Life on the Wire

A look at the star of "The Godfather," "Scarface," and other hit films discusses Pacino's success, battle against alcoholism, unstable romances with actresses, and rivalry with Dustin Hoffman

Abandoned by his father shortly after birth in 1940 and "dropped off" with his maternal grandparents for several years, actor Al Pacino attributes both his drive and restlessness to his early childhood experiences. After leaving his Bronx, N.Y., home, he spent more than a decade on his own, holding a variety of odd jobs, struggling to make it as an actor. His break came with The Godfather in 1972; he cemented his reputation with leading roles in the two Godfather sequels, Scarface , Serpico and Dog Day Afternoon . Yule ( Fast Fade: David Puttnam, Columbia Pictures and the Battle for Hollywood ) relies primarily on interviews with Pacino's associates and material from other journalists to fill out this breezy biography. Covered are such matters as Pacino's "rivalry" with Dustin Hoffman and his liaisons with actresses Diane Keaton and Jill Clayburgh. Yule also quotes Pacino at length, lending evidence to the accepted wisdom that little is more tiresome than a Method actor talking about acting. For example, Pacino observes, "Doing a play like Richard III is being involved with words, with where we're from." Photos not seen by PW .
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Above-average celebio, showing extra research, by the author of Fast Fade (1988). Pacino is a rich subject, both as man and actor. Yule does fairly well on the acting, though one wants even more than is given. Pacino's private life--for which there was some secondhand input from Pacino through other interviewees--is well done, but Yule draws back from getting into Pacino's long love affairs with Jill Clayburgh, Tuesday Weld, Kathleen Quinlan, and Diane Keaton, about which Pacino and friends are closemouthed. Most amusing is Pacino's rivalry from Off-Broadway to Hollywood with fellow short- person Dustin Hoffman, which climaxed when they were approached by a fan in Rizzoli's bookstore and passed themselves off as each other. Pacino was raised in the Bronx by his grandparents, his mother having left him when he was three. This seems to be the reason he has never married: His memories of his mother are strong and warm, and he apparently doesn't want to be left behind again by a woman. Pacino was also something of a child prodigy as an actor, would memorize and act out movies before he could read, was called ``The Actor'' throughout his school years. As Yule shows, he had a fabulous gift for comedy but fell into roles as a psychotic and never got the full release of his comedic talent until his role as Big Boy Caprice, which stole Dick Tracy and won him the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor--while his third take on Michael Corleone, in Godfather III, failed to win even a nomination. Pacino's poor choices in material, Yule explains, come about when he parts from producer Martin Bregman, and his trials with Shakespeare have been unsuccessful stretches. Some pictures, damned on opening (Scarface among them), have later returned as classics when stripped of hype. Well done but not as memorable as Fast Fade, with Pacino emerging as admirable. (Photos--not seen.) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

As one of America's most revered contemporary actors, Pacino is a dichotomy: acting in several disastrous films yet part of some of Hollywood's biggest successes; suffering from alcoholism yet possessing the ability to play roles of control; achieving his own star status yet constantly being confused with Dustin Hoffman. Author Yule, who also penned Fast Fade: David Puttnam ( LJ 1/89), takes the insider's view in writing this unauthorized biography. He chronicles Pacino's life, from his penurious childhood through last year's much-publicized Godfather III filming, relying on conversations with the actor's manager, acting teacher, closest friends, former lovers (including Jill Clayburgh and Diane Keaton), and at times Pacino himself. This is not as deep an emotional study as it promises to be, but ultimately it proves an interesting and entertaining work on a fascinating dramatic and artistic life.
- David Nudo, New York
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.