Video Production Books

My jaw drops at the Library Journal review supplied by Amazon of Frank Gado's magnificant Bergman book, but I note it appears to be a very early review. I had been a Bergman fan for years when Gado's book came out and when it did it was like lightning bolt. This is not just some pamphlet to add to your Bergman collection once you've read all the rest. This is the SEMINAL study of Bergman; no one can write about the filmaker in the future without knowing this book. It was the first to get past the religious mumbo-jumbo and the literary high mindedness to discover just what Bergman is actually saying. Meticulously researched and beautifully written, it is, above all, the most compelling psychological study of the director ever attempted. His discussion of "Persona," my own personal favorite Bergman film and admittedly a difficult nut to crack, quite simply renders useless virtually every other critique of the film that had been written previously, and that includes essays by Susan Sontag and a host of others with similarly sharp minds. These pages are filled with insight after insight. The only possible complaint I have is that Gado seems uninterested in the "filmic" quality of Bergman's work. There's little discussion of how the films look and feel via cinematography, framing, sound, lighting, editing, what have you. That's fine. If he hadn't left that for others there'd be little left for anyone to write about.

I have been looking for this book and found it on Amazon. I am very excited to have received it in time to give as a Christmas gift.

Peckinpah's Women: A Reappraisal Of The Portrayal Of Women In The Period Westerns Of Sam Peckinpah by successful screen writer Bill Mesce is a thoughtful, compelling, and insightful analysis of a famous Western filmmaker of whose career peaked in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Considered gory, violent, and misogynistic by some, Peckinpah's films are reappraised in Peckinpah's Women in order to better understand the multitude of conflicting factors that affected one man's silver screen stories and how he told them. Especially recommended reading for those with a strong interest in the history and future of western film studies in general, and the cinematic work of Sam Peckinpah in particular, Peckinpah's Women is a scholarly, critical book, and a welcome addition to personal, professional, and academic Film Studies reference collections.

This is, quite simply, the finest book on film theory and analysis that I have ever read. I am a great admirer of Peckinpah's work, especially his westerns, so I am very happy to see a serious consideration of his work. Mr. Seydor writes with great insight, intellegence, and with a thorough understanding of this neglected and under-appreciated director. Too many people identify Sam Peckinpah as a director of blood and guts movies containing violence for the sake of violence. Mr. Seydor shows the themes and emotions that saturate Peckinpah's work and tells us that this is a director of immense talent and passion. He also lets you know that he directed other westerns besides "The Wild Bunch". I hope that someday Mr Seydor will write a book about Peckinpah's non-western films as well. But in the mean time, this book is perfect for movie addicts like myself, but is also very accessable to the casual film fan as well.

This book has some great, though sometimes slightly repetitive, interviews with Almodovar, and is a special treat for big fans of his movies.

The depth and care given to this tribute to Akira KUrosawa is nothing short of breathtaking. The early portion of the book with tributes from Mifune and others is a standing witness to the influence that Kurosawa had. The second half of the book is an interesting incite into his directing process. I definitely recommend this book to any film student or enthusiast alike.

J. L. Styan has a master's eye for nuance. He works with the text, envisions the text, draws on his extensive experience with Shakespeare's plays on stage, on screen, and on paper to create a marvellous, readable, enjoyable document for drama lover and playgoer, student and scholar alike. There's always something to be gleaned from one of his books. This is the latest, I hope not the last. The book consists of articles written over several years, now culled, revised, and brought together to create an overview of performance techniques, stage-to-audience-to-stage communication, and significant details conveyed via dialogue that the scholarly approach to the plays often forgets to consider. ROMEO AND JULIET will never be the same after reading this analysis of the balcony scene. The awareness that we folks of the year 2000 just do not have generally of the intricacies of all Shakespearean women being played by boy actors is explored, and also just what that might convey . . . Give yourself a treat! Try this one out! See how you change your perspective, see more clearly/differently/MORE! And enjoy the depth of perspective you suddenly become an apprentice of!

After reading this compilation of texts about the late-great filmmaker Stanley Kubrick, I got the feeling I knew more than before about the master. PERSPECTIVES is filled with details about his films and about the way he worked as an artist. It is an important contribution to Kubrick studies. This anthology edited by Falsetto covers the first period (i.e. from his second film KILLER'S KISS) all the way to his (next) to last production (the incredible war flick FULL METAL JACKET). It even includes an article by Kubrick himself, as well as a piece wrote by Anthony Burgess on Kubrick's adaptation of his famous novel A CLOCKWORK ORANGE. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone interested to know more about Kubrick's work or about cinema in general. It is a must-read for any Kubrick aficionados and, as far as I know, the only serious compilation of writings about this true genius of cinema. By far one of the best book on the master to date. Let's hope that the author or the publisher will reprint it in a paperback format, so that more people will have access to it.

Not only is this book stunningly written, it's also very erotic. Although I don't recommend this to those with a weak stomach, it's still the best screenplay I've ever read.

"Phallic Frenzy is the book that was screaming to be written. Lanza does with words what Russell does with imagery. Not an easy task. All with the same tongue-in-cheek, wink-of-an-eye humor."

-- Leonard Pollack, Ken Russell's former stills photographer and costume designer