Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon

Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon
by Aram Goudsouzian

Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon
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Book Summary Information

Author: Aram Goudsouzian
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-03-29
ISBN: 0807828432
Number of pages: 480
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press

Book Reviews of Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon

Book Review: Don't stop at the autobiography . . .
Summary: 5 Stars

Always suspicious of autobiographies, I picked up a copy of "Man, Actor, Icon" for a historian's take on this legend of the Silver Screen. And this book certainly does not disappoint. I strongly and sincerely recommend Dr. Goudsouzian's book for people who truly aspire to understand Sidney Poitier's place in history.

This work provides its readers with an eloquent and even-handed record of the life and times of its subject. Goudsouzian's work effectively sketches Poitier's place in a broader historical context - a history of African Americans, of film, of race, of tolerance and of America as a whole. I applaud the author for so eloquently piecing together the life and times of such a notoriously private individual. To see the movies is one thing. To read the autobiography is another. But to actually appreciate what this man has meant, what he endured and the legacy that he has created, one needs an accurate idea of the historical settings and prevailing attitudes that put Poitier's actions and accomplishments in the proper context. Goudsouzian delivers on all counts.

Many thanks to Oprah for bringing much-deserved attention to one of America's more unheralded icons. To really appreciate the man behind the screen, "The Measure of a Man" is a wonderful start. But to truly grasp how such an influential figure was rejected, lauded, embraced, used and again overlooked - all in a single lifetime - this book will provide you with all you need to form your own opinion of the measure of this man, this Sidney Poitier.

Summary of Sidney Poitier: Man, Actor, Icon

In the first full biography of actor Sidney Poitier, Aram Goudsouzian analyzes the life and career of a Hollywood legend, from his childhood in the Bahamas to his 2002 Oscar for lifetime achievement. Poitier is a gifted actor, a great American success story, an intriguing personality, and a political symbol; his life and career illuminate America's racial history.

In such films as Lilies of the Field, In the Heat of the Night, and Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Poitier's middle-class, mannered, virtuous screen persona contradicted prevailing film stereotypes of blacks as half-wits, comic servants, or oversexed threats. His screen image and public support of nonviolent integration assuaged the fears of a broad political center, and by 1968, Poitier was voted America's favorite movie star.

Through careful readings of every Poitier film, Goudsouzian shows that Poitier's characters often made sacrifices for the good of whites and rarely displayed sexuality. As the only black leading man during the civil rights era, Poitier chose roles and public positions that negotiated the struggle for dignity. By 1970, times had changed and Poitier was the target of a backlash from film critics and black radicals, as the new heroes of "blaxploitation" movies reversed the Poitier model.

In the 1970s, Poitier shifted his considerable talents toward directing, starring in, and producing popular movies that employed many African Americans, both on and off screen. After a long hiatus, he returned to starring roles in the late 1980s. More recently, the film industry has reappraised his career, and Poitier has received numerous honors recognizing his multi-faceted work for black equality in Hollywood. As this biography affirms, Poitier remains one of American popular culture's foremost symbols of the possibilities for and limits of racial equality.

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