Steve McQueen: The Life and Legend of a Hollywood Icon
Marshall Terrill
In one of the last paragraphs in this book, author Marshall Terrill says that Steve McQueen “endured because he appeals to everyone.” Not true—he never appealed to me, or to others I’ve talked to about this overlong, but well-written, tome. This book is for real fans, and the author is obviously one. Terrill even includes superfluous comments by a clinical psychologist “to find the connective tissue that created the man and then bound him tightly to his movies and explains rather than describes how this came about.” While reading McQueen, I was appalled at his inflated ego, sexism, and cruel treatment of costars (knowing why McQueen possessed these negative traits didn’t make me feel any less appalled). The few references to homosexuality were never explored by the author, so we never find out if the macho McQueen extended his bent outlook toward gays. However, before his death, McQueen makes a 180-degree turn and becomes a human being worth knowing and loving. He was always known as a superhero in his films, but he didn’t become one in real life until the last years of his life. That made reading this 550-page book worth the drudge. Triumph Books (triumphbooks.com). —Review: Blase DiStefano
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