David Bret: Difference between revisions

← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisual WikitextInline

Revision as of 11:28, 3 June 2005 editTed Wilkes (talk \| contribs)18,934 edits Reverting repeated vandalism by 80.141.220.214← Previous edit		Latest revision as of 13:12, 4 September 2024 edit undoTacyarg (talk \| contribs)Autopatrolled, Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers64,088 edits →Life: this is all unsourced
(340 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1:		Line 1:
			{{Short description\|British biographer}}
	{{Twoversions \|13270580}}
			{{pp-pc1}}
			{{Use dmy dates\|date=November 2015}}
			]

			'''David Bret''' (born 8 November 1954) is a British author of ] biographies. He chiefly writes on the private life of film stars and singers.
	'''NOTE: This article has now been placed in: ].'''

			==Biographies==
	'''David Bret''' is a French-born author of celebrity books.
			Bret has written a number of biographies for several publishers. Many of these have focused on the private or intimate lives of entertainment celebrities.<ref name=FMD_NYT30Mar08>{{cite news\|last1=Calhoun\|first1=Ada\|title=Frankly, My Dear ...\|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/30/books/review/Calhoun-t.html?_r=1&\|access-date=31 October 2015\|work=]\|date=30 March 2008}}</ref> Lewis Jones, in the '']'' wrote that Bret "for decades has churned out sensationalist biographies of such figures as Diana Dors, Barbra Streisand and Tallulah Bankhead."<ref name=Teleg_6Aug12>{{cite news\|last1=Jones\|first1=Lewis\|title=Greta Garbo: Divine Star by David Bret: review\|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/bookreviews/9446968/Greta-Garbo-Divine-Star-by-David-Bret-review.html\|access-date=31 October 2015\|work=The Telegraph\|date=6 August 2012}}</ref>

			===Clark Gable===
	]
			In ''Clark Gable: Tormented Star'' Bret deals at length with Gable's sex life and particularly his sex with other men. In the '']'', ] wrote "How does Bret, the author of numerous celebrity biographies, know so much about Hollywood stars’ sex lives? Judging by this new book's convoluted wording, he really doesn't."<ref name=FMD_NYT30Mar08 /> She also wrote: "For all its smut, the book is painfully unsexy. ... And yet Bret undermines his own arguments. ... 'Clark Gable' teems with innuendo and exclamation points, but still presents a thoroughly joyless view of old Hollywood."<ref name=FMD_NYT30Mar08 />
	Born in ], Bret now lives in ], ], ]. He began writing ] that were published in Britain but without his educational qualifications being provided. After being published in Britain, Bret’s literary agent sold two of his biographies to ] and ], major publishers in the ]. However, his work had very limited sales and was poorly received in the literary community, panned by critics as lacking in proper research and devoid of factual documentation and substance. In his 1989 book on ] the respected reviewers, ] said, "Bret presents little new information" and referred to his publication on the French star ] as being more about her bizarre lifestyle than about her art. In the 1990s Bret switched to the successful British ] style of sensationalizing the narrative.

			===George Formby===
	Both major U.S. publishers dropped David Brett after one book. Publishers Weekly stopped reviewing his work after only a few books but agreed to appraise his 1998 work on ]. Their critique again revealed that the "emphasis is on scandal rather than music in this racy biography." Bret's writings, promoted as biographies, became notorious for dwelling on the ] or ]ity of its subject and for a lack of research that appeared to be limited to little more than cut-and-paste from ] searches. Critics as well as readers pointed out repeated inaccuracies in the books involving what most people would consider as fundamental such as in his book on ] where he refers to the mother of U.S. President ] as being ].
			In ''George Formby: A Troubled Genius'' Bret explores the "innocent innuendo"<ref name=Guard_24Nov01>{{cite news\|title=Book review: George Formby by David Bret \|work=] \|date=24 November 2001 \|first=Jonathan \|last=Glancey \|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/nov/24/biography.art}}</ref> of a once hugely popular music-hall performer. ] writing for '']'' described it as "David Bret's thoughtful book about the life and unhappiness of an entertainer who would surely never make it anywhere near the top now."<ref name=Guard_24Nov01 />

			===Greta Garbo===
	David Bret's writings are sold through Internet book stores, the publishers website provides a link to Amazon.com, plus through outlets that specialize in gay materials. Billed by his publisher, Robson Books of London, England as a show-business biographer, Bret writes almost exclusively about the deceased that allows him and his publisher to avoid any lawsuits for ]. His writing on ] was panned for being mostly about the late singer's supposed sexual excesses as was his book on ] that dwelled on numerous homosexual affairs as well as the ]ism of ] and ] in his books on them. In his publication on the late ], Bret provided another rehash of already published writings and continued to dwell on homosexuality and alleged the late actor was a ].
			''Greta Garbo: Divine Star'' was criticized by Lewis Jones, who wrote: "There is little new to say about Garbo’s life, and the best one can expect of a retelling is insight, wit and a shapely narrative, none of which is provided by ''Divine Star''."<ref name=Teleg_6Aug12 /> Lewis complains that:

			<blockquote>Bret makes many errors. Of Garbo’s visit to New York in 1925, for example, he notes that she met Humphrey Bogart, one of "the biggest stars of the day", when he made his name with ''The Petrified Forest in 1936''. He thinks that the Académie française is a drama school. And so on. He also writes incredibly badly, ..."<ref name=Teleg_6Aug12 /></blockquote>
	Bret's preoccupation with homosexuality and attempt to generate sales resulted in a book on ] released in the U.K. in 2002 then the following year in the U.S. A.. It was launched with an advance publicity notice that the book exposed Presley's homosexuality. Without supplying any proof, the book claimed that ] (deceased) had been able to blackmail Presley by threating to reveal "secret information" that he was homosexual. The book contained numerous errors, demonstrated very limited research, and lacked interviews or evidence from even one source close to the singer nor any facts about the so-called "secret information". Bret's insinuations that Presley had a homosexual relationship was based solely on his own speculation and gossip without providing verifiable and credible sources, facts, or documented evidence of any kind. In addition, Presley's alleged partner ] had been dead for more than thirty years and Adams' homosexuality too was based on speculation and gossip with no supporting facts provided. The book generated virtually no sales and was ignored by the mainstream media and even most of the fringe publications never bothered with it. The book was not given any literary critique, not even to pan it. The only source that gave it credence without qualification was the American based ], a ] encyclopedia advertised as a format that anyone can edit. The Misplaced Pages article carried things one step further, adding the assertion that: "Many journalists' attempts to "out" Elvis in the past were thwarted by his manager." The Misplaced Pages article did not name any of the "Many journalists."

			Christopher Fowler was more positive about ''Divine Star''. In '']'' he wrote:
	Following the Presley book, Bret's next effort was a second volume on British singer ] that came out in 2004 under a racy title, unlike the first book he had written ten years earlier. '']'' was advertised as a "fully up-to-date biography packed with revelations; accusations of racism and fascism; confessions of physical abuse." The book talked about Morrissey's gay-bashing; the accusations of supporting pedophilia, while insinuating that Morrissey himself was gay. With the publisher's assertion that it was a "fully up-to-date biography" and after a journalist with ] newspaper had given a favorable review to his 2001 book on the late entertainer ], that newspaper reviewed the second Morrissey book. The Guardian review called it "thin gruel."

			<blockquote>Garbo biographies are virtually an industry in themselves. But David Bret is after something more. Digging into previously unsourced material and collating fresh stories from friends and fellow studio employees, he tries to close the two major gaps in his subject's life.<ref name=Incdep_28Jul12>{{cite news\|last1=Fowler\|first1=Christopher\|title=Greta Garbo: Divine Star, By David Bret: At last, she's ready for a close-up\|url=http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/greta-garbo-divine-star-by-david-bret-7984884.html\|access-date=31 October 2015\|work=]\|date=28 July 2012}}</ref></blockquote>
	Bret's latest book, released two months after the second Morrissey paperback in 2004, was about the late ]. It was billed as a full account of Hudson's "colourful private life."

			Fowler concludes by saying: "Bret's biography is rightly partisan and fully prepared to name enemies, which makes it a bracingly pleasurable read in these anodyne times."<ref name=Incdep_28Jul12 />

			===Joan Crawford===
	In the following partial bibliography, note that the publisher frequently changes the title for the same book from any hardcover version to paperback. Plus, the title and year of publication may vary depending on the country of issue. Note too that David Bret has also authored books on ] not listed here.
			Writing in '']'', ] has a very negative view of Bret's biography of ], calling it "one of the ickiest film biographies I've ever read."<ref name=WaPo_5Jan07/>

			See writes:
	*'']'' (2004)
			<blockquote>But suppose you gorged on old movie magazines and ghostwritten gobbledygook and pieces of weird gossip you overheard and then decided to rewrite what has been written and rewritten again for 80 years or so, and you picked as your subject Joan Crawford, "gay icon par excellence"? You'd produce something like David Bret's new biography.<ref name=WaPo_5Jan07 /></blockquote>
	*'']'' (2004)
	*'']'' (2002)
	*'']'' (2002)
	*'']'' (2000)
	*'']'' (2000)
	*'']'' (1999)
	*'']'' (1999)
	*'']'' (1999)
	*'']'' (1998)
	*'']'' (1997)
	*'']'' (1997)
	*'']'' (1996)
	*'']'' (1996)
	*'']'' (1994)
	*'']'' (1993)
	*'']'' (1991)
	*'']'' (1989)

			<blockquote>Hollywood was not as it seemed -- sexually. That's the author's main theme here. (The "Hollywood Martyr" business of the subtitle is purely an afterthought.) Couples lived in "lavender" or "twilight-tandem" marriages.<ref name=WaPo_5Jan07 /></blockquote>
	==External link:==


			See accuses Bret of failing to cite sources for statements and quotes in the work, and of engaging in unfounded speculation.
			<blockquote>Quotations abound in his book, but there are no footnotes, and the index indicates only on what page people are mentioned. I think it's fair to say that "Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr" is made up of cryptic, if breezy, assertions, like: "Aspects of Joan Crawford's extraordinary, complex psyche were incorporated into many of her films ... but such was the naivety of America during the Depression, few made the connection. The same may be said for Crawford, gay icon par excellence. Few people realised, at the time these events were unfolding, of her fondness for gay and bisexual men -- on account of their fear of being exposed by the media. Three of her husbands slotted into this category, as did many of her lovers, including Clark Gable." This is cheesiness "par excellence," as the author himself might say, and apparently little more than speculation.<ref name=WaPo_5Jan07 /></blockquote>

			See concludes that "Ultimately, it's an enormous insult to gays, assuming, as it does, that mindless cattiness and restroom innuendo are the accepted small talk of homosexuals everywhere."<ref name=WaPo_5Jan07 />
	]

	]
			An unsigned review in ''Publishers Weekly'' is more neutral, writing: "Bret chronicles her films, her feud with Bette Davis and dismisses her daughter's Mommie Dearest tirade, but he revels in Hollywood's sexual excesses, and fans who crave a lively insider view will most appreciate this bio."<ref name=PubWeek_Crawford>{{cite web\|title=Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr: David Bret, Author\|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-78671-868-9\|website=]}}</ref>

			===Maria Callas===
			An unsigned review in '']'' says of ''Maria Callas: The Tigress and the Lamb'' that

			<blockquote>Bret, clearly a Callas aficionado, glosses over the controversial aspects of the voice and emphasizes her total commitment to her art, her brilliant resurrection of nearly forgotten bel canto roles and her extraordinary dramatic skills. He also recounts all the sensational details of Callas's life .... The emphasis is on scandal rather than music in this racy biography..."<ref name=PubWeek_Callas>{{cite web\|title=Maria Callas: David Bret, Author\|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-86105-110-3\|website=]\|access-date=1 November 2015}}</ref></blockquote>

			===Errol Flynn===

			An unsigned, undated review in ''Publishers Weekly'' says of ''Errol Flynn: Satan's Angel'' that "Bret, however, takes on the Flynn mythology in this new biography."<ref name=PubWeek_Flynn>{{cite web\|title=Errol Flynn: Satan's Angel: David Bret, Author\|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-86105-786-0\|website=]\|access-date=1 November 2015}}</ref> The review goes on to say that:

			<blockquote>With the same gusto and verve of his subject, Bret plows through Flynn's escapades and accomplishments. It may be difficult for some to reconcile Bret's assessment of Flynn as some sort of hard-living heroic figure, or an "essentially good man," after reading about the actor's deplorable treatment of women, his sexual voyeurism, his penchant for underage girls and his hatred of Jews.<ref name=PubWeek_Flynn /></blockquote>

			===Edith Piaf===
			An unsigned, undated review in ''Publishers Weekly'' says of ''The Piaf Legend'' that "Bret presents little new information–and is no more successful than his predecessors in uncovering the reasons for Piaf's enormous appeal."<ref name=PubWeek_Piaf>{{cite web\|title=The Piaf Legend: David Bret, Author\|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-86051-527-2\|website=]\|access-date=1 November 2015}}</ref>

			===Maurice Chevalier===

			An unsigned, undated review in ''Publishers Weekly'' says of ''Maurice Chevalier: Up on Top of a Rainbow'': "In this entertaining look at the life of Maurice Chevalier (1888–1972), Bret, author of The Piaf Legend and The Mistinquett Legend, again shows his prowess as a chronicler of French stars."<ref name=PubWeek_Chevalier>{{cite web\|title=Maurice Chevalier: David Bret, Author\|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-86051-789-4\|website=]\|access-date=1 November 2015}}</ref> The review goes on to say: "Bret supports his biography with authoritative sources, although on occasion his facts are askew, as when he makes a reference to 'John F. Kennedy and his mother, Ethel.'"<ref name=PubWeek_Chevalier />

			===Morrissey===
			An unsigned, undated review in ''Publishers Weekly'' says of ''Morrissey: Scandal & Passion'':
			<blockquote>Thankfully, author Bret's profile is not the sensationalist expose one might expect given this volume's titillating subtitle. ... Bret's restraint is downright gentlemanly. In fact, this is an appropriately English take on a uniquely English personality, to the extent that at least half of the author's references require an intimate knowledge of British pop culture, circa 1960-80. ... the book is unfortunately light on biographical detail, but it's a compelling (if sometimes fawning) exploration of the cult of Morrissey nonetheless.<ref name=PubWeek_Morrissey>{{cite web\|title=Morrissey: Scandal & Passion: David Bret, Author\|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-86105-787-7\|website=]\|access-date=1 November 2015}}</ref></blockquote>

			===Mistinguett ===
			An unsigned, undated review in ''Publishers Weekly'' says of ''The Mistinguett Legend'':
			<blockquote>Bret focuses on her many eccentricities, connections with Parisian low life and multitudinous love affairs.... He rounds out his account with examples of her ribald lyrics and descriptions of her flamboyant costumes, in a book that says more about Mistinguett's bizarre lifestyle than about her art.<ref name=PubWeek_Mistinguett>{{cite web\|title=The Mistinguett Legend: David Bret, Author\|url=http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-312-05471-7\|website=]\|access-date=3 November 2015}}</ref></blockquote>

			==Other work==
			{{BLP unsourced section\|date=October 2015}}
			Bret has also written many newspaper and magazine articles, for instance, for ], and he has lectured at the ]. He had adapted songs from the original French for his godmother, actress Jacqueline Danno, and for his friend the chanteuse Barbara. She commissioned him to adapt her theme song, ''Ma plus belle histoire d'amour'', into English. Bret also appears in the Italian
			documentary, 'Rudy', which tells the story of ]. He also made a trio of documentaries for the ] channel in the USA, discussing ], ] and ]. In other documentaries/television retrospectives for the BBC and other major channels he discusses ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ].

			His novels are;
			The "John Dynham & The Wars of the Roses" trilogy: "A Devon Squire"; "Nicholas Carew"; "Thomas & Tom: A Spiritual Brotherhood".
			"Darvinz of Zarumna"; "Chanson, A Story of Forbidden Love During The German Occupation of Paris"; "Dante Alfonso: Italian God of the Silent Screen".

			Autobiographies:
			], DbBooks {{ISBN\|978-1-539-53430-3}};
			]: My Psychotic Father", DbBooks {{ISBN\|978-1-539-83088-7}}

			== Criticisms ==
			Bret is regarded by some as controversial in his writings and has been compared to ]<ref name="QEFTp150" /> and ] ("The effect is ''Hollywood Babylon'' lite.")<ref name=FMD_NYT30Mar08 /><ref name="QEFTp150">{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gdmJAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA150 \|title=The Queer Encyclopedia of Film & Television \|first=Claude J. \|last=Summers \|publisher= Cleis Press \|year=2005 \|isbn=978-1573442091 \|page=150 \|access-date=22 November 2015\|quote=The controversial biographers Charles Higham and David Bret...}}</ref> His works have also attracted scrutiny for their sexual detail.<ref name=FMD_NYT30Mar08 /><ref name=WaPo_5Jan07>{{cite news\|last1=See\|first1=Carolyn\|title=Hollywood Babble-On\|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/04/AR2007010401811.html\|access-date=31 October 2015\|newspaper=]\|date=5 January 2007}}</ref>

			== References ==
			{{reflist\|30em}}

			==External links==
			{{Commons}}
			*{{Official website\|www.davidbretwga.blogspot.com}}

			{{Authority control}}

			{{DEFAULTSORT:Bret, David}}
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]
			]

Latest revision as of 13:12, 4 September 2024

British biographer

David Bret (born 8 November 1954) is a British author of show business biographies. He chiefly writes on the private life of film stars and singers.

Biographies

Bret has written a number of biographies for several publishers. Many of these have focused on the private or intimate lives of entertainment celebrities. Lewis Jones, in the Telegraph wrote that Bret "for decades has churned out sensationalist biographies of such figures as Diana Dors, Barbra Streisand and Tallulah Bankhead."

Clark Gable

In Clark Gable: Tormented Star Bret deals at length with Gable's sex life and particularly his sex with other men. In the New York Times Sunday Book Review, Ada Calhoun wrote "How does Bret, the author of numerous celebrity biographies, know so much about Hollywood stars’ sex lives? Judging by this new book's convoluted wording, he really doesn't." She also wrote: "For all its smut, the book is painfully unsexy. ... And yet Bret undermines his own arguments. ... 'Clark Gable' teems with innuendo and exclamation points, but still presents a thoroughly joyless view of old Hollywood."

George Formby

In George Formby: A Troubled Genius Bret explores the "innocent innuendo" of a once hugely popular music-hall performer. Jonathan Glancey writing for The Guardian described it as "David Bret's thoughtful book about the life and unhappiness of an entertainer who would surely never make it anywhere near the top now."

Greta Garbo

Greta Garbo: Divine Star was criticized by Lewis Jones, who wrote: "There is little new to say about Garbo’s life, and the best one can expect of a retelling is insight, wit and a shapely narrative, none of which is provided by Divine Star." Lewis complains that:

Bret makes many errors. Of Garbo’s visit to New York in 1925, for example, he notes that she met Humphrey Bogart, one of "the biggest stars of the day", when he made his name with The Petrified Forest in 1936. He thinks that the Académie française is a drama school. And so on. He also writes incredibly badly, ..."

Christopher Fowler was more positive about Divine Star. In The Independent he wrote:

Garbo biographies are virtually an industry in themselves. But David Bret is after something more. Digging into previously unsourced material and collating fresh stories from friends and fellow studio employees, he tries to close the two major gaps in his subject's life.

Fowler concludes by saying: "Bret's biography is rightly partisan and fully prepared to name enemies, which makes it a bracingly pleasurable read in these anodyne times."

Joan Crawford

Writing in The Washington Post, Carolyn See has a very negative view of Bret's biography of Joan Crawford, calling it "one of the ickiest film biographies I've ever read."

See writes:

But suppose you gorged on old movie magazines and ghostwritten gobbledygook and pieces of weird gossip you overheard and then decided to rewrite what has been written and rewritten again for 80 years or so, and you picked as your subject Joan Crawford, "gay icon par excellence"? You'd produce something like David Bret's new biography.

Hollywood was not as it seemed -- sexually. That's the author's main theme here. (The "Hollywood Martyr" business of the subtitle is purely an afterthought.) Couples lived in "lavender" or "twilight-tandem" marriages.

See accuses Bret of failing to cite sources for statements and quotes in the work, and of engaging in unfounded speculation.

Quotations abound in his book, but there are no footnotes, and the index indicates only on what page people are mentioned. I think it's fair to say that "Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr" is made up of cryptic, if breezy, assertions, like: "Aspects of Joan Crawford's extraordinary, complex psyche were incorporated into many of her films ... but such was the naivety of America during the Depression, few made the connection. The same may be said for Crawford, gay icon par excellence. Few people realised, at the time these events were unfolding, of her fondness for gay and bisexual men -- on account of their fear of being exposed by the media. Three of her husbands slotted into this category, as did many of her lovers, including Clark Gable." This is cheesiness "par excellence," as the author himself might say, and apparently little more than speculation.

See concludes that "Ultimately, it's an enormous insult to gays, assuming, as it does, that mindless cattiness and restroom innuendo are the accepted small talk of homosexuals everywhere."

An unsigned review in Publishers Weekly is more neutral, writing: "Bret chronicles her films, her feud with Bette Davis and dismisses her daughter's Mommie Dearest tirade, but he revels in Hollywood's sexual excesses, and fans who crave a lively insider view will most appreciate this bio."

Maria Callas

An unsigned review in Publishers Weekly says of Maria Callas: The Tigress and the Lamb that

Bret, clearly a Callas aficionado, glosses over the controversial aspects of the voice and emphasizes her total commitment to her art, her brilliant resurrection of nearly forgotten bel canto roles and her extraordinary dramatic skills. He also recounts all the sensational details of Callas's life .... The emphasis is on scandal rather than music in this racy biography..."

Errol Flynn

An unsigned, undated review in Publishers Weekly says of Errol Flynn: Satan's Angel that "Bret, however, takes on the Flynn mythology in this new biography." The review goes on to say that:

With the same gusto and verve of his subject, Bret plows through Flynn's escapades and accomplishments. It may be difficult for some to reconcile Bret's assessment of Flynn as some sort of hard-living heroic figure, or an "essentially good man," after reading about the actor's deplorable treatment of women, his sexual voyeurism, his penchant for underage girls and his hatred of Jews.

Edith Piaf

An unsigned, undated review in Publishers Weekly says of The Piaf Legend that "Bret presents little new information–and is no more successful than his predecessors in uncovering the reasons for Piaf's enormous appeal."

Maurice Chevalier

An unsigned, undated review in Publishers Weekly says of Maurice Chevalier: Up on Top of a Rainbow: "In this entertaining look at the life of Maurice Chevalier (1888–1972), Bret, author of The Piaf Legend and The Mistinquett Legend, again shows his prowess as a chronicler of French stars." The review goes on to say: "Bret supports his biography with authoritative sources, although on occasion his facts are askew, as when he makes a reference to 'John F. Kennedy and his mother, Ethel.'"

Morrissey

An unsigned, undated review in Publishers Weekly says of Morrissey: Scandal & Passion:

Thankfully, author Bret's profile is not the sensationalist expose one might expect given this volume's titillating subtitle. ... Bret's restraint is downright gentlemanly. In fact, this is an appropriately English take on a uniquely English personality, to the extent that at least half of the author's references require an intimate knowledge of British pop culture, circa 1960-80. ... the book is unfortunately light on biographical detail, but it's a compelling (if sometimes fawning) exploration of the cult of Morrissey nonetheless.

Mistinguett

An unsigned, undated review in Publishers Weekly says of The Mistinguett Legend:

Bret focuses on her many eccentricities, connections with Parisian low life and multitudinous love affairs.... He rounds out his account with examples of her ribald lyrics and descriptions of her flamboyant costumes, in a book that says more about Mistinguett's bizarre lifestyle than about her art.

Other work

This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately.
Find sources: "David Bret" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (October 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Bret has also written many newspaper and magazine articles, for instance, for The Stage, and he has lectured at the University of Chicago. He had adapted songs from the original French for his godmother, actress Jacqueline Danno, and for his friend the chanteuse Barbara. She commissioned him to adapt her theme song, Ma plus belle histoire d'amour, into English. Bret also appears in the Italian documentary, 'Rudy', which tells the story of Rudolph Valentino. He also made a trio of documentaries for the E! channel in the USA, discussing Freddie Mercury, Valentino and Tallulah Bankhead. In other documentaries/television retrospectives for the BBC and other major channels he discusses Maria Callas, George Formby, Gracie Fields, Edith Piaf, Maurice Chevalier, Morrissey, Marlene Dietrich and Elvis Presley.

His novels are; The "John Dynham & The Wars of the Roses" trilogy: "A Devon Squire"; "Nicholas Carew"; "Thomas & Tom: A Spiritual Brotherhood". "Darvinz of Zarumna"; "Chanson, A Story of Forbidden Love During The German Occupation of Paris"; "Dante Alfonso: Italian God of the Silent Screen".

Autobiographies: Putting One's Head Above The Parapet, DbBooks ISBN 978-1-539-53430-3; "Old Bastard": My Psychotic Father", DbBooks ISBN 978-1-539-83088-7

Criticisms

Bret is regarded by some as controversial in his writings and has been compared to Charles Higham and Kenneth Anger ("The effect is Hollywood Babylon lite.") His works have also attracted scrutiny for their sexual detail.

References

^ Calhoun, Ada (30 March 2008). "Frankly, My Dear ..." The New York Times. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
^ Jones, Lewis (6 August 2012). "Greta Garbo: Divine Star by David Bret: review". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
^ Glancey, Jonathan (24 November 2001). "Book review: George Formby by David Bret". The Guardian.
^ Fowler, Christopher (28 July 2012). "Greta Garbo: Divine Star, By David Bret: At last, she's ready for a close-up". The Independent. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
^ See, Carolyn (5 January 2007). "Hollywood Babble-On". The Washington Post. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
"Joan Crawford: Hollywood Martyr: David Bret, Author". Publishers Weekly.
"Maria Callas: David Bret, Author". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
^ "Errol Flynn: Satan's Angel: David Bret, Author". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
"The Piaf Legend: David Bret, Author". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
^ "Maurice Chevalier: David Bret, Author". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
"Morrissey: Scandal & Passion: David Bret, Author". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
"The Mistinguett Legend: David Bret, Author". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 3 November 2015.
^ Summers, Claude J. (2005). The Queer Encyclopedia of Film & Television. Cleis Press. p. 150. ISBN 978-1573442091. Retrieved 22 November 2015. The controversial biographers Charles Higham and David Bret...

External links

Official website

Categories: