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Cecil Beaton
- Narrated by: Hugo Vickers
- Length: 27 hrs and 13 mins
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Cecil Beaton
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Summary
Cecil Beaton was one of Britain's greatest cultural icons - not just as a photographer capturing some of the most celebrated portraits of the 20th century but also as designer of the iconic sets and costumes for the films My Fair Lady and Gigi.
In 1980, Beaton personally chose Hugo Vickers to be his biographer, entrusting him with his diaries and the entire body of letters he had written - both personally and professionally - over the course of his life. Drawing on five years of intensive research and interviews with the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Truman Capote, Princess Grace of Monaco and Sir John Gielgud, Vickers' biography was an instant best seller upon its publication in 1985.
Exploring Beaton's metamorphosis from being the child of a staid middle-class family to an international figure mingling with the glittering stars of his age, the biography also details his great love for Greta Garbo and reveals his private sense of failure that the success he always wanted - as a playwright - eluded him.
Republished in a new paperback edition in time for Bright Young Things, a major exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery in 2020, Cecil Beaton is the definitive and authorised biography of one of the world's most fascinating, famous and admired photographers.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio on our Desktop Site.
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What listeners say about Cecil Beaton
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Alison St Pierre
- 10-08-20
Utterly fascinating insight!
I didn't want this book to end!! I adored the insight into his "bright young things" period! Oh, to be part of those endless parties and country sports weekends! I could have happily listened to an entire book focussing on that period. A very fair book. I can't say I like Cecil, but he is certainly interesting if a tad irritating at times. This book has left me with a desire to read more about his friendship group in the 1930s and I'm frustrated about how few books I can find on this subject. In particular, the Stephen Tennant Biography - Serious Pleasures by Philip Hoare, isn't available on Audiobooks and cannot be purchased for under £85. Very disappointing!! A stylish yet vacuous man with an acid tongue and an interesting address book!!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- cashmere
- 11-03-23
Masterful account of a master of the arts
One of my favourite listens of the year. A beautifully and sensitively narrated biopic of a truly unique and inspiring man. Bravo.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Bryan James
- 16-04-20
Never a dull moment
Brilliant narration, brilliant writing, compelling journey through the life of a genius. Wonderfully witty.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- E. O'Callaghan
- 22-04-20
Superb
Superb biography. What a life. Beaton has long been a fascinating figure for me and this unabridged biography does not disappoint. The definitive Cecil Beaton book.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- SianB
- 14-09-21
Disappointingly flat narration
I’d expected a more rounded insight into one of the most colourful and interesting figures of the 20th century and the people around him, but found the narration too flat and detached from the subject. While Beaton’s character was explored to a degree, it felt that a lot was missing and his interactions with others were difficult to understand in context as the story seemed to consist of a series of events that affected Beaton without much involving anyone else.
Ultimately a dissatisfying read and I really had to persevere to finish it.
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Cassandra
- 04-02-24
Workmanlike biography
Beaton's very full life does present a challenge to a biographer. I found this a very full account of the key events of his life and work, although without creative flair. Towards the end, Vickers refers to Beatons diaries as standing out from the usual accounts of names & facts. This biography (which relies heavily on Beatons diaries ) strikes me very much as an account of names and facts; particularly the names - lists and lists of names at times. It lacks the critical, imaginative approach
of Oliver Soden's recent biography of Noel Coward, getting bogged down in detail at times, and, for me, sometimes lacking depth and perspective. Vickers narration is oddly paced, but tolerable.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- ELEANOR WHYTE
- 22-03-23
Sorry an awful listen
Just not a good voice to listen to. Such a shame and sounds like such a harsh criticism but it’s the truth. Redo with a different narrator?
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