellent and well worth seeing--it's just too bad it's so short.
This is one of the more unusual celebrity biographies in that it seems almost like a loving portrait of the man by his daughter, Leatrice Gilbert Fountain. It's very obvious she cared about him and missed him due to his early death--and the bulk of the interviews are with her. There are other interviews, the usual film clips and stills. But there is an intimacy I really liked about this short--as well as the way it sought to restore a true image of Gilbert in the 21st century. While I knew that Gilbert's exit from Hollywood was NOT because of his lousy voice (a common myth), I knew it was really more because studio chief Louis B. Mayer hated him--something discussed just a bit in the film. However, most of the focus was on his craft and what he was like off-screen. Excellent and well worth seeing--it's just too bad it's so short.
