Directors Books

I found a battered paperback in a second hand shop and picked it up as it had a rare interview with Stanley Kubrick discussing his plans for Napoleon.

There is a mixed bags of directors, some established (Stanley Kubrick, Richard Lester, Arthur Penn); others just starting out (Jim McBride, Brian De Palma) and those plain weird (Norman Mailer, Andy Warhol).

it is interesting to read the opinions and experiences of these film makers. There are some hilairous prophecies i.e. Roger Corman claims that Pay TV will be a failure.

Very difficult to get hold of a copy now, but should one snap it up quickly.

In 1958, in a small avante-garde art film theater in Dallas, Texas (Yes, Dallas!) I saw a Russian made film of Dostoevsky's "The Idiot." A stark, realistic, black and white film, it made a lasting impression on me.

In later years I could never find a reference to this film anywhere. I almost began to think that I had imagined seeing it. Finally, along came my copy of FILM DIRECTORS: A COMPLETE GUIDE. There it was! I really had seen it. It was directed by Ivan Pyriev, a Soviet director who had died in 1968.

My point here is that this guide to directors is much more than one might guess, having complete sections on subjects such as "Notable Directors of the Past," and being cross referencing by film titles.

It is of course, useful for more mundane purposes such as finding the names of agents, or winning your bet on film trivia.

I find that I refer to it frequently for a number of reasons, but will always be particularly thankful for its sections of information on out of date and out of the mainstream subjects.

This book is a thorough, well-thought-out reference of major motion picture directors. It's organized like an encyclopedia and in every description of a director are references to other directors in bold face type. The idea being that after reading a section on, say, Woody Allen, you could then go to Frederico Fellini, who was highlighted in Woody's bio and so on. Excellent book. I can't understand why it was taken out of print or why it might not have sold well.

Paul Lazarus takes you on a journey through the world of film production. He covers it all, from acquisition of rights to audits and accounting. The book is perfect for anyone interested in the world of films. From the simple movie buff to a 2 time Oscar winner such as myself, there is plenty to be learned from this master piece.

Film Talk: Directors at Work is an amazing, behind-the-scenes glimpse of filmmaking from the 1940s to the modern day. Eleven up-close-and-personal interviews with contemporary film directors, speaking frankly about their work, comprise frank-talk this insider's view of the industry. The directors interviewed are "old masters" Ronald Neame, Val Guest, Budd Boetticher, and Albert Maysles; "cult visions" Jack Hill, Monte Hellman, and Robert Downey Sr.; and "new voices" Takashi Shimizu, Jamie Babbit, Bennett Miller, and Kasi Lemmons. More than fifty rare photographs illustrate this one-of-a-kind testimony sure to appeal to movie lovers of all walks of life.

The Filmwriters Guide is not only an excellent reference--it lists not just produced movie credits but also development projects which is really cool for film geeks like me--but the interviews with experienced screenwriters are always entertaining and insightful. Working screenwriters talking honestly about their work and careers is hard to find but these interviews are always good.

At last...a definitive book analyzing the films of Fred Zinnemann. All of the articles are good, but the article concerning The Nun's Story, Zinnemann's neglected masterpiece is brilliantly written by the editor, Mr. Nolletti. It is gratifying at last to see Zinnemann vindicated after falling out of favor and out of the conciousness of film critics. The Nun's Story, much honored in 1959, is now only a footnote in film history. Mr. Nolletti has detailed the greatness of this greatest of Zinnemann's films.

Occasionally quirky and idiosyncratic, this rich and thought-provoking book uses wide variety of sources and methodologies to analyse the work of one of the true geniuses of cinema.
Recomended to all students of cinema.

Godard is a hard nut to crack open and dissect his aims and thoughts.
I think Mr. Sterritt has accomplished all that.
Sometimes (the last two chapters) it's hard to proceed when the text is hard to grasp, but eventually after a couple of reviews one finally gets it (I think). Anyway it's a very rewarding experience !

Let this book on the key films of Losey's career be your first stop in the journey to discovering Losey's work. Joseph Losey is due for a major rediscovery, a well-deserved renaissance. For too long he has been relegated to the more esoteric shelves. To watch and study and enjoy his many movies is a real treat, to the dark, scary humor of The Servant to the resonating life lessions unveiled in The Go-Between (my favorite Losey film), to the harrowing, grimy, heartbreaking depths of King and Country is to become submerged in the provocative, moving work of a great artist. If you saw The Boy With The Green Hair as a child, it's unlikely that you'll ever forget it. Author Michael Riley and the others write with insightful acuity and illuminate several of Losey's major films to the point that you'll be rushing to the video store or searching on-line to experience for yourself the too neglected works of this master director.