Hall bases her work on a close study of del Rio's personal papers, contemporary publications about her, and del Rio's filmography . . . Hall provides historical context to help readers make sense of the opportunities and constraints that del Rio faced. Hall gives a nuanced account of how del Rio's personal and professional lives meshed, explaining how she navigated ... Read morethe transition from fading Hollywood stardom in the late 1930s to her remarkable comeback as a leading figure in the golden age of Mexican cinema in the 1940s and 1950s.
Lisa Jarvinen
Journal of American History
Dolores del Rio is an important work that finally offers us an insight into one of the most compelling stars of the early to mid-twentieth century. It fills a tremendous void in the literature of film history and film studies as well as Latin American/Chicana(o) studies.
Jill Watts
California State University San Marcos
In Dolores del Ro, Linda Hall marshals an impressively extensive archive in order to puzzle together a compelling story of the film star's life, with a particular focus on considering how del Ro's beauty contributed to her success...The biography offers a thorough depiction of the kinds of body work available and needed in Hollywood and then, importantly and thoughtfully, reveals how the older del Ro was almost too beautiful to play the roles she received in Mexico.
Adriana Estill
Latin American Research Review
Linda B. Hall's new book, Dolores del Rio: Beauty in Light and Shade, radically revises previous study of the Mexican film star . . . Hall crafts a lively story out of the various strands of del Rio's complicated life, all while building a historical argument . . . [H]istorians interested in twentieth-century transnational cultural history, Mexican gender history, and film history will want to read Hall's book.
Anne Rubenstein
American Historical Review
Those interested in Hollywood history will find this book a particularly good read, as Hall carefully shows how Carewe planned to make del Rio a star as well as possibly his wife. Those who continue to research race, ethnicity, and whiteness in early Hollywood will find valuable information in Hall's book.
Alicia I. Rodriguez-Estrada
Western Historical Quarterly
Linda Hall provides a wonderfully written and compelling biography of one of the most famous and beautiful women of the twentieth century: actress Dolores del Rio.
Cynthia E. Milton
The Americas: A Quarterly Review of Latin American History
Hall has created a well-researched, readable biography of a major international star, first in Hollywood, then, later, in her native Mexico . . . Highly recommended.
J.M. Welsh
Choice
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