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Evil Spirits: The Life of Oliver Reed

Author: Cliff Goodwin
Publisher: Virgin Books
Category: Book

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Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

18 reviews
Sales Rank: 15639

Media: Paperback
Edition: New Ed
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 314
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.5 x 1

ISBN: 0753505193
Dewey Decimal Number: 790
EAN: 9780753505199
ASIN: 0753505193

Publication Date: July 5, 2001
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Also Available In:

•	Paperback - EVIL SPIRITS, THE LIFE OF OLIVER REED
•	Hardcover - Evil Spirits: The Life of Oliver Reed

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Customer Reviews: Read 13 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

Excellent June 19, 2008
Thoroughly good read. Oliver Reed was indeed a character. Reading this book made me want to meet the man. I highly recommend this book!

4 out of 5 stars

A good general Reeder but possibly not the best biography of the man March 6, 2008
Ollie Reed was a complicated man, an actor with an almost indefinable style, and yet his performances I always thought were very memorable. He just sort of brooded about looking quite sultry, even mordant at times, but his quiet charisma made a real impression on the big screen. I looked forward to reading this biography of him in the hope of getting to know him better. I did, but I probably could have found out many of the things through other sources. This is where the book scores well though, as it lists most of his achievements and most of his notorieties in an almost diary like fashion. In this respect it is a very conventional full, but consequently thin resume of the screen actor's life and career.

It is also the book's main fault, as others here have stated. There are so many of the details I would have loved a deeper exploration of, and some events which I thought the author undervalued totally. It does capture the essence of the man quite well though, and provide a little insight too, such as the insistence that Reed was always acting, even when doing his infamous drunk on TV routine. The author states that Ollie saw these as roles just like any other and he really took his job of performing seriously, wherever it was. This was good insight, which I always believed was the case myself, and I actually think these TV infamies were better than many of his film performances. It also says a lot about the sham of TV, what it's really all about and how little integrity it has. But I would have loved more of this insight, more on what really made Ollie tick, and a lot more depth on certain matters. Maybe there are books that already have this. For the casual or half admirer who doesn't know much about the man, this book would be ideal.

1 out of 5 stars

Awful. Really quite awful. November 2, 2006
0 out of 3 found this review helpful

Lukily for the lackluster author this book remains an entertaining read because the subject matter, Reed, cannot help but invigorate and entertain. I must also give the writer credit for having researched his subject well and collected a reasonable ammount of interesting quotes, interviews and anecdotes. However, when it came to penning the final draught of this book, Mr. Goodwin seems to have entrusted the task to an illiterate three year old. The writing is so appalling that the book is almost unreadable. I'm afraid I can't even begin to describe how abysmal it is, so I can only recommend that you buy this book to find out for yourself.

4 out of 5 stars

Funny. Very, very funny April 4, 2006
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

A slow start, but once you get away from the early years, and Reeds rather complex family tree. The book slowly gathers momentum and had me laughing and page- turning through to the end..

5 out of 5 stars

The antics and career of the UKis biggest film-star! February 9, 2004
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Over a forty year career as one of the UKis biggest and highest-paid stars Oliver Reed succeeded in destroying himself thorough his drinking binges. Oliver Reed died in May 1999 drinking with friends in Greece while filming *Gladiator* a widely regarded modern masterpiece of film making. Oliver Reed built his acting reputation with his portrayal of Bill Sykes in the 1968 musical Oliver! His success in film making was somewhat overshadowed by his reputation for drunken behavior, some of which is well described in this book. His reputation amongst co-stars and interviewers alike was always a balance between the drunken image he portrayed socially and the marvelous character acting in his films. This book offers the engaging story of this loveable drunken actor and his antics on and off the screen. The book makes you laugh at these antics as much as try to give an insight to what values Oliver Reed had for life. To learn Reed would sleep with the Elephant to keep it company during the filming of iHannibali will not come as a surprise! Highly recommended *Reed*!