Movies Books

The title of the book, which became Mr. Sayers' credo throughout life, comes from a quote he saw on the desk of one of his coaches: "My God is first, my friends and family are second, I am third." Mr. Sayers tells the story of a man who lifted himself out of the ghetto with such a love for football, his friendship with Brian Piccolo (one of the very first pairings of a black player and a white player in the NFL) and his near-career ending injury. It is an inspirational story that does not get preachy. He tells of his friendship with Brian Piccolo without getting maudlin (Mr. Sayers and Mr. Piccolo were loyal friends and deeply respectful of each other.) He relates his triumphant return to the Chicago Bears after a knee injury that had almost everyone writing him off (except Mr. Piccolo, who urged him on during rehabilitation.) It almost seems as if Al Silverman turned on a tape recorder and let Mr. Sayers talk. Rather than being pretentious, the way a lot of sports biographies are one gets the feeling that Mr. Sayers is sitting down in an easy chair and is talking directly to each reader. The book, however, was written more than thirty-five years ago and ends before Mr. Sayers' final two (albeit disappointing) seasons. My hope is that Mr. Sayers will either update this book or write a sequel to tell us of his successes after football.

Bought this as gift for my husband. His reveiw: It was okay, interesting about Gayle Sayer's life but not extremely well written. It had little to say about his relationship with Brian Piccolo.

I am third
By Gale Sayers

Devon Hurley

My book is called I am third and it�s written by Gale Sayers. The price of the book is $...and u can find this book in any book store.
I am third is about the football player gale Sayers .He plays football with his friends every day. He grew up in a poor house with barely any food. That didn�t stop him from playing football though. He played no matter what. One time he tried to tackle some one and he got kicked in the mouth and he was spiting out blood his brother played football too. He was older then Gale. Gale was a starter on the high school football team with his brother he only got to play with his brother one season because he was a senior when Gale was a freshman. Gale was a good player. He was like1st or 2nd best in the country. He wanted to go to a four year college to play football. Mississippi State was in other sports besides football like track and basketball. He broke the long jump record for track. His mom and dad were always working on something. Gale�s dad was tall and had long legs. His dad worked hard every day and only got 40 dollars a day. His mom was at home watching all the kids. All the kids in the neighbor hood were on the football team. After gale went to college he was going to go to the pros either the chiefs or the bears. on draft day the Chicago bears picked Gale Sayers the first day of summer training he met Brian piccolo. Brian was a white person and Gale was a black person they didn�t really get along at first of race but after they started playing together. The coach put them in the same room partner. When gale was voted rookie of the year Brian starts to get sick and has to go to the hospital and he finds out he has cancer and has to stay in the hospital for the rest of the season. Later he goes home and is recovering but he gets cancer again a in his chest and dies from cancer. later gale plays the best game of his career he scores 6 touchdowns.

This review is on the book called "I Am Third". In this book it tells mostly about Gale Sayers' football career and some of Brian Piccolo's or Pic. The reason this book is called "I Am Third" is because he says that "God is 1st,my friends are 2nd,and I am 3rd". To understand this book you might have to know a little about football. If you like football stories I would reccomend you read "I Am Third".

I really never liked sports, but this book really moved me because it was a story of two men very different yet very alike. They were both very talented, over the past few months i've been doing so much research and Gale and Brian. I also am planning to do a important report on them, the frienship that they had was great. BUY THIS BOOK!! and the movie Brians song!I loved both. I love Ya Gale and Brian GOD BLESS!

I Love You Because You're You. It's the perfect message of unconditional love that we can share with our little ones. What a wonderful way to express exactly what we want to reinforce with our own little ones. I absolutely adore this book.

I Love You Because You're You shows cute illustrations of a darling little fox and his mother (which becomes grandmother when I read the book). In each picture, the little fox is expressing parts of his personality and different emotions. Sometimes he's loving, curious, and full of energy. Other times, he is sad, scared, or angry. However, no matter what the mood, Mama reiterates that she loves her little one nonetheless.

We received this book as a gift when our baby girl was born. I love this book. The verse is very sweet and simple and describes emotions that will be familiar to a young child. The illustrations depict the emotions with enough detail that a child can start to recognize them. Very few children's books these days have illustration this nice. Highly recommended.

LOVE is an unconditional. This book illustrates the differences between like and LOVE. This is a great book to read to children of all ages. The illustrations are marvelous. Even though the choice of roles may be a little gender biased, the story still depicts and models (for parents or caregivers) the art of teaching love.

Great book, easy to read and really lets your child know they are very loved and very special.

My favorite line in this elegant volume is when
the regally dressed Mama fox says to her little one,
"I love you any way you feel, no matter what you do."

How many of us wonder, "Will they still love me, even
though I......." fill in your blank?

How many times we PRAY the important people in
our lives will love us unconventionally and how many
times do we deny ourselves the comfort of a
"Yes, ofcourse I will love you any way... no
matter what you do"?

Read this child to the preschooler in your life
AND be sure your teen-aged children (nieces,
nephews, neighbors, passers-by) are listening
as well. Read it often.

Read it to yourself when you are feeling low -
and allow yourself to be embraced by Mama Fox.

It is a less-than-five-minute investment
in contentment, peace and growth in
unconventional love... and hopefully the message
will carry over into the hearts and souls
of the listeners.

Inventing the Movies is really well written, describing with great clarity the history of innovation in the entertainment industry. Kirsner shows the century-long efforts of Hollywood pacesetters to innovate while others preferred to maintain the status quo. The author's extensive use of sources and recognizable theme makes his book compelling for both industry aficionado and the layman alike.

[...]

Very well thought out and insightful. As an independent filmmaker, and at a time when the industry is going through so much change, I found it to be a very stimulating and relevant read.

Just adding a bit to the other reviews here:

Today we are in the midst of the most profound upheaval to Hollywood traditions in 100 years, so to provide analogy, one of the most important chapters was the first one, where Kirsner should have described in some depth the primordial battle between live theater and any sort of filming. Instead, he focuses on the competition between Kinetiscope and projection, as if film had vanquished live theater on day one and all that was left to do was iron out the details. Otherwise, this book hits the mark.

"Inventing The Movies" is an incisive chronicle detailing the history of technology in filmmaking. It is filled with fascinating tidbits and facts about the struggles movie innovators faced when attempting to enhance how movies are made.

Scott Kirsner has compiled a wealth of historical facts and he presents them in a wonderfully entertaining manner.

Truly an excellent and quick read. I highly recommend this book to any cinephile looking to understand the evolution of technology in film.

This book merges two topics in a compelling narrative - a fast-paced history of how technology has consistently changed the movie industry, with an emphasis on newer innovations such as digital production, and a case-study based examination of the dynamics of new technology adoption a la Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm" or Clay Christensen's "The Innovator's Dilemma". Kirsner's engaging writing style should make the book accessible to anyone who is looking to understand the transformation of how Hollywood made / makes movies or who is being acutely affected by technology change in the media and entertainment industry and beyond.

Bob Burns is the foremost collector of sci-fi and horror memorabilia, and it's all kept in his basement. This book is a guided tour through Bob's remarkable collection of props, costumes and other items that Bob has collected for nearly 50 years with anecdotal stories by Bob about how he acquired the items, as well as Bob's life long experiences both in front of and behind the cameras of Hollywood.

There's a pair of Frankenstein's boots worn by Glenn Steele, the Captain America costume worn by Dick Purcell in the Captain America serial, costumes from Flash Gordon...There's models of the rockets from George Pal's "Destination Moon" and a replica of The Time Machine. Latex props from Alien and The Terminator..space helmets and laster blasters from 50's era TV and films. A marvelous collection and the object of envy of baby boomers everywhere.

in addition we'll learn of Bob's background as a makeup artist and the films he worked on as well as his short-lived career as a horror magazine publisher who went head-to-head with Famous Monsters of Filmland. We'll see Bob's long career playing a gorilla in appearances on shows like The Lucy Show as well as the short-lived Saturday morning show Ghostbusters.

From there Bob takes us through the many years of putting on some of the most elaborate Halloween displays and shows to ever show up in suburban America with help from guys who would go onto become some of the most famous special effects gurus in Hollywood like Dennis Muren.

This is a fun and utterly engrossing travel through time as we tour Bob's collection and see items that he saved from the garbage heap. Highly recommended!

This book is a lot of fun. Bob Burns is one of the greatest collectors of movie memorablia. After reading this book, I've decided I want to hang out in his basement.
The anecdotes make this a fun read and the pictures are fantastic.

It Came From Bob's Basement is one of those books that I look at over and over again. Not only are the images terrific, but the writing is exceptional. Apart from Bob Burns' incomparable passion for these icons of science fiction culture, what really emerges for me is a very accurate portrayal of Mr. Burns' big heart and generosity. Bob's intention was never to make money from his collection but rather to be a museum director and caretaker of priceless relics that millions of people have seen in many of the world's greatest films. Now, with the publication of this book, everyone has an opportunity to see these items first hand and I would highly recommend they do so!

This is a man who shows his love of film in every word of this book. Lots of photos ( still I want more shots ) of props that you would never think would have ever been saved. Lots of good stories and things you never knew about many of the films. Great read, I just sat down and didn't stop until the end.

Why doesn't some one with some Big Hollywood bucks open a place where the props and and seen and perserved.

Come on George and Steven... special effects and movies made you millions give something back and perserve the past.

Bob Burns has written a wonderful little book titled, "It Came From Bob's Basement." This book is chronicle of a moment in time that has long since passed from our lives, but we can always take a moment to revisit. Bob grew up in the 1930's when many things, which we now take for granted, were in their infancy. Before video games, and a color television in every home, a child was more innocent; their imaginations were fueled more by a sense of wonder in discovering the world around them.

We seem to lose that innocence much earlier every generation, Bob has never lost it. He chronicles his awe as he discovers movies such as King Kong, which so captured his imagination that it set a path for his life's destiny, and became part of a lifelong fascination with science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Bob has worn many hats in his life, follow him as he changes from Major Mars, a live matinee host for children, to Bob Burns the contributor to many memorable horror movies of the 50's and 60's. Bob's fascination with movies has led him to many strange roads, and contributed to his ever-growing list of friends, some of whom are very well known. Over the years Bob has collected a multitude of movie props, many of which were given to him by his friends in the industry, a lot of these appear as gorgeous photographs in Bob's Book. A movie that I loved as a boy growing up in Southern California, was the Time Machine. This movie was so special to me, that when I see it today, I still see it through the eyes of the child that I was back then. Bob has the fully restored Time Machine prop in his collection, he not only includes photographs, but he tells the fascinating tale of how the studios put it on the auction block, and sold it to the highest bidder. Despondent, Bob told his good friend George Pal, (The man who directed the Time Machine, and many other excellent films.), who assured him that he would one day find it, since he was meant to have it. Many people over the years have had the opportunity to visit Bob's Basement, and view not only the "Time Machine," but all of his other movie props and memorabilia, and listen as he tells the stories behind each one of them. For those of you who have never had this wonderful opportunity, Bob has created this book for you, as he invites you to come in, sit down, and visit with him in his basement.

Seriously. This lady apparently never threw away ANYTHING. She didn't even throw away the "Glorious Aryan Motherhood" medal she got from the Nazis in 1938 in an effort to entice her back to the Third Reich, though she was much offended by the "award" and described her displeasure in pithy terms. Conversely, she proudly told her daughter, Maria Riva, that whereas most daughters inherit medals from their fathers, Maria would inherit medals from her mother, and these decorations (including the U.S. Medal of Freedom and two degrees of the French Legion of Honor) are displayed in one of the book's many color photographs.



This splendid book is a Marlene Dietrich museum all by its lonesome. Gorgeous photographs from every stage of her career (including some very sexy and risque ones displaying her famous legs to best advantage!) are coupled with a visual catalogue of the most interesting of her clothing and possessions, including her famous good-luck rag doll, which appeared in several of her movies, and a pair of matched pistols she received from General George Patton (with whom she is rumored to have had an affair) during World War II.



Speaking of which, Marlene's WWII service, one of the great defining experiences of her life, gets full attention in this book, with many very striking photos of herself at the front. My favorite pictures from this period show her watching a training drop by the 82nd Airborne Division, the unit closest to her heart, in Holland in early 1945.



Marlene, of course, is famed as one of the great style-setters of the 20th century, and we see many, many photos of her outfits and accessories, both as display items and when she was wearing them.



Can I use the word "splendid" twice in one review? :) Because that is exactly what this book is. It's a bargain at any price you care to name, and one of the best retrospectives on any great film star I've ever seen.

Here are images we've never seen before. The ones of her life on the front in W.W. II are amazing. Brave woman fighting for the US soldiers. And the picture of her in the bathtub is worth the book alone. The private dresses, her lingerie, her jewels -- these are amazing.

A delicacy! The best book of photographs I have seen on Dietrich and a compendium of beauty, not only hers but all that was created through and with her. A must have book.

This is a dream of a book. Full of glorious photos and facts. I highly reccommend this to all Dietrich and film fans. All public figures should be the subject of a book like this.

If you were a fan of Dietrich and were allowed to own only ONE book about this woman, then this should be the book to own. To reiterate another reviewer's thought -- it is EXQUISITE.

we need to learn how to work with them and how to make them work, this is in part what Colleen tells us here. Very nice book indeed and not the usual one. She doen't promise to become wealty by getting published, yet between the lines I think there is a hope for everyone of us becoming richer in the spirit. And this is why many of us write: to live a fuller life by reflecting on it. This book helps us in both ways - to write for the entertinment of others and for the deepening of one's thoughts - and I'm eagerly waiting for a second and third book with more entertaining tips and insight! Thak you Colleen.

With Movies In The Mind: How To Build A Short Story, Colleen Rae provides the aspiring writer with compendium of sound advice, techniques, and strategies for writing plausible, believable, resonating fiction. Each informative chapter is a gem of sound, practical, illustrative, and occasionally inspiring instruction and includes: Entering The Storymaker's Realm; Fiction's Building Blocks; Participatory Art; Digging The Clay; Whose Story Is It Anyway?; Unlocking Your Story; How To Birth A Story; and There's Always A Critic. Very highly recommended for anyone seeking to improve the quality of their fiction, Movies In The Mind is further enhanced with a section of Exercise Pages, a Reading List; and a user-friendly index.

This book is great, will really rev up your writing, and I'm not the only one who says so. The February 2001 issue of Wisconsin Bookwatch has the review : With "Movies In The Mind: How To Build A Short Story", Colleen Rae provides the aspiring writer with compendium of sound advice, techniques, and strategies for writing plausible, believable, resonating fiction. Each informative chapter is a gem of sound, practical, illustrative, and occasionally inspiring instruction and includes: Entering The Storymaker's Realm; Fiction's Building Blocks; Participatory Art; Digging The Clay; Whose Story Is It Anyway?; Unlocking Your Story; How To Birth A Story; and There's Always A Critic. Very highly recommended for anyone seeking to improve the quality of their fiction," Movies In The Mind" is further enhanced with a section of Exercise Pages, a Reading List; and a user-friendly index.

Colleen Mariah Rae's book is a unique approach to learning the art of writing fiction. It's strictly an inside job, and Rae helps you find answers to your fiction writing problems within yourself. Her emphasis on imagery and detail is presented in a straight forward manner that sheds new light on the subject. But her advice on developing a trait continuum for your characters is help of the most valuable kind. I look forward to seeing more books from her in this series.

John M. Whalen, Journalist/Freelance Writer

Before I finished the first chapter of this book, I saw a dramatic difference in my writing. If you want to learn how to connect with the mysterious well where all of our stories come from, if you want to understand what really grabs your reader and connects him/her with your story, read this book! It's not just for short story writers. It's for writers. Period. Look through Colleen Mariah Rae's eyes as you devour this book, and you'll see your creative world in a whole new light!

Sent Murder in the Movies to a friend. Bob Skillen wrote: "I loved Esther Lutrell's book, Thank You !!!!!

This is a well-plotted and skillfully-paced novel from someone who knows the movie business from the inside. Luttrell, a former Hollywood executive, sets her protagonist in the middle of a murder, and then keeps us guessing right to the last few pages. Her protagonist is easy to like, and much more a real person than most mystery heroes or heroines. Katlin Wallace makes mistakes, gets thumped, bleeds, damages her wardrobe, and still manages to find the evildoer in the nick of time. Satisfying and fun, a good book to curl up with on a rainy day. Recommended.

Normally the nose is in some tech manual or writing one. Seldom is there a book that provides an easy read with interest, detail, and colorful characters. Live in Florida travel thru and to LA frequently. With little knowledge of either location the reader can relate to Katlin Wallace as she travels about. The characters are honest people you meet through a life time of living. Enjoyable read for the logical thinker.

I recognized accurate detail after detail in this pageturner mystery set in the Hollywood, California area. I felt like I was personally there as the storyline carried me through twists and turns of scenery as well as plot lines. I was fooled by the surprise ending -- and can highly recommend this as an entertaining read.

Katlin Wallace knows the film business and the highways and delis of the Southern California movie-metroplex. Her story is told with such vibrancy and intimacy that I felt like the author plopped me into the passenger seats of Kate's rental cars to experience with her this blur of action and noshing. I can't wait for Kate's next adventure. This is a solid and witty romp of a book. My ultimate compliment to Ms. Luttrell: I wish I had written it.

i thought this book was great and also pretty sad at the end but i enjoyed it.from the first time i started reading it i could'nt put it down.

Vada is eleven years old and her mother died when she was born, and Vada thinks that it is her fault her mohter died. Her dad owns a funeral home and thats where Vada loves. Her best friend Thomas J. is allergic to everything. Thomas J. and Vada are always doing something together, like riding bikes, or playing at the lake. One day this lady named Shelly shows up at Vadas house in a camper wanting a job at the funeral home and be the person that when someone dies she puts on the make-up and does their hair. She gets the job. Vada likes her and everything is going great. SO one day Vada and Thomas J. ran into their teacher, Mr. Bixler Vada wants to marry him, and he had told them that he was going to be having a writting class in the summer, and Vada wants to go. So she has to try to find money and her dad won't give it to her so she takes it from Shelly. Then Shelly and her dad start dating. Then one day her dad said they were going to get married. So now Vada hates them both. So she tells Thomas J. and they go to the lake and they find a bee hive and they try to hit it with rocks, THomas J. collects them, they finally hit it and bees go everywhere.

Vada Sultenfuss is a typical 11 year old girl who has to learn to face her fears and get on with lfe even when bad things happen. She lives in a funeral parlor and has a boy (Thomas J.) for a best friend. Her mother is dead and she only has a father. Living in a funeral parlor for all her life, Vada keeps thinking she has cancer and is going to die, and her father could care less about this issue. One day Shelly comes in and ends up working for Vada's dad. Their marriage takes Vada by surprise, and when her best friend gets stung by bees she learns to cope with Shelly even though she doesn't have her best friend to always ride bikes and play with her anymore.

Vada is 11 years old and she has never met her mother and her dad is a caretaker and her bestfriend Thomas J never wants to come into the house because it is a funeral parlor. Thomas J and Vada are always riding around town on their bikes and Vada thinks that she has cancer in her throat. Though everytime she goes to see the doctor about it he says she is just fine. All the time Thomas J and Vada go sit up in a tree and one day they were going to the tree and saw a bee hive. Thomas J wanted it because he had a wasps hive and he wanted a bee hive to go with it. They were throwing rocks at it and knocked it down and bees started swarming and they ran and jumped in the lake, but before they did Vada realized she lost her mood ring and the next day Thomas J went back to where Vada had lost her ring and he got it, but when he went back the bees attacked him and of course Thomas J is allergic to everything he got stung and died from it. After Thomas J's funeral Thomas's mother went to Vada's house and gave her the ring. And though Vada was sad about Thomas J she just pretended that he was at summer camp or on vacation. Vada new that Thomas J would be taken care of because her mother would take care of him. She new that she would see him again.

I really enjoyed reading this book about my favourtie movie of all time. If you loved the movie My Girl I would deffenently recomend this book because it follows the movie so well. Pick it up today you'll be glad you did because it is such a marvelous book.

Paul Scott's following is small, but Loyal. He is a fantastic writer. The Raj Quartet by far, is my favourite favourite series of books by him because of its complexity and such extraordinary characters. His charactres are so indepth, so well played out that the reader feels that he or she knows them thouroughly. Its a historical epic, very well written, and its absolutely a must read.

About 25 years ago I got a list of the best 100 books of all time, and found "The Raj Quartet" by Paul Scott listed. I started at the beginning with "The Jewel in the Crown" and got bogged down. Coincidentally, PBS started its Masterpiece Theatre version. I watched a few of the episodes (actually all of them, eventually) and got back to reading. What I discovered was the best set of novels I've ever read, and each one an individual "jewel" as well. A pebble thrown, the towers of silence, and many other images stay with me, as well as the memory of Scott's beautiful writing and well-developed, complex characters, and the scope and importance of the story. If there wasn't so much else to read, I'd reread the whole set--sounds like a good retirement project some day.

My yardstick for excellent writing about a foreign culture is probably Paul Scott's "The Raj Quartet", which was the basis for the BBC TV series "The Jewel in the Crown". I think these four books are a real tour de force - he writes in several different voices throughout, but remains - I think - completely sensitive to the political and social complexities and subtleties of the situation in India towards the end of the British occupation. Very nuanced, extraordinarily sensitive writing.

It's not just the writing: the stories that unfold in this masterpiece will draw you in, grip you, and break your heart.

This book (or series of books) is so sprawling and intricate, like India itself, one might say, that it is impossible to "pin down", as it were, in a review like this. The thing to do, I think, is to cover the most salient aspects of the work separately. Otherwise, one will become lost, as many of the characters herein do. So, salient aspect numbers:

1.) History - This is the novelistic equivalent of Gibbon concerning the British Empire. It might even be called "The Decline and Fall of The British Empire." As a reviewer for the Sunday Times puts it, "A history student years from now should be able to say to his professor, `Yes, but what was it REALLY like in India in the last days of the Raj?' and be told, `Read these four books and you'll not only know, you'll understand...' " The "understand" part is especially significant in that these books will have you totally spellbound by Scott's deft character portrayal and psychological insight. It is no exaggeration to say that one feels one has lived in India from 1939-1947 after having emerged from the nearly two-thousand pages that comprise this work. But the deft character portrayal leads me to a more troublesome, salient point:

2.) Ronald Merrick-A host of characters populate this work, portrayed with deep sympathy herein. And yet, one can't help but feel, upon closing the pages, that the work might also be called, "Ronald Merrick: An in-depth Portrait of a Psychotic in India". It is a tribute to Paul Scott that we do not discover the depths of the....evil (Sorry, I can't think of another word that fully encompasses the character.) of Merrick until the tag end of the work. Yes, Hari Kumar is the other major character who, to a certain extent, offsets Merrick. But he fades into the background after his interrogation by Nigel Rowan with Lady Manners looking on in the second book, The Day of the Scorpion. Merrick, so to speak, stays on until the very bitter end. Not only does he stay on, but he lingers in the mind. What is he? What does he represent? The British Raj itself, as some would have it? Partly, I would say, but there is something about Scott's obsession with this fellow that refuses to be pigeonholed. It's all very eerie. By the end of the book, you won't be able to hear the word "Merrick" without a troubling frisson running through you. - He is not mad like, say, Susan Layton, who rather resembles a character from one of the Bronte novels. - His nature and the nature of his evil are complex. They defy reduction. So, I shan't venture on a futile quest to do so but rather come to salient point:

3.) The brooding fatalism that overhangs everything here. Of course, one knows before one picks the book up that the Brits in India are doomed. But, well, I'll just let Daphne Manners' quote from the first book, The Jewel in the Crown, give the reader notice of the feeling that permeates this work:

"We were sitting on the verandah. Oh, everything was there - the wicker chairs, the table with the tea tray on it, the scent of the flowers, the scent of India, the air of certainty, of perpetuity; but, as well, the odd sense of none of it happening at all because it had begun wrong and continued wrong, and so was already ended, and was wrong even in its ending, because its ending, for me, was unreal and remote, and yet total in its envelopment, as if it had already turned itself into a beginning. Such constant hope we suffer from!"

Salient points covered...except that the reader might do worse than to do as Perron does at the end and look up Philoctetes, not a futile quest by any means.

It has been too long since I read this book [probably 15 years ago] for me to offer an erudite and detailed analysis. But I do remember vividly that when I read it that the word "masterpiece" came repeatedly to my mind. In a league with Thackeray's "Vanity Fair" and Naipaul's "A House for Mr. Biswas". Find the time to read it; you won't regret it.

Most for-sale screenplays are just that -- screenplays. Emma Thompson, who wrote the screenplay for the delightful Jane Austen film "Sense and Sensibility," chose to include journal entries throughout the filming of the movie as well, in addition to the winning entry of a contest to see who could write the best letter from Fanny to Elinor.

There is wit in the descriptions and the photos, all well-captured. The journal entries are entertaining and a good look into the making of a movie. Although be forewarned -- because they dress like the characters of S&S, they do not talk like them. There is definitely some verbal crudeness in the book, men and women alike, but if you can overlook that (or are used to it) then this book will be a delightful read for any Jane Austen fan.

There are three separate parts to this fine volume; introduction, script and diaries. The producer of the film, Lindsay Doran, opens the door for us with her wonderful introduction. At age 13, she was determined that not only was "Jane Austen a very stupid writer," but also she would "never, never read one of her stupid books again."

Fortunately for the rest of the world, Ms. Doran changed her mind, and some twenty-five years after that first erroneous conclusion, has brought us this wonderfully witty, and extremely faithful film version of this first novel by Austen. As producer of the Kenneth Branagh/Emma Thompson film, DEAD AGAIN, she became acquainted with the woman who was not only a phenomenal actress, but also a gifted writer-one with a sense of humor and a strong romantic bent. These two qualities had proven to be the stumbling block over nearly ten years of searching for the right scriptwriter for Sense and Sensibility.

It took nearly seven years to come up with something close to a shooting script, sandwiched as it had to be between Thompson's many award-winning acting chores. Serendipity was obviously at work, however, and eventually, a budget was established, and casting accomplished.

Many of the actors Emma had envisioned in various roles had participated in a read-through the year prior to the filming; they were all in the film, in those same roles.

While the Dashwood ladies are all suitable beautiful, it is the men who are truly gorgeous. ("Repellently so," writes Ms. Thompson in the diary portion, referring to Hugh Grant. "He's much prettier than I am.") With his look-alike Richard Lumsden, they are the brothers Ferrar, Edward and Richard, with Greg Wise as the fickle Willoughby. Alan Rickman (be still my heart!) brings maturity and virility to the role of Colonel Brandon. The sets and costumes are sumptuous.

Interspersed with the actual shooting script and the diaries are some 50 photographs, 36 of them in luscious color. One script looks pretty much like another, but this one allows Ms. Thompson's wry wit to shine, especially in some of the non-spoken words. Of course, not every scene from the book could be included; the movie would have been more than six hours had they been. But the essentials are here, along with all the major characters. Providing testimony to just how perspicacious was the choice of writer is the number of awards garnered by Thompson for this, her first film script.

The diaries portion begin with a production meeting on January 15, 1995 and continue through July 9 of that year. A very small mention is made of Hugh Grant's visit to California, where he'd gone for his next film project after the completion of filming his scenes in England. A final two pages describes the 'location' houses chosen to represent those lived in by the families in the novel.

It may come as somewhat of a surprise to some readers to discover rather explicit language in the diaries. In addition to an apparent fascination with the alimentary process, our Emma has a bit of a potty-mouth, as do some of the gentleman involved, and their words are recorded, one presumes unhappily, all too accurately. They seem curiously jarring and out of place in a book otherwise devoted to the pristine words of Jane Austen.

Nevertheless, this is a lovely, hefty book; one which will bring the reader back to it time and again. There is always a new and enjoyable nugget to be mined from its various depths.

If you read Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" before or after seeing the 1996 film version then I think it is pretty easy to conclude that Emma Thompson's Oscar for Best Screenplay adaptation was richly deserved. After writing and performing a series of short skits for British television, Thompson was approached by producer Lindsay Doran to write the screenplay. Thompson began by dramatizing every scene in the novel, which resulted in 300 hand written pages to be followed by 14 drafts as the 1811 novel was crafted into the final script. The result was a script that manages to be not only romantic and funny, but also romantic and funny in the best Austen sense of both words.

Be aware that this is the Original Script, not to be confused with the Shooting Script. This should be clear as soon as you beginning reading, because originally Thompson had the scene shifting back and forth between Mrs. Dashwood and Elinor/John and Fanny Dashwood (credit for this revision must go, I believe, to Film Editor Tim Squyres, who recut the scene so that we get all of one side and then the other instead of alternating back and forth as in the original script). Overall the strengths of Thompson's script are in two main directions. First, she manages to convey the scope of the novel in a two-hour screenplay, no mean task. Second, the little details she adds to Austen's story are simply marvelous. For example, her use of Shakespeare's Sonnet 116 ("Let me not the marriage of true minds"), which Marianne and Willoughby share to their great mutual delight and which Marianne repeats standing in the rain looking at Willoughby's new estate. In fact, Thompson revised the first scene to make it even better, having Willoughby misquote a key word in an elegant bit of foreshadowing. Thompson also makes one nice little change at the end. While Austen has Elinor bolt from the room to cry outside during the happy ending. Thompson creates a wonderful moment by having her stay in the room and having the rest of her family flee. There are not too many scenes where you are crying and laughing at the same time, but Thompson certainly created one (and has the added virtue of relying on herself as an actress to nail the performance as well). All of these are marvelous examples of playing to the strength of the cinema to bring Austen's novel to the screen.

But we get much more than just the screenplay in this volume, because Thompson includes excerpts from her diaries kept during both the writing of the screenplay and the actual production of the film. It would be nice if there was more insight into what she was thinking when writing the screenplay as I am always interested in how decisions were made and where inspiration comes from, but Thompson makes up for that with her little tales of working with director Ang Lee and the rest of the cast in making the film. Finally, in the Appendices, there is a very choice little treat, namely Imogen Stubbs' Prize-Winning Letter, written to Elinor from Lucy. Do not worry; by the time you read it you will understand why it is so hysterical. There is also a list of the fine homes and estates where "Sense and Sensibility" was filmed if you happen to be roaming around England and are interested in looking for such things.

I truly enjoyed this work by Emma Thompson. Not only is the screenplay included, with pictures, but also there are diary entries by Thompson that give insights into the making of the movie. If you loved this movie, you should read this book. I really enjoyed it.

The screenplay itself is a must-read for anyone wanting an education in bringing a well-loved story to life. Emma Thompson does an ingenius job of crafting scenes that are faithful to Austen's original while inventing more that add character development and plot intrigue. I especially like her diary, though. For those who wonder what to include in a memoir of an experience, this journal is a rich model of self-disclosure and humor. I heartily recommend it!