Book description
Hedy Lamarr's life was punctuated by salacious rumors and public
scandal, but it was her stunning looks and classic Hollywood glamour
that continuously captivated audiences. Born Hedwig Kiesler, she
escaped an unhappy marriage with arms dealer Fritz Mandl in Austria to
try her luck in Hollywood, where her striking appearance made her a
screen legend. Her notorious nude role in the erotic Czech film
Ecstasy (1933), as well as her work with Cecil B. DeMille (Samson and
Delilah, 1949), Walter Wanger (Algiers, 1938), and studio executive
Louis B. Mayer catapulted her alluring and provocative reputation as a
high-profile sex symbol.
In Hedy Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in Film, Ruth Barton
explores the many facets of the screen legend, including her life as
an inventor. Working with avant-garde composer and film scorer George
Antheil, Lamarr helped to develop and patent spread spectrum
technology, which is still used in mobile phone communication.
However, despite her screen persona and scientific success, Lamarr's
personal life caused quite a scandal. A string of failed marriages, a
lawsuit against her publisher regarding her sensational autobiography,
and shoplifting charges made her infamous beyond her celebrity.
Drawing on extensive research into both the recorded truths of
Lamarr's life and the rumors that made her notorious, Barton
recognizes Lamarr's contributions to both film and technology while
revealing the controversial and conflicted woman underneath. Hedy
Lamarr: The Most Beautiful Woman in Film illuminates the life of a
classic Hollywood icon.
""Carefully researched and zippily written, the book is
the definitive companion to Lamarr's films." --London Review of
Books" --
Ruth Barton is lecturer in Film Studies at Trinity College Dublin.
She has written several books on Irish cinema, including Jim Sheridan:
Framing the Nation (Liffey), Irish National Cinema (Routledge) and
Acting Irish in Hollywood (Irish Academic Press). She is a regular
contributor to arts programs on national radio and is an occasional
book reviewer for the Irish Times.
