"Like Lillian Ross’s famous "Picture," about the making of John Huston’s "The Red Badge of Courage," you can’t put it down."
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Jim Agnew Daily Book Picks
"The best book on the movies this year. All others start at second place."
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Huntington News Network
David M. Kinchen
"The authors interviewed everyone they could find who was involved with the production of the movie, which was named one of the 100 top films of all time by the American Film Institute. They describe in detail how the movie was made, including the famous "Chickie Run." It's a perfect book for any movie buff. It’s filled with anecdotes about Ray and his stars, as well as others in the cast, including Dennis Hopper, Steffi Sidney and Corey Allen."
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Offbeat with Philip Potempa
Newtimes.com
"Our own East Chicago claim-to-fame actress Betsy Palmer, 79, has finally opened up to discuss her dating days and relationship with the legendary James Dean. "Live Fast, Die Young: The Wild Ride of the Making of Rebel Without a Cause" (2005 Simon & Schuster $24.95), by authors Lawrence Franscella and Al Weisel, includes some VERY detailed interviews with Palmer."
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Hollywood Bitchslap
By David Cornelius
"As Hollywood legends go, the making of “Rebel” is one for the ages, and “Live Fast” manages to collect all the facts, question all the urban legends, separate the history from the mythology, all while celebrating a genuine film classic. “Rebel” fans take note: a masterpiece of cinema just got richer."
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David Dylan Thomas
"Exhaustively researched with numerous interviews, Live Fast, Die Young emerges as the definitive story of the making of a classic."
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See an interview with the authors
All-Time Rebel
By Hydie Cheung
"An interview with Al Weisel, the co-author of Live Fast, Die Young: The Wild Ride of the Making of Rebel Without A Cause."
See the interview with Al Weisel
X-Factor
By Andrew Wolter
"Live Fast, Die Young is a must-have for any fan wishing to learn the truth of everything and everyone involved in the film's making. This magnum opus provides a wild and engaging ride for readers, much like the memorable "chicken" car-race scene in the movie."
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Bay Windows
By Loren KIng
"Any fan of Rebel Without a Cause, which this year celebrates the 50th anniversary of its 1955 release, knows about the raw and more ambiguous sexuality layered through this landmark film. What's surprising is how much more Frascella and Weisel have uncovered in their well-reasearched, well-written and wildly entertaining book about one of Hollywood's most original and enduring films."
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Flickhead
By Ray Young
"The seamless combination of objective reportage with gushing admiration for the film and a palpable fascination for the Dean/Ray mythos is absorbing."
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Boston Phoenix
October 14, 2005
By Gerald Peary
"An earlier, grander, with-it Nicholas Ray, and one with two penetrating, cobalt-blue eyes, lords over Lawrence Frascella and Al Weisel’s engrossing and definitive story Live Fast, Die Young: The Wild Ride of Making Rebel Without a Cause."
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My Back Pages
October 9, 2005
By Kristen Havens
"I enjoyed this book. I'm not a huge James Dean fan, nor a big aficionado of REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE, per se, but I am a bit of a movie buff, and as such I found this behind-the-scenes/making of bit of film history to be a highly satisfying read. I'm always pleased to read anything that will add Jeopardy! points to my mental database without causing me pain."
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EDGE Entertainment (Boston)
September 20, 2005
By Howie Green
"What makes this new volume worth reading is the fact that it has completely updated information and many new sources, including cast and crewmembers who were willing to discuss the film for the first time ever. Frascella (a critic for ’Us Magazine and ’Entertainment Weekly) and Weisel (writer for ’Rolling Stone’, ’Us Magazine’ and ’The Washington Post’) have compiled this 300+ page opus which contains more that anyone in their right mind would ever want to know about "Rebel" - including minute details about the musical score and editing glitches. But, they have pulled it off with such style and flair that it makes the book a real page-turner!"
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Movie Habit
By Ryan Hurtig
"Little argument could be made that it was Dean who made Rebel what it is today, but Frascella and Weisel offer more with this book than just another Dean tribute."
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Monsters and Critics
By Ron Wilkinson
October 3, 2005
"It is as expertly written and informative as it is absorbing."
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Rebel Reflections
By Richard Horgan
Wednesday, October 5th, 2005
"A new book by former US Magazine colleagues Al Weisel and Lawrence Frascella shines a light on one of America’s most overlooked auteurs."
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Reel Talk Movie Reviews
A Wild, Wild Ride
by Betty Jo Tucker
"Filled with as many intriguing tidbits about affairs, fights, addictions and ambition as about dedication, genius and a passion for visual storytelling, this book comes alive through the colorful writing of its two authors. LIVE FAST, DIE YOUNG: The Wild Ride of Making Rebel Without a Cause is a real treat for anyone fascinated by the no-holds-barred history of Hollywood."
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James Wegg Review
The cause that dare not speak its name
by S. James Wegg
"Co-authors Lawrence Frascella and Al Weisel have done the worlds of film, pop culture and human rights a huge favour by documenting the facts, fiction and fantasy of a landmark film that resonates just as deeply now as at its première 50 years back. More importantly, sailing through this well-crafted, if a tad “gossipy” tell-all, prior to a reviewing of the half-century re-release, special edition DVD pays more dividends than General Electric."
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Blogcritics.org
Tim Gebhart
September 21, 2005
"Timed to coincide with the 50th anniversary of James Dean's death (Sept. 30, 1955) and the film's premiere (Oct. 27, 1955), Live Fast, Die Young is exhaustive but not exhausting. It takes a tremendously wide view of the film, its personnel and its significance but produces a fairly unified whole."
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James Tata
"The book. . .shines, when it lives up to its subtitle and describes the actual making of the movie, vividly capturing the breathless, near-impossibility of shooting a film."
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Lavender
By E.B. Boatner
"The authors spotlight the entire Gotterdammerung of the creation of Rebel—the fights, the seductions (Ray and Wood, Wood and Dean, Dean and Ray, Ray and...), all played out against the ticking clock of overtime production and the last months of Dean’s life. A wild ride and a wild read."
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Murph's Musings
"This is a gossipy, fast moving kind of book that you can't put down. It focuses on Nicholas Ray, but there is lots about James Dean, Natalie Woods and Sal Mineo - indeed about all the cast and crew. Recommended."
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