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Jean Seberg -- Breathless Paperback – May 2, 2015

by Garry McGee (Author)

4.5 42 ratings

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She was from a large town in Iowa and became the darling of Paris. She alternated between small European films and big Hollywood movies, on the way helping Jean-Luc Godard to shape contemporary cinema. She moved between the worlds of show business and politics, from private and state dinners with leaders to clandestine activities supporting groups and individuals on both sides of the Atlantic. She was a unique person ahead of her time. Breathless tells the story of the woman who, after a disastrous film debut in Saint Joan, became both acclaimed international actress (Lilith, Dead of Summer) and popular star (Paint Your Wagon, Airport). It also tells of the FBI's campaign to "neutralize" Seberg, and the still unsolved mystery of her death in 1979 at the age of 40. Featuring exclusive interviews with family, friends and acquaintances, Jean Seberg - Breathless includes personal letters and obscure quotes from the subject, and more than sixty rare photographs. Iowa-born Garry McGee is a documentary filmmaker and author. Jean Seberg - Breathless is his fourth book. His book with Jean Russell Larson, Neutralized: the FBI versus Jean Seberg, is also published by BearManor Media.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ BearManor Media; 0 edition (May 2, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 328 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1593931271
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1593931278
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.07 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.74 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,455,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #32,260 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies
- #64,594 in Performing Arts (Books)

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Kirk Freeman

The "Seberg" film is the Hollywood version; this book is her true story.

Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2020

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Mr. McGee's book about the iconic actress, Jean Seberg, is wonderfully well researched and written. I've read other books by the author, and he demonstrates an exceptional talent for adapting his writing style to both the subject and audience, making his works immensely readable. "Jean Seberg - Breathless Her True Story" is no exception, and McGee is certainly at the top of his game here. As film lovers and fans, we know how her story ends, but the detail of the journey is happy, fascinating, inspiring, comforting, interesting, suspenseful, sad, devastating, infuriating, and tragic, and McGee relates all of it in a clear, compassionate way. Jean Seberg was truly a very special person and this book tells that story. Most highly recommend.

4 people found this helpful

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Scott Coblio

Jean Seberg: New Testament

Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2008

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Before Mia, Twiggy & Edie, there was Jean Seberg, the original Pixie. Because her successors were, well, more successful, Jean often gets overlooked when it comes time to dole out the honors to the women who influenced the style, shape & complexion of 60's femininity. Her initial screen persona was as a kind of child-woman, pretty but not overtly sexualized. Throughout her career, her image morphed back and forth through a kind of Tippi Hedren look to the boyish, close-cropped style she had in "Breathless", the film for which she is most known, and which showcased her unique appeal most effectively.

Shirley Maclaine, Mia Farrow and Audrey Hepburn were in a similar vein with their child-women personas. These actresses all were forging a new kind of feminine identity, with a naturalness that hadn't been seen on the screen before. Of them all, I find Seberg the most interesting screen presence, if not necessarily the best actress. Is it only because she came to a tragic end that she is more compelling and enigmatic on the screen?

Certainly her performances in "Breathless", "Lillith" and even "Bon Jour Tristesse" are little marvels. Acting-wise, she reminds me of Louise Brooks, in as much as her acting doesn't announce itself boldly. It's humble, poetic, watercolory. She is not so in love with her technique that her subtle effects are marred by the bold, show-offy strokes of her "method". She is always beautiful, but in her best work, she is magical too.

Garry McGee has done a commendable job researching and writing Jean's story. At 311 pages, it is satisfyingly dense, and much more than a perfunctory synopsis of her life and infamous death from suicide in 1979. In fact, it's so good you find yourself wishing a bigger publisher had picked it up so the illustrations could be top notch and the format larger.

But the content more than compensates for any graphic deficits. In fact, this book is really the quintessential tome on Seberg now, every bit as good as its predecessor on the subject, "Played Out- The Jean Seberg Story" by David Richard. If you're interested in Seberg, bet both. This one makes an excellent companion piece as it contains additional insights and illuminations, including rare interviews with Jean's sister Mary Ann, unique to this book!.

"Breathless" balances sensitivity with investigative journalism and the result is sure to please both scholars AND fans of the still-resonant star.

18 people found this helpful

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Michael McCrann

Best Sebery Biography

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2020

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This Jean Seberg biography is truly outstanding. Written with love but with a critical eye, the life of this wonderfully talented unique woman is brought to life memorably. The new film Seberg hopefully will create interest in this superior study of a wonderful actress. I can't recommend this book highly enough. If you love Jean Seberg you must have this book.

4 people found this helpful

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heidifayted

Timing is everything

Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2020

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I kept trying to find a way to watch the movie because the release date was delayed due to covid-19. I had about 10 pages left and it was suddenly rentable on Apple haha I loved both and didn’t mind

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Nancy Adams

Impeccably researched- undeniably fascinating.

Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2019

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Garry McGee has done it again. Tho the first edition of 'Jean Seberg: Breathless' did not need to be improved upon, Mr. McGee again shares his gift of fine writing, while updating more current 'Jean-centric news/events. Perhaps most important/rewarding? He steadfastly maintains his commitment to truth. Thank God(dess).

6 people found this helpful

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Kirk H

Jean Seberg IS breathless

Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2010

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Although I felt this book fell a bit short on creating a satisfying picture of Seberg's personality, it did give an excellent overview of her life and travails. She is someone who rose to fame at the time of a great turbulence in America (the 1960s), and it makes this bio historically fascinating. With the exception of Godard's "Breathless," Seberg's other excellent performances such as "Bonjour Tristesse" and "Lilith" have not been given their due. One thing this book lacks is a more contemporary view of her performances, given the perspective of time. "Saint Joan" is given short shrift historically and by comments Seberg made about her own performance. Today, her Joan of Arc comes across as a document of a young actor learning how to give a strong, emotional and intimate performance, and then by the end of the film, giving one. She learned along the way and in that regard it's a fascinating film to watch. Though I enjoyed this book very much, and would heartily recommend it to anyone at all interested in Jean Seberg, I felt it could have gone deeper into her psyche. Barry Paris' bio of Louise Brooks is the standard on which I base bios of famous actors. Few bios come close the depth of that book. There's a bit of that in McGee's Breathless, but I came away feeling a bit like the surface was skimmed rather than the depths plumbed. Nevertheless, as an overview of Seberg's films and life, this is very much worth reading.

9 people found this helpful

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Long Island

Perfect

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2020

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Captures, truthfully, our Jeana.

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Gretta Irwin

Wonderfully written story and fun to read

Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2015

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I was transcended into Jean's story and another time period in our history. This was a great read on the beach and kept my interest.

2 people found this helpful

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Nicki-Nacki-Nanu

Bewegend

Reviewed in Germany on March 17, 2017

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Anfang des Monats überkam mich die Lust, nach langer Zeit mal wieder »À bout de souffle« (Regie: Jean-Luc Godard) einzuwerfen. Dabei mag ich den Film gar nicht sonderlich und hatte sogar schon erwogen, ihn auszusortieren. Doch dann fiel mir nach wenigen Minuten des Sehens der Grund auf, weshalb ich den Film überhaupt besitze: Jean Seberg. Die Szene, in der sie — burschikos, elegant, zeitlos schön — über die Champs flaniert und Zeitungen verkauft. Dieses Gesicht, verspielt und tragisch zugleich, reflektierte geradezu das Sonnenlicht. Ein Kameramann sagte einmal über sie: »She had this rare gift: She was photogenic. She could be filmed marvelously even when the lighting was bad. The light always lay beautifully on her face.«
Seberg kam aus einer Kleinstadt in Iowa und war noch nicht ganz 18, als Otto Preminger sie aus über 18.000 Bewerberinnen für eine Shaw-Verfilmung auswählte. Der Presserummel war enorm, der Flop kolossal, die Verrisse waren für das Mädchen ein Schock. Um der Presse zu demonstrieren, dass sein Gespür ihn nicht getrogen hatte, besetzte Preminger seine Entdeckung ein Jahr später noch in »Bonjour Tristesse« (basierend auf dem Sagan-Bestseller). Aufgrund der Skandalaspekte lief dieser Film etwas besser als Sebergs Erstling, die amerikanischen Medien jedoch blieben ihr gegenüber verächtlich und hämisch. Nach einer niedlichen Komödie mit Peter Sellers in England wurde sie mit dem Godard-Film zu einer Ikone der nouvelle vague; Truffaut bezeichnete sie sogar als die beste Schauspielerin Europas. Fortan pendelte sie zwischen Paris und Hollywood, wobei sie nur selten gute Parts ergatterte. 1964 erhielt sie für ihre Leistung in »Lilith« (Regie: Robert Rossen) eine Golden Globe-Nominierung, und 1970 war sie in »Airport« (Regie: George Seaton) mit von der Partie. In Frankreich filmte sie ab 1966 zweimal mit Chabrol, und zweimal wurde sie von ihrem Ehemann, dem Schriftsteller Romain Gary, in Szene gesetzt.
Obwohl Paris inzwischen ihr Lebensmittelpunkt war, verfolgte Seberg stets mit Besorgnis die politischen Entwicklungen in ihrer Heimat und begann recht früh, Bürgerrechtsorganisationen wie beispielsweise die Black Panthers finanziell zu unterstützen. Daraufhin wurde sie vom FBI als Staatsfeindin eingestuft. Ab 1968 stand Seberg unter ständiger Beobachtung, ihr Telefon wurde angezapft, sie sah sich zunehmend verfolgt. Schließlich lancierte das FBI eine Verleumdungskampagne, um gezielt die Existenz der jungen Schauspielerin zu zerstören: Als sie 1970 ein Baby erwartete, druckten zahllose US-amerikanische Gazetten, das Kind sei das Resultat einer außerehelichen Affäre mit einem Schwarzen. Ihre angeschlagene Ehe hielt dem Druck nicht stand, Romain Gary reichte die Scheidung ein. Der Stress führte zu einer Frühgeburt, und Sebergs kleine Tochter starb zwei Tage nach der Niederkunft. Die Schauspielerin ließ das Mädchen in einem gläsernen Sarg begraben, damit die anwesenden Fotografen sehen konnten, dass es keineswegs schwarz war.
Den Tod ihres Kindes konnte Seberg nicht verkraften; angeblich soll sie in der Folge jedes Jahr an seinem Todestag einen Selbstmordversuch unternommen haben. Es war nicht schwer, ihre Ermordung 1979 als Suizid zu tarnen — wennschon es so viele Ungereimtheiten gab, dass die französische Justiz im Juni 1980 eine Strafanzeige »gegen Unbekannt« erließ. Ihr Fall ist bis heute ungeklärt. Jean Seberg wurde 40 Jahre alt. — Im Dezember 1980, gut 15 Monate nach ihrem Tod, erschoss sich ihr Ex-Mann Romain Gary. In seinem Abschiedsbrief hieß es: »Für die Presse. Kein Zusammenhang mit Jean Seberg. Wer gebrochene Herzen liebt, möge sich woanders hinwenden.«

Garry McGees Buch zeichnet Sebergs kurzes, bewegtes Leben en détail nach. Es liest sich wie ein Thriller in einem Rutsch durch.

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Sylvie S

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on July 3, 2015

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satisfaite

Antony C

simply the best biography I have ever read !

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 2, 2013

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anyone interested in movies, hollywood, how lives are ruined MUST read this.
So much time and effort has been put into this book by the author, it is such a sad story, one that supplies you with all the evidence
and leaves it to the reader to decide why Jean's life was so sadly cut short at 40.
A magnificent book about a truly enigmatic actress.

One person found this helpful

Stephen

A Life That Needs To Be Written About.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2013

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This would have been a 5 Star rating expect the Kindle version is poorly produced. For some reason no capital E's or D's, so her father's name is written as ed which was annoying at first. Also capital letters at the start of sentences are missing'

The book it's self is very informative and a lot of research had gone into it. The book tells the story of a life ruined because of her help and money given to political cause in the 60's.