Clint

The Man and the Movies

De: Shawn Levy

Narrado por: Mike Chamberlain

A Los Angeles Times "Must Read Book for Summer"

"This is the biography of Clint Eastwood we've been waiting for."—Sir Christopher Frayling, author of Sergio Leone

From the acclaimed film critic and New York Times bestselling biographer of Paul Newman, a revelatory portrait of Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood, the most prolific and versatile actor-director in movie history and an imposing icon of American culture for six decades.

C-L-I-N-T. That single short, sharp syllable has stood as an emblem of American manhood and morality and sheer bloody-minded will, on-screen and off-screen, for more than sixty years. Whether he’s facing down bad guys on a Western street (Old West or new, no matter), staring through the lens of a camera, or accepting one of his movies' thirteen Oscars (including two for Best Picture), he is as blunt, curt, and solid as his name, a star of the old-school stripe and one of the most accomplished directors of his time, a man of rock and iron and brute force: Clint.

To hear the story of Clint Eastwood is to understand nearly a century of American culture. No Hollywood figure has so completely and complexly stood inside the changing climates of post-World War II America. At age ninety-five, he has lived a tumultuous century and embodied much of his time and many of its contradictions.

We picture Clint squinting through cigarillo smoke in A Fistful of Dol­lars or The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; imposing rough justice at the point of a .44 Magnum in Dirty Harry; sowing vengeance in The Outlaw Josey Wales or Pale Rider or Unforgiven; grudgingly training a woman boxer in Million Dollar Baby; and standing up for his neighbors despite his racism in Gran Torino. Or we feel him present, powerfully, behind the camera, creating complex tales of violence, morality, and humanity, such as Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima, and American Sniper. But his roles and his films, however well cast and convincing, are two-dimensional in comparison to his whole life.

As Shawn Levy reveals in this masterful biography—the most com­plete portrait yet of Eastwood—the reality is richer, knottier, and more absorbing. Clint: The Man and the Movies is a saga of cunning, determi­nation, and conquest, a story about a man ascending to the Hollywood pantheon while keeping one foot firmly planted outside its door.

Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2025 Shawn Levy (P)2025 HarperCollins Publishers

Great level of detail. The author also provides his thoughts aside the critics, which I liked.

I would suggest it is a little long, but to be fair, I don't know what to cut.

The author did a great job.

I really liked his descriptions of Clint and the in-depth descriptions of his movies. I am going to watch several of his movies now.

Thorough, Entertaining, and Enlightening

A fair snd balanced account of an American icon. Excellent writing. Well-paced. Compelling stories. Great performance. Something for everyone in this book, but film buffs will especially love it.

Amazing Read!

Even though his parents were young, they both liked who they were as well as where they were in life. They were supportive of Clint and taught him respect.
And what an incredible background he had: a jack of all trades, attempting college, 2 years in the service, being a lifeguard.
His curiosity about directing began as he was just starting out as an actor. He seemed also to be an astute observer of life around him. At a very young age, Clint showed an impressive work ethic.
He was a guy who appreciated a robust sex life and seemed to often carry on two or more lives.
The book is an amazing trip through his life and his movies, the ups and downs, explaining the circumstances that made Clint who he was and who he became.
I appreciated all the "footnotes" sprinkled throughout the chapters that added more in-depth explanations and other tidbits of information.

Footnote/End Footnote

Really good insight into the man and his movies. The writer drove me a little crazy with the constant use of, "Footnote/End Footnote". Took 3/4 of the book to stop wincing when the narrator says it. But overall, it's a good time.

Everything in context

The author definitely covers the good the bad and the ugly. However, the ugly part is often explained in a way that does not just leave it hanging as great gossip. Later in the book, there is sometimes further explanation of something that could diminish his reputation. Such a good weaving of an interesting life.
Some of his legendary one word answers when he is directing actors in a movie are so much fun.

Unveiling the Man

This biography gives a fascinating and well-rounded look at Clint Eastwood, someone whose public image and private life couldn't have been more different.

Professionally, "Clint" made a name for himself by sticking to the "less is more" approach. Whether acting, directing, or producing, his work always carried a sense of quiet strength and understatement. But privately, he had a reputation for being selfish, firm, and controlling, living more by the motto "my way or the highway."
Shawn Levy does a great job exploring that contrast, giving readers a deeper understanding of the complexities and contradictions that define this iconic and enduring Hollywood figure.

Disappointingly dull

This icomprehensive biography of Clint Eastwood - seems to be well researched and detailed. It is more interesting at the beginning of his life, but then it becomes a never ending list of films, awards, and marital issues, without any substantial new insights. The template is repetitive, a project is started, crew is described, then how it was received by reviewers, how much money it made and what the author thought about it. Description of awards, mishaps, and marital issues are described mostly factually but without inspiration or motivation - just an endless list of repetitively structured sentences. so after a while it is becomes boring, we know a lot of things Clint Eastwood did, but we actually know very little about the person, his creative process, drive, uniqueness, motivation, we hear again about the themes of his work, but we get no insight about the origins of his fascination with violence, masculinity, loneliness - just that they exist. This biography fails in comparison to recent Kubrick and Altman biographies which made you feel that you understood the artists.

A Thorough Filmography Lacking Personal Insight

Given Clint Eastwood’s extensive life and career, I anticipated a narrative that would weave in historical events he lived through. Unfortunately, this dimension is notably missing, leaving a gap where a richer historical context could have enhanced the storytelling.

The book certainly excels in its meticulous cataloging of Eastwood’s films. Each movie is dissected in terms of its production timeline, budget, crew, box office returns, and critical reception. However, the repetition of this format for each film can become tedious. The pages often feel dense with names and numbers, and while this is undoubtedly informative, it sometimes reads more like a reference manual than a compelling biography.

What I found most lacking, however, was a deeper exploration of Eastwood’s own perspective. I had hoped to gain insight into his creative mindset, to understand what drives his directorial choices, and to hear, in his own words, how he navigates the challenges of filmmaking. This kind of introspective content would have provided a more nuanced understanding of his genius. Instead, the book often feels like a compilation of facts that could have been gathered from various public sources, lacking the personal touch that would make it truly stand out. In summary, “Clint” offers a thorough but somewhat impersonal account of Eastwood’s career.