Directors Books

After getting my first review of this book rejected by Amazon because it made "judgements" on the authors intent, I'm going to attempt to scale this one down in attempts to review this book that I spent hours reading.

I realize that this book is very popular and well received by a great many. That however, is not enough to make me recommend this book. I am not critical by nature, (see my other reviews), but I do like to "call a spade a spade"!

This is a story about the town of Temptation, it's citizens, and a family who comes to film a "movie". Phin is the mayor and Sophie is the traveling film maker.

This book contains crass humor, foul language, and very little romance. For me this makes for a very disappointing read. The characters had PLENTY of sexual chemistry, but I NEVER believed that there was any real and lasting love between the 2 of them. This is a cardinal sin for a "romance junkie" like myself, and I cannot recommend this book to readers who love romance. For those who like a "naughty" read..this might do the trick.

Sorry, not for me.

I love this book. In fact, thus far, I have liked all the books she has written herself.

This book was a real struggle for me to finish. If I hadn't been having it read to me via audibook I don't honestly think I would've stuck it out. Until now I've enjoyed all of the Crusie books I've read but this one just didn't resonate with me. It's about a pair of sisters who visit the town of Temptation to shoot a documovie on a fading movie star (at least that's what I got out of it). They've always been outsiders and were raised by a con man so and though they're harmless enough they rather thrive on being a little 'bad'. Naturally, one of the sister's falls for the upright major. They have lots of supposed fantasy sex (that was a bit boring if you ask me) and the major gets into hot water because the town is afraid the movie the sisters are making is going to be nothing but porn. Someone dies, a water tower gets painted several times, the aging starlet has sex with the son of her former lover, a young girl falls in love a porn producer (I found this storyline gross) and other assorted things happen that I found unbelievable. This book didn't have the wit and spark of the earlier books I've read by this author and in the end there were so many characters that I had a very difficult time remember who was who.

This was the 2nd book I've read by Crusie, and I couldn't put it down. There are several laugh-out-loud moments, (my husband and daughter just looked at me funny)and the story just wrapped me in. Loved Sophie and Phin!!!! It's a very good beach read. Enjoy!

Loved the main character Sophie - her quick wit and her snarky comebacks! However, even with her hard exterior, she was sensitive and caring on the inside. Sophie and Phin were amazing together and I loved reading their scenes together. The book has great supporting characters too (love Davy!!).

It's definitely not a book for those that are faint of heart or prudish in any way. Very, very hot sex scenes and the "F" word is used quite frequently. So if either of those turn you off, don't buy the book, you will be disappointed. Otherwise, I recommend this book to everyone. It's definitely a great escape!

This book is worth it's money. It has so many different story's and is just flat out fun to read! so if you like Ivader Zim you will defenatally like (Johnny The Homicidal Maniac)

Here we have the entire collection of Nny. This book is violent, repugnant, and yet still amazing. With its charming wit, deadpan humor, and brilliant character interactions, this book is a well-deserved 5-star.

OMG... This was some of the funniest and darkest humor Ive encountered... Johnny... Nny for short had me rolling

For any who have not had the joy of viewing any of Jhonen Vasquez's work this is the best there is.

Simply put JTHM covers a vast array of emotions and feeling that we all have from time to time Johnny just acts through with them, which can give you a sense of that same outlet Jhonen vents through johnny

This book is amazing. If you are interested in starting a career in film making, this book will give you all the confidence youll need to do so.

i have been in the motion picture world for a very long time, i also know alot about low budget filmmaking and i love the way how he got into the industry, i think he tells his story in a very intresting way but i do not like the fact how he makes it seems like film school is completly useless, i understand where he was coming from but do not diss film school as if you cannot learn anything from it, i myself did not attend film school but for 15 years of my life i read about cinema. i must have read so many books on film directing and it did help me out alot, i think he also forgot that he went to film school himself, he had to know the rules in order to break them properly. this book had me laughing alot, robert has a great sense of humor and his ten min film school can be very useful to alot of us independant filmmakers, he's right film school does show you how to work on a huge set that cost alot of money but thats because they hope one day you make it big, they show you how to work as a team with other crew members just like robert is doing now. i've seen him on several film sets and his crew consists of more then 75 people, way more then he worked with the first time, so when reading this book don't take things literally.

Loved this book. Funny and insightful look at breaking into Hollywood. Read it & watch El Mariachi.

Fun and easy reading book about a young man making a movie on the cheap just so he can get his first ten bad movies out of the way before making a good one. Fancy this first effort to hit it big in Hollywood! Inspiring stuff, and especially inspiring considering he never expected this el-cheapo B-rate Spanish language movie, made with volunteer actors in a border town, to amount to anything but a practice run for the Mexican video market if he was lucky. Get it, read it, write down that script you have in your head and go dust off the old camcorder and start shooting!

This book also has lots of cool hints as to how to make expensive looking scenes!

Robert Rodriguez's "Rebel without a Crew" is an often amusing and highly entertaining look at how the author shot the indie sensation "El Mariachi" for a reported $7000 (some $3000 of which he earned by selling blood and taking part in medical experiments).

The writing is diary like and flows nicely from beginning to the end. Rodriquez gives very interesting insight on how he tackled huge problems and came up with inexpensive solutions to mimic big budget movie look and feel.

Definitely not a step by step guide on making and editing your own movies, this book is actually more of guide to a mind-set or philosophy on getting out and actually pursuing a dream.

"The Ten-Minute Film School" included as Appendix 1 is a great addition and is worth reading by itself.

Recommended!

Neither a love letter nor a scathing attack, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination is an even-handed and thorough examination of one of the undisputed icons of 20th century popular culture. And written in Neal Gabler's clear, crisp narrative style, it's dense but enjoyable reading.

Gabler clearly has done his homework, and done it extensively (and, he notes in the afterword, he did all his own research rather than passing the legwork off on assistants). It makes for a cohesive look at how Disney decided animated characters needed to evoke emotional responses; created the first feature-length animated film; promoted both Technicolor and color TV in their infancies; became the first motion picture studio executive to work directly with nascent television networks; and, of course, redefined the concept of the amusement park.

At the same time, Gabler discloses Disney's involvement in the anti-Communist and blacklist hysteria; his reluctance to credit individual studio artists; and how, later in life, he became a tyrannical figure at Walt Disney Productions while simultaneously always pursuing innovative projects.

Especially important, Gabler shows how Disney consciously created (and even licensed to his own studio) a "Walt Disney" public persona while remaining intensely private -- and how he was never satisified with resting on his previous accomplishments and, in fact, seemed embarrassed that his legacy would be what he had already done.

While it takes a while to read, Neal Gabler has produced a biography that shows how Disney both directly and indirectly influenced how generations experienced entertainment -- and their expectations of it.

As with any major celebrity, there is fact and there is legend. With Walt Disney, the lines have become blurred as Walt the man has been supplanted by Walt the icon. Most people today have gotten to know the image of "Uncle Walt," the paternally avuncular picture of middle American success -- the man who went from animated cartoons, feature films, to television and Disneyland and its successors. Yet there was another side to Walt. He was by turns a workaholic, hard-driving taskmaster, visionary, storyteller, tinkerer and technical wizard -- a man who inspired and infuriated subordinates, colleagues, competitors. Ever the perfectionist, he sought to elevate entertainment above the simplistic to the artful.

Neal Gabler crafts a splendid examination of the life of this enigmatic man -- labeled by many as "An American Original." Going beyond the superficial press releases and stock images, he looks not only at Walt Disney the entertainer, but Walt Disney the man. He presents a well-researched, meticulous, balanced portrait of a unique individual -- a genius, who nevertheless possessed deep flaws and human weaknesses. We discover a man who, despite his upbringing (or perhaps because of it), rose to become a giant in the entertainment world. In the process, he became a symbol, alternately, of innovation, artistry, daring, conventionality, stodginess, and ultimately, an icon synonymous with happiness (albeit at an often hefty price).

The author explores his personal relationships with family and friends, including his brother Roy, his wife Lillian, and the animators and studio employees from whom he would later distance himself as he grew in ego and stature. Uncle Walt succeeded in reinventing himself in the image of the quintessential American of his own making.

Mr. Gabler chronicles not only Disney and the company that bears his name, but also an industry and an era long past, but whose roots still entwine the American imagination.

If you ever wanted to know virtually everything about Walt Disney and the Disney company, this is the book for you. The author has almost overwhelming detail of Walt's early upbringing and difficult life to his unfortunate early death while in the middle of planning out Disney World and Epcot. This book is not for the light reader on the subject, the biography is massive with over 600 pages not counting the notes and index. But you will come away from the book adoring the man that never stopped planning and making improvements from not just the way cartoons were drawn but by making them more artistic, utilizing new techniques and cameras with an analyzing eye for detail. Often on the brink of bankruptcy, Walt, with the huge contribution of brother Roy, continued to make improved products equiring outstanding loans throughout much of his career. Betrayed initially by a film distributor who not only stole, legally, Disney's Oswald character and stole many of his staff, Disney and his top artist Ub Iwerks, develop the life changing Mickey Mouse. But as Gabler tells the story, Disney's studio grows and so do the risks with perhaps the greatest risk at that time, Snow White, the first full length animation film. What almost seems like a pattern, Walt continues to make improvements, hire increased staff and take out loans as he produces more, works staff long hours to put out a higher quality package. The book also provides a sobering view of Disney as sometimes the pressure was too great for the great story teller and the advent of unions and the need for stock sales along with bankers starting to provide over sight leads to greater restrictions and frustration but then Disney thrives with less costly non-cartoon films such as Davey Crocket that become quite a rage along with the Mickey Mouse TV show and eventually his plan for Disneyland that was an attempt to fulfill his boyhood dreams of his small town life in Marceline, Missouri. Fascinating detail on such things as Ub Iwerks as the actual artist who drew the early Mickey, the need for Donald Duck as a charcter to offset the corporate wholesomeness now required of the mouse, Roy Disney who held the finances together to allow Walt to plunge on and and Disney's plan for developing not only Disney World with modern monorails but Epcot. The sad end of the book of course is Walt's death of cancer that is well hinted very early on by references to a hacking cough many years before. What is really unfortunate was Walt Disney's plan for Epcot that was never completely fullfilled that was to be more of a town with living areas for Disney employees creating a village concept that is actually being realized in many communities today (office parks with stores, landscapped lakes, and condos or apartments). Regretfully as Roy Disney said, the great plans for Epcot died with Walt. Primarily because Walt reached higher and higher, his ultimate plans with stringent notation to detail crerated a fascinating entertainment industry.

An absolute must-read for not just any Disney enthusiast, but anyone interested in the history of American pop culture in general. Gabler's effort to gather the most comprehensive research on the man behind the mouse is evident throughout, but even more important is his ability to weave that research into a page-turner of a tale which parallels the themes of the Disney features themselves, most importantly struggle against adversity, good versus evil, and the glory of success versus the misery of failure.

Enlightening, invigorating, and inspirational. A pleasure to read.

What I have to say has already been said in several two-star reviews: for all its impressive length and alleged research, Gabler never gets a proper handle on Disney as either a man or a creative artist. The new Mike Barrier book is better. The old Richard Schickel book is better. The short chapter in Leonard Maltin's "Of Mice and Magic" is better. Heck, there are websites devoted to Disney that are better!

Somehow - I guess because of its length and sanctioning by the Disney organization - this has been annointed as the "definitve" Disney biography. But it misses by a mile. It's boring, pretentious, and very unsatisfying. You'll get much more of out the shorter, better-written book by Mike Barrier - a lifelong animation scholar who understands Disney in ways that Gabler simply can't.

Please believe me (as somebody who's read nearly everything about Disney, and has been a major animation buff/collector for 40 years) when I say that this disappointing book has been insanely overpraised!

A Classic Book that begins it's journey, where all books end. The true difference between a casual programmer and a disciplined programmer is more prominent in his/her code when they start using advanced features of the framework. A true programmer knows his stuff in and out and knows how to leverage the features of the framework effectively in every line of code. And to get to that level of proficiency it takes reading and practicing the concepts on daily basis. And if at all, there is any book out there, that will help you, then it is this book. A definite YES. 5 Stars.

Without any second thought I will place this book among the best books on the subject ever published. I hope everybody will agree that there are only a few books that worth reading from the beginning to the end without skipping a page. To me this is one of those rare books.
The author manages to reflect on broad architectural concepts and yet be extremely specific. He was able to present the most complicated aspects of component oriented programming and the C# language in a very simple, yet concise manner. Many complex issues that may turn off even experienced programmers are described in a way that not only are very well understood, but could easily be migrated into a working program. The author has found an absolutely perfect balance of presenting general architectural aspects of the subject he is discussing and real life implementation techniques.
I truly believe that anybody who is dealing with such aspects (to name but a few) as serialization, asynchronous invocation, multithreading, reflection, events, delegates, deterministic finalization, etc., MUST read this book.
By the way, this author has published another wonderful book on Windows Communication Foundation - "Programming WCF".

While going over component and control design, this book teaches the principles of the component-oriented design philosophy. The author doesn't pander and isn't overly verbose; getting to the point and explaining his meaning efficiently and succinctly. Definitely worth the read.

Book goes through the entire process of building controls, nothing is untouched. It dwells however much too long on the 'standard' topics of installation, distribution, setting up etc and is rather lite on the the real stuff like building controls that look and feel like commercial controls. Would be a good book if it had 20% of the pages.

This book is incredibilly well written and has a very comprehensive way of explaining the ways of Component oriented programing. Explains its differences betweent COP and OOP. You can easily understand what the author has in mind, BUT, I found one big flaw on this book. Not that this flaw will make the book less comprehensive, but it will make it less fun.
In all concepts it presents Examples, but not exercises. It explains the features and then give a short example to it. It doesn't stimulate the reader to actually build a code within a major context. You read, see the example and move on to the next topic. It is not fun to just stay around and read and read and read without actually working with the book. It is still a great book, but the approach to the reader could be better.

An inside look at a major player during the 70's, 80's, and 90's. You have to admire Robert Evans' chutzpah, and I think it was his egomania that got him back up each time he was down for the count. It's a delicious and dishy look at hollywood during a very exciting era. I can't say that the book will stay with you long after you've read it, but while you are reading it you won't be able to put it down.

I met Bob Evans a couple of years ago at Book Soup on Sunset Blvd., for no less a 'literary' L.A. event than a 'book' signing for the release of 'Kid' on cd. I stayed after, to speak with the legendary producer and get my 1st ed. copy of 'Kid' signed. When the last guest had left, only myself, Evans and Army Archerd (with a Michael Clarke-Duncan size bodyguard) remained. I told Mr.Evans that I have great admiration of for his work and that meeting him was a dream come true for me. Evans' story as meteoric rise to head of production at Paramount and white-hot, sub-orbital fall due to substance abuse is an amazing tale of genius and hubris. Evans was personally involved in producing some the classics from a cinematic-artistic Golden Age: The Godfather, Chinatown, Harold & Maude, to name a few.

This is a splendid chronicle of a remarkable career, though I can't help but wonder if Evans wouldn't have been happier if he had just learned to love himself for who he is.

I've read just about every autobiography I've come across, but I'd have to say Robert Evans has taken a more honest and critical look at his life than anyone I've ever read.
I can't imagine anyone wouldn't find this book absorbing and interesting

The Kid Stays In the Picture is another in a series of stylistic documentaries over the last few years that seems to be reinvigorating the form by using different narrative and filmic techniques in service to a story. In Winged Migration it was an interplay of raising birds from hatchlings, mixing great flying footage with special effects, in The Fog Of War it was juxtaposing a man's life (ex-Defense Secretary Robert McNamara) with his beliefs, & then with special effects and facts not widely known, but this film goes the furthest in pushing this technique, to almost docudrama, and it succeeds brilliantly. As a work of art it's a tour de force. It's subject matter may seem a bit more problematic- it is not the life of a major political figure, but of a Zelig-like Hollywood mogul- Robert Evans- whose rise and fall is chronicled mostly by his own narration, & the computer effects of taking still photographs & making them come alive. There is very little of the talking head phenomena that infects most film documentaries. In his behind the scenes with the stars life Evans resembles rock DJ Rodney Bingenheimer from the documentary The Mayor Of Sunset Strip, and in its blend of subjectivity with reality it shares a kinship with the Harvey Pekar docudrama American Splendor, yet it succeeds far more than either of those two films because its subject is not an oddball, and has actually led a life worth examining. Neither Bingenheimer nor Pekar ever had the personal success Evans did.... Filmmakers Brett Morgen and Nanette Burstein have achieved something rare in the film world- a documentary that both pushes the genre's boundaries yet achieves what all but the very best documentaries achieve- insight into its subject matter. Evans is a man who is both a starmaker and starstruck fan, barren chaff yet sage insider. He is truthful- to a degree, arrogant, yet self-deprecating- a refreshing turn from many self-satisfied and dishonest documentaries. This film was clearly worlds better than Bowling For Columbine- the doc that won the Oscar that year, yet the reason for its not winning, nor even being nominated, is obvious- aside from the fact Evans made many enemies in Hollywood. Most viewers will forget it is a documentary while it's being watched. So effectively subversive are Morgan and Burstein in their technique that it works against them in terms of recognition. Yet, this film, not Columbine, will be studied in film school.
As for the features, there is not much- no making of documentary, just assorted interviews with celebrities at the film's premiere, and Evans accepting some awards. The commentary track by Morgan and Burstein is superb, one of the best explications of the marriage of technique with subject matter you're likely to hear.
A cynic might argue that the film is an homage to a talentless actor who just had a knack for being in the right place at the right time, and to a degree that's true. But, the film is really about the solipsistic nature of all people. We know that. We are that, by and large. It's only when we see that in people richer, more famous, and more rewarded that we look away from ourselves. The film opens with a quote from Evans: `There are three sides to every story: my side, your side, and the truth. And no one is lying. Memories shared serve each one differently.' Rarely has such truth been admitted by anyone in film, rarer still something done with it. This is why The Kid Stays In The Picture is a great documentary.

Having known Mr. Morgenstern from years ago in college as well as attending Transylvania Music Camp in Brevard NC with him, I believe he "Tells it like it is" both in his memoirs & in the state & future of music in America. His experiences in his life combined with a long list of professional accomplishments more than qualify him to tell of the problems facing & eating away at the American musical scene. Agree or not with what he has to say, I found comfort in knowing him personally that it was "The truth & nothing but the truth"

Morgenstern relates the inner workings of conducting, teaching, managing, and performing that goes with being an orchestra player in the U.S., and does so concisely and humourously.

This book starts out with the stated goal of assessing the decline of classical music in the United States and the reasons for it. However, it turns out to be essentially Morgenstern's personal behind-the-scenes memoir of venality and corruption and, in the process of writing it, he limns the all-too-human foibles of the great and near-great. In truth, it is a series of generally none-too-flattering vignettes with interspersed musings. Had the author stated at the outset that his goal was to write his own memoir, the book would have merited at least 4 stars because it is quite readable. Nevertheless, some of the author's more salacious tidbits cannot be confirmed and some have been outright denied by those he claimed participated in certain of the events mentioned. This, in turn, calls into question Morgenstern's ultimate veracity, although not the book's fascination for readers interested in the classical music scene. In fact, the author's conclusion that classical music needs to be more emphasized in elementary school in order for it to continue to (or begin to) thrive in this country is hardly a new insight. I have been hearing it for at least 30 years and perhaps longer. So, take this book for what it is--one man's memoir of his life in classical music. Enjoy it, but don't assume you're reading some sort of ultimate truth.

The state of classical music in America is precarious. Nowhere will the orchestras fill a stadium sized arena like the Rolling Stones are doing in Boston. Why is it in America that the best music of the generations is going so unappreciated?

Mr. Morgenstern writes with a great deal of sadness about the state of classical music in the United States. He offers little encouragment for the future. He would like to see the NEA increase funding to the arts. But in a time like this, the asking of everyone in the country to pay a contribution to arts that they find useless if not objectionable is out of the question.

A good book that clearly states and understands the problem.

I have read most of the reviews already posted and wish to add a conciliatory thought.
I am a professional musician in the Cleveland Orchestra. In the interest of objectivity and credibility, I will concede that the book is largely an autobiography and that there are anecdotes and opinions which are gratuitous to the main thrust of the topic. However, I think it is well worth reading this because of the underlying wisdom gained by the experience of someone who started a significant education-oriented music festival and kept it running for so long. Allow yourself to be amused by the stories and experiences and glean the volume of intelligence in the analysis of the problems confronting the classical music world and orchestras today.
I think the fact that this book has stirred so much controversy implies that there is plenty of substance within the narrative so it ought not be dismissed because of its many personal and provocative opinions.

Shadow Watcher
Nobody Drowns in Mineral Lake

This is perhaps the best book about screenwriting and the film business ever written.

Oscar winner William Goldman, who wrote such classic films as HARPER, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, MARATHON MAN and ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN shares his unique, often difficult, experiences working with top directors, producers and stars like Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman and Laurence Olivier.

If survival in the Hollywood film industry is possible, then there is no better "survival guide" than this book, because Goldman tells it like it is. He pulls no punches.

According to Goldman, the single most important fact in the movie industry is that "Nobody Knows Anything".

Most of the book's second-half is a primer on how to write a successful screenplay.

What does Goldman feel is the most important lesson to be learned about writing for films?

1. "Screenplays Are Structure"
2. You protect the "spine" of that structure "to the death".

If you want to work (and succeed) in Hollywood, then this is a book that you must carry around with you...like a Bible.


- Michael B. Druxman, author of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD (available December 2008)

Mr. Goldman has written a classic. A great panacea for anyone that gets too starry-eyed over celebrities and aspires to "make it big" in show business. I have a great deal of respect for Mr. Goldman's no-holds-barred approach to explaining just how Hollywood works. His book is instructive and illuminating. His sarcastic approach is extremely funny and a great stress reliever. His quasi-sequel, Which Lie Did I Tell?, was also very enjoyable. I would highly recommend both books.

What kind of book can the writer of such great screenplays as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Marathon Man, A Bridge Too Far, Dreamcatcher, and my sentimental favorite, The Princess Bride write? A romping, great ride through the movie making business, complete with behind-the-scenes stories. It opens with an astutely worded history of Hollywood, covers splendid tales about movie stars--both good and very, very bad, and the screenwriting process. `Adventures In The Screen Trade' is a true classic.

Goldman understands movies and more than that, he truly understands how to tell a story and be funny at the same time. In the book, he writes that comedy is not his forte. Nonsense! I was laughing half the time I was reading; I had to put the book down occasionally, I was laughing so hard.

More than simply comedy, the book is filled with insights not only on human nature, but also on writing about human nature. Near the end of the book, after a most enjoyable read about what parts he played in the many good movies he's written or had a part in writing (including only the last line from the Steve McQueen, Dustin Hoffman movie, Papillon), he shows his true genius. He actually demonstrates his thinking process in adapting a short story of his into a screenplay.

After reading that story, but before I read his working plan of adaptation, I decided to experiment and see what angle I could come up with on the story in a rough outline. After doing that, I read his plan of attack in comparison and I was simply blown away. Here is a master storyteller at work--I'm not worthy.

I enjoyed reading this book and if you're a fan of film, you'll like this one too.

this is a must for everyone interested in screenwriting...a little slow in the beginning but riveting after that

Reading this book makes you feel the writer is talking to you personally - it is written in a conversational style .
The author sometimes can't believe the sort of conditions he himself works in or the type of surroundings , he is as confused by them as we are . He is also as captivated by them as we are , coming from a pure love of movies and their magic .

If you are a film fan , do not delay in buying this book .
It will bring a new perspective to viewing a film .
Once you've read it , go and watch BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID , for which the author wrote the screenplay .
A fantastic book !!

It took me over a month but I finally finished this
astonishing book. I'm exhausted and staggered by the sheer scope of
this woman's life--it is in fact a story larger than life. By way of
illustration, I recently read the famed and lengthy Carlos Baker
biography of Ernest Hemingway. Let me tell you in no uncertain
terms: Papa was a sissy in comparison to Leni Riefenstahl
(hereafter, LR). This woman displays more grit, tenacity, artistic
vision, dedication, resilience and audacity than a pack of wolves
cross bred with Ayn Rand and some other extreme artist of maniacal
bent, say, Van Gogh. She exemplifies the good and bad potentials for
life in the extreme. Hers is a story of perseverance and survival,
with agony and ecstasy throughout. The movie "The Wonderful,
Horrible Life of LR" could not be more aptly titled. Whew, I'm tongue
tied....this book took me there and back and I need a week off to
recuperate. It's well-written, but you won't read this for the
writing. This is about a life lived to the hilt, decades of painful
adventure, the stuff of legend.

Should you contemplate reading this book, I think you need to make a
decision in advance: Are you going to squander your time primarily
evaluating whether she had knowledge of the genocide of the Jewish
people by Hitler and hisminions?? If sitting as a juror as to facts
almost 60 years old is a particular hobby of yours, go at it. The
fact is, LR was pulled in front of multiple courts, tribunals, and
boards throughout the years and has essentially been acquitted time
and again by people who would have relished convicting her had there
been sufficient evidence. LR denies having knowledge of the
genocidal treatment of the Jewish people. Her denials are very
similar to those made by the balance of the German people who
survived the War and who lived in the same cities and who had similar
contacts with various Nazis, albeit perhaps at the lower social
levels. I personally believe her, as she demonstrates herself
throughout the book to be naive and self-absorbed. Like a lot of
artists, she was preoccupied with her own artistic agenda,
and "politics," political philosophy, and military ambitions were of
no interest to her. Similarly, she gets betrayed and ripped off so
many times by so many different people throughout this book of her
life that it is clear she has no real ability to evaluate people from
a character standpoint. She also seems credible from the stand point
that she describes a Hitler who is, suprisingly, not immediately
hateable. Instead, I was kind of taken aback by what a gentleman he
appeared to be to LR, and how he honored various agreements that he
made with her despite every temptation not to do so. LR's failure to
categorically condemn Hitler seems to accrue to her credibility that
she didn't know his full vicious potentials. (By so denouncing him
she could have staved off some further criticism.) She doesn't,
however, display that kind of deference to Goebbels and many other of
the Nazi bureaucrat/thugs. She describes them exactly as you would
envision them as being. Ugly and scary. In any event, my real point
is that this book is so full of a broad variety of intrigue that you
will miss out should you exclusively focus on this question of her
knowledge of or involvement in the atrocities. Bottom line: I don't
think we will ever know for sure one way or the other.

The true value of this book is the unique view it offers into so many
other varied areas: the history of Germany before, during, after
WWII ; the various people who inhabited Germany during this time;
insights into other great artists, actors, film-makers during the
30's, 40, 50's, 60's; insight into flying ace, Hans Udet; the story
of a person who endured multiple serious health ailments through the
years but went on to live to 100; a woman who experienced the heights
of international success and artistic glory; a woman who experienced
the depths of prejudice and hatred for her earlier affiliations;
tremendous insights into early film-making; great mountaineering and
skiing anecdotes; insights into the Sudan, the characters and tribal
peoples there; insights into the mind and agenda of a great
photographer (inspired, I pulled out my Leica and started shooting
again half way through the book)....on and on it goes. I enjoyed her
anecdotes of meeting Mick Jagger and Bianca, the people at National
Geographic, Andy Warhol, Walt Disney. The sheer number of interesting
events and people which are described is so vast I would have to
tabulate it to give an accurate estimation: she was almost strangled
as a child by a child serial killer; she was in Central America in
the early 70's when a huge hurricane went through and killed 8,000
people. She describes vivid and bizarre "psychic visions" at the
moment of meeting the two loves of her life, both of whom went on to
betray her trust and hopes. And, of course, her precisely described
conversations with Hitler are extremely interesting and of extreme
historical import (she gives almost verbatim descriptions of perhaps
20 or so private conversations with Hitler; she kept journals and had
to testify numerous times about the same, thus her accuracy). She
describes a bizarre meeting with Mussolini which was fraught with
tacit significance as she found herself unwittingly a messenger
between him and Hitler. I also was interested in her friendships
with Albert Speers, Jean Cocteau. Her favorite people over the
course of 90 years?? The Nuba of Sudan, natural, naked, innocent,
generous and playful...and extremely photogenic. That is actually
how I became familiar with LR: I have her Nuba books (reprints) and
they are some of the best examples of photography that I've ever seen-
-believe it or not, National Geographic has never published photos of
tribal peoples as good as these photos. I then discovered her
underwater photo books and was equally astonished. Only later did I
learn this photographer had earlier been a film-maker, with a couple
of flicks called "Triumph of the Will" and "Olympia" to her credit,
ominous milestones in the history
of film-making. I'm looking forward to one day seeing her earlier
masterpiece "The Blue Light" which received international acclaim.

This woman is, in my opinion, one of the great artists and
adventurers of the 20th Century. This book is her story. It is
comfortably written and well translated, albeit filled with a few
more details than I needed (eg, production details from some of
films, and details regarding her countless defamation suits). As the
father of a young daughter, I plan on having her read this book (and
Ayn Rand's "Fountainhead") at as young an age a practicable. LR
displays what I see as enlightened feminism: no bitterness or
complaining about unfair circumstances, just full-on pursuit of her
dreams, going over or through anyone or anything who tries to thwart
her visions, like a locomotive, powered by pure merit and talent and
will power. Trying and failing, and then trying again and succeeding.

LR is hardly perfect, and her life is bittersweet. But she is still
here and her many enemies are mostly dead. And her films and
photographs will live forever. But her ultimate work of art is her
life story itself. She has inspired me with her courage and her
sense of adventure. Hemingway clearly would have wanted to buy her
drinks, and Shackleton likewise would salute.

Incredible, the insight she gives into the making of films before and during WWII. The trials and tribulations actors and film-makers endured is described in such detail that one can imagine being there.

The book is art, absolute art, all the way through, no matter what Riefenstahl describes. I especially loved the beginning of the book, the description of her childhood. It is so totally German. The customs, the sentiments, the feelings she describes returned me to the stories my mother and grandmother told me, and to many of my own childhood memories.

After reading her book, I believe that she has been deliberately maligned and that she was always only an artist, not ever a collaborator of Hitler.

I especially recommend the book to anyone who loves the art of film-making.

The hardcover edition I read in 1992 is a remarkable work, an intimate firsthand account of a celebrated Third Reich ciné artist and her subsequent history. Did she know the `master race' myth (hawked in her films) would be used to justify criminal war, racial laws, and genocide? Did she knowingly profit from a criminal relationship?

Riefenstahl maintains the demeanor of a totally devoted `artist' innocent of opportunism or worldly ambition. This contrasts with an all too actuarial viewpoint on events after the war (where she becomes the victim and keeps score). Her posture is also hard to reconcile with the business of art (which like other trade requires one think of how to get paid).

Sanctimony, omissions, and counter-accusations provide a clue to myopic flaws in one who would have us believe she was completely unaware of the activity of the criminal regime that was her greatest benefactor.

Don't read this if you seek confessionals from an author of propaganda that helped the world go to war and kill millions. If, on the other hand, you want to read how such a person lived with herself in a candid and well-written account, this is highly recommended.

Riefenstahl was indeed a genius, a genius with the camera and film editing. One will never know whether or not she'd eventually have been a great director, as she was pretty well blackballed by post-war political influences, and had few resources during the war (the "Tiefland" movie, filmed during wartime, was strapped for money and never finished ... as far as I know.) "Das Blau Licht" was an interesting early try at film directing for her, and while that is certainly not a great movie, it does an exceptional job of creating mood via the camera and chiaroscuro effect. The camera angles and camera lens applications she chose were definitely leading-edge. She would also let the camera dwell on the human face and body, so that one could really appreciate the uniqueness of individuals and see how interesting they were (the people used as extras in the "Blau Licht" at its location near Trento, Italy, are particularly memorable). Leni's genius was in showing us the angle, the viewpoint, the shading, and letting us see what she saw. It was at times awesome.

No doubt film makers in the US paid attention to her work. What is really astounding is that she was a woman and pioneer in a man's trade, who created photographic techniques and treatments like none seen before. In the US, we had no female equivalent to even compare to her, and this makes an interesting statement about Third Reich society, which is far different from what we are lead to believe -- women had opportunities to engage in traditionally male professions, even test piloting (the US certainly had no one comparable to Hanna Reisch, either).

Movie viewers may have seen the 1936 sports documentary, "Olympia," that she filmed, composed and edited. It is regarded as THE best such documentary ever produced. Keeping that in mind, think of the Winter Olympic coverage we just witnessed ... "will Michelle Kwan make the team? Why did she miss practice? Will she skate?, etc." It all a bunch of tasteless, dramatic hokum, IMHO. We have jumped the tracks and gone over a cliff of degeneracy compared with the high standard set by Riefenstahl. I recommend viewing her film once again, for the sake of enjoyment and appreciation.

I read her book, "Memiors," in late 1993. It was the best autobiography of a woman that I've ever read ... by far. I wrote her a letter through her publisher, St. Martin's ,and the following July, received a very warm reply and an autographed picture. I quote an interesting extract from her letter:


Quote:
"Dear Mr. (Anon), your letter from December 13, I have received only few days ago ... but even in the time you were in Murnau (poster's note: I was in Germany for a couple of months and had hoped to meet her personally, her home was in Pocking), I was diving in Africa, Kenya and in the Seychelles, and not in Germany. Even now I fly to Papua, New Guinea for diving ..."



To clarify, she didn't receive my letter until months after my having sent it, because of her travels for the purpose of underwater photography. And, let's see, she was born in 1902, so she was about ninety-two years-old at the time (We are discussing an incredible person here). We corresponded for several years after that, the last time around her 100th birthday.

In the post war years it was quite common for the US media and particularly Hollywood, to extract excerpts from her films and give her no payment, no recognition. At the same time they were carrying on this artistic theft, they would never miss an opportunity to criticize Riefenstahl for the usual specious reasons. Although she was much too gracious to think in this manner, she, in the end, had the last laugh. She outlived all of her "Hollywood Harry" detractors and carried on to accomplish great and innovative things in photography (See her photo book, "Die Nuba," it is awesome.)

She died at age 101. And would have lived much longer, had she not been severely injured in a helicopter accident a few years earlier.

A toast to Leni!

I was very disappointed to read so many bad, professional reviews of this book, all clearly coming from a biased standpoint. Leni Riefenstahl's memoir is honest, brave, engaging, and even inspiring - it is time to put aside the "Leni the Nazi" glasses and look at her for what she was - an exceptionally talented artist and a passionate, courageous woman who lived at a time when bad decision could end up being fatal. I actually watched through all of her work, and although two of them clearly glorify Hitler (she was shooting a propaganda film after all), I did not find any proof of her being a racists, but many to the contrary. So many of her critics never even actually bothered to watch her films, let alone put it into context (they usually fail to mention that at the time Riefenstahl was commissioned by Hitler, Hitler had not yet invaded Poland and was seemingly nothing but an ambitious political leader who gave people food and hope and promised to help Germany to get on its feet again). As a Jewish Hungarian immigrant, I certainly could have all the reasons to hate Leni Riefenstahl; but I prefer to look at her work in the context of her time and in the light of her artistry, and as such, she certainly deserves much more than these biased reviews try to make you believe.

I am very pleased with the poster overall. It is a bit light and fuzzy but that only adds to the era of when the picture was taken. The poster is not signed as in the photo for the review but thats a good thing as it would take away from the art work. I give this item a rating of 5 as it was just what i was looking for in a price range I could afford and in color it beats all expections.

Bob Thomas gets to the heart of things early: Disney was a greatly talented man whose singular vision lives on in his work. Fair enough. We really do forget that all this, that we call "Disney," was created by a man of extraordinary creative genius. The 60s generation sneered at Disney. Many resented the militarized discipline of the Disneyland work force with their clean-shaved faces, the uniforms and the regimented smiles. Now that the hippies have gone with the wind, we see what is enduring in the culture. Ironically, Disney himself was not a money man, not a finance wizard, not a bean counter. He was in debt most of his creative life, owing millions to the Bank of America. It was TV that saved Disney studios, not Cinderella. Disney cared about quality, cared about product, cared about audience. It is almost quaint to read about such an idealism; it even sounds like a mantra from the 60s. If Disney has become a dirty word, it is because of those who came after the Master himself. The greedy killers of the golden goose weren't interested in Disney's world; they were interested in exploiting it. This biography leaves out much, no doubt, but as hagiography it has its purposes. We see that Disney lived at that moment in America when it was possible to turn suffering into nostalgia. Like many of his generation, the down-home mid-westerner that Disney was put aside memories of mindless drudgery and turned his early childhood into a show, with singing ducks, dancing goats, and happy farmers. Author Thomas makes clear that Disney - like other film moguls like Louis B. Mayer - held a vision of America that had not yet been made anachronistic. But what astonishes most of all is Disney's integrity as a man of the arts. His donations to CALARTS coupled with his wife's gift to Disney Hall in Los Angeles make the Disney name synonymous with creative life.

This book was such a pleasure to read. It allows you to escape reality and enter the wonderful world that Walt Disney created. I loaned it to my father as soon as I finished it, and he cannot put it down!
Walt was a true inspiration and is to be admired.

If you are a Disney fan this is the one to read. Lots of info about his early days & how Disneyland came to be. He was sure he would die before he had finished what he set out to do. The Disney company was never the same after his death.
But is John Lassiter the new Walt..... Let's hope so.

This was a great and interesting book. I loved reading it and learning things about Disney and his history that I didn't know. A great read.